Returning cruise ship worker still traumatised almost a year since borders closed

THE closure of Trinidad and Tobago's borders at midnight on March 22 last year caught many people off guard.

Almost a year later, not being able to return home without an exemption granted by government still plays on the minds of many.

Those repatriated recalled their fear and the mental toll the process took on them.

There were even more profound results, too. Richard Broadbelt, who was stuck on board the Vision of the Seas cruise ship, owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises, told Newsday he was traumatised after hearing about the death of two of his co-workers who committed suicide.

He explained that although they were not TT nationals, the grief made it more difficult to get by. “I became mentally and emotionally frustrated and stressed, and this carried on even after I was allowed back into the country. The process was long and tedious. But the lack of information from government was really the icing on the cake.”

He recalled his stay at the Couva Hospital and Multi-Training Facility, which is being used as a quarantine facility. Broadbelt said the infrastructure was accommodating and nice, but the quarantine system implemented by the Ministry of Health was flawed.

“They quarantined four people in one room and gave us one washroom to share. How can this be effective? They put us in a more compromising position than before. We were unable to get our medical records, so we did not know if we were positive or negative for the covid19 virus.”

Broadbelt believes government’s handling of the covid19 pandemic has been hypocritical and untrustworthy.

“I can never trust this government or any politician. They played with and continue to play with the population’s health. I believe the covid19 statistics are flawed and it's just propaganda.”

Former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, contacted for comment, said government has a responsibility to provide assistance to those nationals stuck outside.

“You cannot leave citizens at the mercy of a foreign country through no fault of theirs stranded with no help. To impose a 14-day wait and provide no assistance – I think that is not right. I think Government has a duty to assist citizens in that situation," he said.

To date, the borders have not been reopened and nationals wishing to come home now have to apply for exemptions via an online platform. As at January 21, there were 19,941 exemption applications and 11,682 had been granted. With the new online system, the exemptions granted rose to 12,338, but no one could say how many people have actually returned.