Friday, March 29, 2024

Grenada: Aircraft did not come from China

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ST GEORGE’S – Minister of Health Minister Nicholas Steele has sought to assure Grenadians that the passengers on the private aircraft that landed at Maurice Bishop International Airport late Friday, did not originate from China nor did it visit any of the COVID-19 hotspots that have been flagged by  the Grenada Airports Authority.

“A private plane landed, none of the individuals onboard have been to the hotspots or countries on our travel restriction list within the last 14 days,” said Steele who also confirmed that all the passengers were screened by port health workers before they received the approval to enter Grenada by an Immigration Officer, as is done with other passengers from other aircrafts.

However, Steele did not provide specific details – stating that in-depth information lies with the Grenada Airports Authority.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell, dismissed  as categorically false and mischievous that he had anything to do with which planes land at the airports. The Prime Minister said he had no knowledge of the plane landing, adding that it had nothing to do with him.

Mitchell went on to state that he has been busy protecting the national front from this pandemic, trying to ensure that Grenadians stay safe; and that the economy survives through this crisis.

Stating that the jurisdiction for airports falls to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Prime Minister said he has been assured that the Ministry and management of the airport are following strict protocols; “even more so, in this time when we are trying to ensure we manage well the global pandemic that is COVID-19”.

As part of Grenada’s preparedness, measures to combat transmission of COVID-19 include an Importation Transmission Watch; travel restriction list of countries and strict enforcing of mandatory quarantine of persons entering Grenada from at-risk countries.

In a recent address to the nation, Mitchell announced that Grenada has entered a new phase in managing and preparing for the COVID-19 virus.

As of Saturday, 14, there was no confirmed cases on the island but two people who passed through Grenada for short periods were later tested and confirmed positive in other countries.

One person – the first confirmed case in St Lucia, is a United Kingdom citizen, and the second is a citizen of Canada, who was a cruise passenger.

The government recently announced that in order to safeguard the population against the pandemic and contain this disease, all schools will be closed for two weeks in the first instance; the country will adopt social distancing and suspended visits to elderly nursing homes.

In providing justification for the measure, Mitchell explained that social distancing is a new term in the fight against COVID-19.

(CMC)

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