GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Guyanese stranded abroad are continuing to plead with the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) to grant approval for their return home, the Stabroek News reported on Sunday, May 10.
Guyana’s airspace has been closed to commercial flights since March 19 in a bid to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). However, citizens marooned abroad have been calling on the NCTF to grant approval for the opening of the airspace like other countries have been doing to allow their citizens to return home.
Citizens who have been stranded for the past nine weeks have also raised objections over the NCTF allowing ExxonMobil’s workers to enter while ignoring their request to return home.
A Guyanese citizen, who asked not to be named and who has been stuck in Canada whilst vacationing in March, on Friday told the Stabroek News that she and many other Guyanese, including students, wish to return home.
She said that since the airports have been closed, Guyanese who are stranded were asked to make contact with the embassy.
“For the past nine weeks I have been calling the embassy trying to find out if we can return home but there has been no positive answer. The embassy has informed me that many persons have been calling in too and asking when they can return home. People are running out of places to stay and it is becoming burdensome and frustrating,” the woman said.
Asked if she was aware of the last flight out of Canada to Guyana, she responded in the positive but explained that she was unable to make the flight.
“I couldn’t have made it in time to the airport when I heard of it but I didn’t fight up because they had said it was only for two weeks. But now it is going to nine weeks since the airport has been closed and it is just getting more frustrating every day”, she lamented, before explaining that because she is confined to home all day and since COVID-19 is also prevalent in Canada, the situation is also mentally taxing. See full Stabroek News article at https://www.stabroeknews.com/2020/05/10/news/guyana/guyanese-stranded-overseas-continuing-to-plead-for-flights-home/
