NASSAU, Bahamas — High Commissioner of The Bahamas to the United Kingdom (UK) and Northern Ireland Ellison Greenslade said yesterday more than 50 Bahamians and residents in the UK and Europe have expressed interest in returning home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nassau Guardian reported on Friday, May 15.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press statement a few days ago advising Bahamians in the diaspora and certainly students who are in the UK and parts of Europe to get in touch with the high commission here in London,” Greenslade told The Nassau Guardian. “I’m very pleased to tell you that the response has been very good. We’ve heard from predominantly students and a few permanent residents of The Bahamas who have indicated an interest in returning back to The Bahamas. We have prepared, as we have been asked, a repatriation spreadsheet and that has been sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I take a personal interest in that and so it’s updated on a daily basis and as often as is necessary. And so, as of today’s date, we’ve got in excess of 50 persons on that list.”
Noting that the list continues to grow daily, Greenslade said he remains in constant contact with citizens and residents in Europe, noting that he is “fielding inquiries from people who call in”.
“The issue here in the UK is as follows: the airports are closed [and] London is still in a general state of lockdown,” he said. “People can go outside for exercise, but they’re being asked to exercise tremendous caution. And so, no one is really working, certainly not on The Bahamas’ side and most of the universities, I think, have come to the end of their programs and are now, I imagine, going to take a summer break. See complete Nassau Guardian article at https://thenassauguardian.com/2020/05/15/more-than-50-bahamians-in-uk-and-europe-want-to-come-home/
