by Linda Straker
- Grenada adopting US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) quarantine guidelines
- Most of the 100+ cruise ship workers who returned on 14 June to be released early
- Some Grenadians repatriated from the USA last Friday to spend 10 days in quarantine
Grenada is adopting the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines to release from quarantine, people who enter the country and after spending 10 days in quarantine, have had negative results for both the rapid and PCR Covid-19 tests.
The first set of returning nationals to be released is the more than 100 cruise ship workers who returned on 14 June onboard the MS Mariner. They will be followed by some yachters who entered the island on the same day or the day before the cruise ship workers arrived.
“Yes, we have taken the decision to release them from quarantine, especially those who test negative after the rapid test and the mandatory PCR test which followed,” said Health Minister, Nickolas Steele. In a news conference last week, he hinted that government was looking at adopting the new guidelines, further to an advisory issued by the CDC in late May 2020.
The CDC also said asymptomatic people who have tested positive for Covid-19 should wait 10 days after the positive test before resuming normal activities.
Steele said a small number of cruise ship workers will be spending the entire 14 days in quarantine as originally planned. He admitted last week that 8 of the cruise ship workers had tested positive with the rapid test, but they tested negative with a PCR test, which is a more reliable test to detect the presence of the virus that causes Covid-19.
It is not known if those who must complete the 14-day quarantine are among the 8 who tested positive with the rapid test. Also spending 10 days in quarantine are Grenadians who returned to the island on the repatriation flight from the USA last Friday.
Initially, they were informed that the mandatory state at the quarantine facility will be 4 days, but after the second day, they were informed that they will have to spend 14 days. However, on Tuesday some of them were informed that they will be released on Sunday, 28 June 2020.
Testing negative prior to arriving and on arrival does not justify not entering quarantine. The journey alone exposes each individual on the flight to the coronavirus, whether it’s the taxi to the airport, airport and airline staff, other passengers flying to different countries etc. Please don’t be so naive to think that a negative test prior to and on arrival means you are COVID free. It could take a while to show a positive result.
Please try (Both nationals and tourist alike) to keep Grenada safe.
I could also get struck by lightning on the way to airport. The only way to keep Grenada totally safe is to not allow anyone in. The economy will tank. I do believe they should be careful allowing people in.
I own a home in Grenada and I am American. I have a flight scheduled forJuly 4. They still haven’t released protocol for when I arrive. There is no way I can quarintine for 14 days in gouverment facility. Main reason going is to pay bills. There not doing a very good job informing us.
Grenada has made it very clear that they do NOT want any tourists to come down. The airpoert is opening in less than 1 week, and still no clear protocols for tourists published.
Most of the larger hotels have no intention of reopening before October at the earliest.
How can the government expect tourists to make plans to visit, when they will have to quarantine a minimum of 10 days, at a government facility at their expense?
I understand that most Grenadians want to keep their island under lockdown, with curfews imposed, however, that means no tourists will come. The economy will fall into an economic abyss.
I will go one step further.
If you PCR test negative before travel to Grenada and this must be made compulsory before traveling. No excuses as to why you cannot test in the USA or UK before coming to Grenada. No negative test result and you are not allowed to board the plane.
So if you PCR test negative before travel and PCR test negative in Grenada, why even self quarantine beyond the two days it takes to get the PCR result in Grenada?
If two PCR tests show you are negative and you don’t have the virus. Why self quarantine at all?
Who will take care of our need food and a commation
The government have done a good job up to now but the latest decision don’t make sense. You just can’t quarantine everyone in government quarantine for 14 days. They are not following the CDC, the CDC recommend self quarantine for 14 days.
If someone came in from New York and had a test negative then test negative in Grenada. This person should be allowed to self quarantine providing they that their home is adequate.
If you quarantine everyone for 14 days in government quarantine will definitely dry up visitors.