by Linda Straker
- Commercial flights from international markets on 1 August
- Caribbean Airlines scheduled flight from Barbados brought 6 passengers
7 days after Grenada reopened the Maurice Bishop International Airport for commercial passenger traffic from Caricom member states, Caribbean Airlines (CAL) became the first to transport inbound passengers on a scheduled flight from Barbados.
“The flight carried 6 passengers. The Grenada Airports Authority welcomed the flight with a water cannon salute, and the Grenada Tourism Authority greeted passengers with Pure Grenada bags containing hand sanitiser, spice pouches, Pure Grenada masks, miniature rums and a customised key chain,” said a release from the Grenada Tourism Authority.
CAL is scheduled to provide a daily service from Barbados until changes are made to the schedule. The arriving time is 8:55 am. Grenada’s airport was closed as part of government’s measures to control and contain the spread of Covid-19. Before the commercial flights, Grenada only welcomed repatriation flights to facilitate the hundreds of Grenadians who are stuck in different parts of the world.
With the opening of the airport for Caricom destinations, health authorities have created 3 zones of passengers and the airport of departure or connection will determine if an arriving passenger will be placed in quarantine.
Caricom countries with less than 20 positive cases will see passengers from there only experiencing a Covid-19 rapid test. Once the passenger is negative that passenger will be allowed to travel to a place of residence without quarantine. However, those coming from yellow and red zones which are places with an increasing number of cases or hot spots, will be made to experience mandatory quarantine.
Grenada is scheduled to start accepting commercial flights from international markets on 1 August.
Grenada needs to be absolutely transparent as to what “mandatory quarantine” means for a passenger coming from a Yellow Zone country, i.e Canada and the UK.
Has the description of “limited movement” given earlier been withdrawn?
Where is this mandatory location?
Details need to be released, in a honest and transparent way.