-special cases to be addressed by Task Force
-Minister Anthony
Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, MP, says all travellers to Guyana must produce a vaccination card showing that they have taken at least one of the COVID-19 vaccines being offered against the disease. Travellers, including Guyanese returning home, must also have in their possession a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test taken 72 hours prior to travelling to Guyana.
Minister Anthony made this disclosure during Tuesday’s COVID-19 update.
“So, the gazetted orders that was put out by the Civil Aviation Authority clearly states that for someone coming back to Guyana, they have to get a negative PCR, and in addition to a negative PCR, they would be required to have been vaccinated.
“Vaccination in this instance mean at least having one dose of your vaccine – and this applies to all travellers coming back.”
He added that based on the new guidelines, if a traveller is not vaccinated or is unable to present their negative PCR test, they would not be allowed to board the plane. However, the COVID-19 Task Force has made provision for special circumstances.
“There are some exemptions. So, if you’re below the age of 18, you’re not required to have a vaccination because in Guyana we are not administering vaccines as yet to persons below the age of 18. So, we have not made that requirement.
“Another exemption would be for women who are pregnant, [they] must show proof of their pregnancy and then we can exempt them because there are some women who during their pregnancy, did not want to take the vaccine and that’s purely their choice. And once the obstetrician would have exempted them, they can present proof that they’re pregnant, and they would not be required to have the vaccination requirements.”
The Health Minister said other citizens who may have travelled abroad before the new requirements were put in place, and who might not have gotten their vaccine, can apply to the COVID-19 Task Force for consideration. Minister Anthony said this must be done before the travel date.
“Each application will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Again, with the negative PCR, if you don’t have it, they’re not going to allow you on the aircraft.
“And similarly, now that there’s this additional requirement of getting your vaccine, if you don’t have, you would not be allowed on.”
Minister Anthony said apart from accepting persons who have been immunised with vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), consideration would be given to persons inoculated using other vaccines.
“Depending on where a traveller might be coming from, there might be other vaccines that might be used.
“So, persons travelling in from India, for example, may use Covaxin, which has not really received its WHO approval as yet, but it’s pending approval or, one person is travelling let’s say from Cuba, might receive one of the vaccines developed there. So, once we know, we’ll treat those on a case-by-case basis.”
While persons 18 years and older are required to be vaccinated to gain entry, those younger only need to produce a negative PCR test. However, once children begin to be vaccinated, the requirement will change.
