Government defends vaccination requirement for Trinis traveling to Guyana

Edghill explained that the move by the Guyana Government is part of the many traveling protocols that will be put in place as the country adjusts travel requirements.

Government defends vaccination requirement for Trinis traveling to Guyana

Guyana’s Minister of Works Juan Edghill who overlooks the aviation sector has defended the Government’s decision to put a vaccination requirement in place for non-Guyanese nationals traveling to Guyana from Trinidad and Tobago.

The requirement does not exist for persons coming from any other country.

Speaking to News Source on Tuesday, Minister Edghill said Trinidad and Tobago was not being singled out at all.

“There is absolutely no singling out. We are a proud part of the Caribbean Family”, Minister Edghill said.

Edghill explained that the move by the Guyana Government is part of the many traveling protocols that will be put in place as the country adjusts travel requirements.

He said Trinidad and Tobago became the first country to face the requirement because it is now reopening its borders after more than a year.

“The only reason we have put out an order for Trinidadians is because Trinidad has just opened their borders. It is a wider discussion that is taking place, as it relates to CARICOM travel that is coming out of the Caricom Heads of Government meeting. We want to ensure that there is inter-Caribbean travel and people don’t have to be unnecessarily quarantined when they arrive in another jurisdiction because you know some places when you the negative PCR, you still have to go into quarantine but if you are fully vaccinated; there is no requirement”, Minister Edghill noted.

The Minister of Works said other countries will soon face the requirement as the Guyana government continues to update its travel protocols.

Trinidad and Tobago now has one of the highest vaccination rates in the region with more than 500,000 of its citizens already vaccinated.

As part of the reopening of its airports, Trinidad and Tobago is only allowing entry to fully vaccinated persons who were administered a World Health Organisation approved COVID-19 vaccine.   The majority of Guyanese have been administered with the Sputnik vaccine which is still awaiting WHO approval.

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