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The St Vincent and the Grenadines Government said they may ban flights from the United States after the island recorded 12 cases of covid-19 since reopening the borders to international flights.
Authorities have said that of 12 new cases, 11 are associated with American Airlines (AA) flight 945, which brought 155 passengers to the island on July 11.
According to the Jamaica Observer, another AA flight, also from Miami, arrived last Saturday, and health officials confirmed four cases of covid-19 amoung the passengers.
Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said, “What has happened is this: in the United States of America and particularly in Florida and other places, there is a big flare up (of COVID-19) and we tightened the protocols on the second flight and we are tightening the protocols on the third flight.”
“If persons who are coming here do not follow these protocols, apart from us going to Parliament and putting, as an alternative, the question of the ticketing, to have you fined, then and there, for breaking the quarantine, explained the Prime Minister.
“If persons who return choose not to pay attention to the quarantine, you may push the government to suspend the flights from the United States of America until things improve there,” Gonsalves added.
He said that as of Saturday July 25, “the protocol is going to be strengthened so I want everybody to have real advanced notice”.
The National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) said on Sunday night that there were 21 active cases of the respiratory illness in the country, including two cases, the origins of which health officials were unsure about and were investigating.
The Prime Minister further elaborated that next Saturday could be the last flight from the U.S.
Gonsalves said that St Vincent Government only agreed to allow the flight from the United States next Saturday “because people have come here and they left their jobs with the expectation that the flight will go back.”
St Vincent and the Grenadines will continue to allow flights from Canada he added.
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