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Jamaican students in the US want to capitalise on controlled re-entry programme

Published:Saturday | April 25, 2020 | 12:14 AMLester Hinds/Gleaner Writer

Will Jamaicans who have been stranded in the United States since Jamaica closed its borders because of COVID-19 take advantage of going back home under the controlled re-entry programme?

The Jamaican Government has said that under controlled conditions, Jamaicans who have been out of the country but desire to return home will be allowed back between April 22 and May 31.

To take advantage of the controlled re-entry, Jamaicans will have to work through the Jamaican embassy, consulate, or high commission. Once they are back on the island, these Jamaicans will be quarantined for a period of 14 days.

But several Jamaicans with whom The Gleaner spoke are unsure of the process and are uncertain whether they will be able to make it back home.

The uncertainty is highest among Jamaican students.

Sanique Rose is looking forward to returning home. She said that when she first saw the announcement, she was unsure if it was true.

STAYING WITH FAMILY

Rose has been staying with family since her school closed in February.

“I would really like to get back home. I have family members who will pay for my ticket. However, I would be going to St Catherine, and with what is happening there, maybe it would be best for me to stay here, but I really want to go home,” she said.

Jazel Lloyd Howard, a student at Howard University, said that she had not heard about the change but, in any case, would not be taking advantage of the opportunity to go back home.

“I will not be able to go for financial reasons. I am currently looking for summer work and hoping that I will find a job,” she said.

Howard has been staying with a family member since her school closed in March.

There are more than 50 students who have been assisted with placement since their schools and the Jamaican borders closed because of COVID-19.

Of the 50 students who needed assistance, about 15 came back to Jamaica before the borders closed. However, some 32 Jamaican students are still in the United States sheltering with various families.

The Global Jamaican Diaspora Council member for the north-east region, Dr Karren Dunkley, said that she has been keeping in touch with the embassy concerning the students.

Dunkley said that she has been canvassing the students and that the majority of them want to return home.

Some 20 Jamaican students in Antigua returned home yesterday under the controlled re-entry programme. They are to be isolated for 14 days in one of the government-run quarantine facilities.