Trinidad reopens borders for nationals at sea

(CMC): The Trinidad and Tobago government today said it would re-open its borders temporarily to allow almost 60 nationals stranded on cruise liners to return to the country.

A statement from the Ministry of National Security said the authorities have been communicating with various cruise ship companies and are seeking to make arrangements to schedule the return of its nationals.

It said the first six nationals will arrive today and the remaining 53 on Monday.

“Upon arrival, our nationals will be medically examined and assessed by our public health officers and will be subject to state quarantine arrangements,” the statement said, adding that National Security Minister, Stuart Young, is engaged in discussions surrounding the entry of the remaining 300 plus nationals and the management and timing of their return.

“The government continues to carefully manage the return of our nationals in a manner designed to protect both those returning, as well as, the population in Trinidad and Tobago,” the statement added.

Trinidad and Tobago closed its borders in March as part of efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The country has recorded 116 positive cases of the diseases and experienced eight deaths.

The disease was first detected in China in November of last year and has been blamed for 331,457 deaths and more than 5 million infections worldwide.

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