GROUNDED: Virus Pandemic Stalls U.S.-Caribbean Travel, Some Stranded
Caribbean nationals in the United States have been warned not to leave the country as the U.S. government ramps up efforts to stave off the rapidly spreading and deadly novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The U.S. State Department on Mar. 19 raised its travel alert to Level 4: Do Not Travel, which urges “U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19.”
For Caribbean nationals eager to go to the region, that meant they would likely stay put in the U.S. Dozens of seasonal hotel workers, for example, were last month left stranded at an airport in Atlanta, Georgia after missing the Mar. 24 cut-off date to return to Jamaica.
However, many Caribbean nationals in the U.S. had started to cancel plans to visit the region weeks before governments announced clampdowns on travel last month. They were aware they could contract the virus in the Caribbean, which has reported dozens of infections and multiple deaths. Several social media sites carried videos of near-empty airlines on their way to the Caribbean.
“(Caribbean nationals) are fearful of not being able to come back into the U.S. if they travel to the Caribbean (under Level 4),” explained Jamaican American Earl Forbes, a New York-based travel agent.
“People have also been changing their mind on travel to the Caribbean because of the measures implemented by the Caribbean countries.”
SPREAD
COVID-19 has spread to all 50 states in the U.S. and more than 200 countries across the globe. Hundreds of thousands have been infected and thousands killed by COVID-19.
Caribbean nationals living in the U.S. have expressed caution about travel to the region, especially since several countries there have warned them to stay away as well.
“Right now, because of the different U.S. measures and Caribbean countries’ measures, they cancel trips to the Caribbean right away,” said Forbes.
“They don't want to run the risk of being quarantined in the Caribbean. Plus the attitude in almost all the Caribbean countries is they are not allowing foreigners to come in.”
On Mar. 17 Guyana announced the closure of its international airports for 14 days. Effective Mar. 21, Jamaica shut down its air and seaports “to incoming passenger traffic” for 14 days. On Mar. 26, Antigua and Barbuda closed the V.C. Bird International Airport to flights from North America and Europe.
DIFFICULTY
For those already in the region, the Level 4 alert meant they could have difficulty returning to the U.S. Several Caribbean nationals have been quarantined in the region following their arrival from the U.S., United Kingdom and other countries. The U.S. government has also informed U.S. residents abroad to stay where they are as well.
“Many countries are experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks and implementing travel restrictions and mandatory quarantines, closing borders, and prohibiting non-citizens from entry with little advance notice,” the Level 4 travel alert noted.
Infections in the Caribbean have spiked upwards over a short period of time. In Jamaica, for example, the number of coronavirus cases was one or two on Mar. 10. By month-end, the nation had recorded at least 30 cases and one death.
However, five Caribbean nations were listed among the 20 safest in the world in the event of a pandemic.The Miami Herald newspaper in the U.S. recently credited Jamaica and Puerto Rico for quick, effective steps to restrict the COVID-19 spread.
