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MINISTER of Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dr Amery Browne on Friday said his ministry has been providing significant financial assistance to citizens abroad.
Browne, in a WhatsApp exchange with Newsday, was responding to a Barbados Today article which highlighted the plight of stranded nationals financially strapped, waiting to get home. The article posted on Friday highlighted the humanitarian effort of Shara Graham, who is Barbados’ coordinator for the group T&T Citizens Overseas.
The article stated the group was formed to assist stranded citizens trying to get home and use various online platforms to coordinate relief. Graham assists in accessing food, shelter and healthcare for nationals until they are allowed back home.
In his response, Browne said: “This assistance has been provided even as the Ministry of National Security has been working hard to increase repatriation flights for citizens, in accordance with a mandate of the Prime Minister to find ways to bring our citizens home as quickly as possible whilst maintaining control over possible entry of new cases into the nation.”
On February 2, National Security Minister Stuart Young said there were no more stranded nationals, rather those awaiting exemptions were those who might have been living abroad, along with those who left TT after the borders were closed.
Young did not respond to a WhatsApp message regarding the humanitarian effort offered to nationals stuck in Barbados.
Newsday contacted Graham on Friday and was told there is currently one person in Barbados, who has been there since February, waiting on approval to return home. The 19-year-old was granted permission to return to TT and made her way to Barbados but could not board the flight to TT because her PCR test was outside of the 72-hour window. She has since been staying at a Barbadian state quarantine facility waiting on a flight home.
Graham explained that she assists those who, after making their way to Barbados to get home, are left in the country until they are given the green light.
"What happens is that some people try to get to Barbados a day or two before a flight to Trinidad so they will not stay too long here. After they get here, they then have to wait on Caribbean Airlines (CAL) to contact them to let them know they were granted exemption and to book their tickets. If they miss their flight or did not have sufficient funds in time to purchase a ticket home, they have to start the process all over again."
In February, Young said following the "evolution" of the exemption process to an online application, the process became easier.
Graham said the main issue was the unavailability of flights. She explained that after exemptions are granted, nationals make their way to one of four transshipment points in North America and Europe. Barbados, one of the four points, is the only Caribbean country where repatriation flights are available. After they are exempted they then have to wait on CAL to offer seats. The date of exemption, she explained, and the available flight to TT is usually days apart and some dash to make it to Barbados from wherever they were to ensure they can reach home.
Regarding the assistance given to nationals abroad, Browne said: "This has come at considerable sacrifice by Trinbagonians both here and abroad, and it is important that we recognise the generosity and kindness of those who have found ways to render assistance to our citizens who were awaiting repatriation. As specific cases that require assistance are brought to our attention, we do our best to assist in a timely manner."
The post Browne: Government doing all it can to help Trinidadians abroad appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.