KINGSTON – The Jamaica government says it is now considering “protocols to permit the controlled re-entry of Jamaicans” into the island as it maintains the closure of its borders in relation to the efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
In a statement, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamina Johnson Smith says the Andrew Holness government is monitoring the situation of the 45 Jamaican ship workers aboard the cruise ship, Marella Discovery 2, and that it will seek the most suitable arrangements and support for nationals overseas.
“We, however, wish to advise the workers who were impacted and other groups of workers on cruise and in other temporary arrangements overseas, that the Jamaican government is now considering protocols to permit the controlled re-entry of Jamaicans when possible, contingent on quarantine and isolation capacity, among other variables, pending the full re-opening of our borders to passenger traffic. We will update the public on these matters, as soon as possible,” Johnson-Smith said in the statement.
Media reports here said that the workers have been left heartbroken after the vessel was denied docking in Portugal. The reports said that this came more than a week after the Jamaicans were unable to land in Kingston amid restrictions on all incoming passengers as part of the new COVID-19 arrangements.
In the statement, the minister said the government understands the disappointment and anxiety of these cruise line workers and similar sentiments experienced by other Jamaican workers overseas who await the reopening of the borders to return home.
But she noted that the vessel did not come into the Jamaican harbour port on April 2, but was anchored at the California Bluffs, 12 miles south of Port Royal for re-fuelling.
She acknowledged that the ship’s agent made contact with the Port Authority and Port Health Agents, advising of a request for 43 Jamaican crew members to be landed.
“Between the relevant Immigration and Health Authorities, the agent was advised that the ports were closed and that landing of the crew would require an exemption. This was communicated to the Captain,” Johnson Smith said, adding that the matter came to the attention of the Emergency Health Operations Committee on the evening of April 2.
“The Health Authorities made enquiries of temperature checks and any incidence of COVID-19 on the vessel and further made efforts to identify appropriate available quarantine facilities and resources to support same, to determine if it would be possible to recommend the exemption to the relevant Minister and the Cabinet.
“During that process, in the early afternoon of the following day, April 3, 2020, the ship’s agent advised that the request for repatriation was withdrawn and that the vessel was continuing on its route. The efforts regarding possible facilitation of the landing of the workers were therefore, discontinued.”
Johnson Smith said it is “surmised that the Captain may have taken the decision not to wait for a process, for which neither a guarantee of success, nor a timeline could be given, in light of the existing legal restrictions regarding our borders”.
“For additional context, we wish to remind the public and advise the crew members who may not have been aware, that during the period when the request was made [April 2 – 3], the relevant authorities were still in the process of trying to locate the more than 5 000 persons who entered Jamaica between March 18 and 24, who had not reported to the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
“This was a high risk set of circumstances as there was evidence that many of those persons were not abiding by the self-quarantine rules,” she said, adding “furthermore, the decision to close Jamaica’s borders to passenger traffic in the first place took consideration of the reality that the majority of Jamaican coronavirus cases are Jamaicans who travelled overseas or persons who made contact with them when they came to Jamaica.
“The risk of accepting nearly 50 additional persons from a cruise ship, especially without confirmed quarantine arrangements, would have been particularly high at that time, and would clearly have posed a further threat to public health and safety.”
Johnson Smith said that the government “must continue to be guided by public health imperatives on matters such as these, and that while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade did not handle this matter as it has no authority over border control, it will work with all relevant ministries to monitor the matter and to seek the most suitable arrangements and support for our nationals overseas”.
(CMC)