Flights from the United Kingdom (UK) will not be banned at this time.
But Minister of Health Jeffrey Bostic indicated they were being vigilant about the new COVID-19 strain, which has caused some countries to impose restrictions on travel to and from the UK.
“The advice from WHO/PAHO is that we should not restrict flights coming from the UK at this time because what is known of the variant does not suggest we should do that. To be honest, this thing has been around I believe from September and it is not only in the UK, it’s also in Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy and other countries.
“So at this point in time and with the restrictions imposed in the United Kingdom, we do not think we are going to restrict flights from the UK,” Bostic said.
He made these comments on Tuesday at the Glebe Polyclinic in St George where representatives from the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) donated thermometers, printers, scanners and other equipment to some polyclinics.
Bostic was responding to questions from a reporter who asked if Barbados would go in the direction of other countries that imposed restrictions on UK travel, including Jamaica and Grenada.
Although Barbados is not, Bostic said surveillance at the Grantley Adams International Airport would remain intact, in fact he said surveillance measures had increased. (TG)
