ST GEORGE’S – A 33-year-old Grenadian woman has become the first person to be charged for presenting a fake COVID-19 test result since Grenada enforced the requirement of a mandatory negative PCR test to obtain an entry certificate to the island.
Gillian Fletcher, a resident of the parish of St Andrew, was slapped with charges of deceit of a public officer and uttering a forged document. She was granted EC$10 000 (US$3 700) bail and is set to appear in court in May.
Fletcher tested positive for COVID-19 here and the charges were laid after she was medically cleared.
It is understood that a doctor who reviews results presented to health officials by travellers at the Maurice Bishop International Airport, observed some “medical inconsistencies” with the result the woman presented when she arrived from New York.
The matter was investigated and the findings passed on to police. The probe included contacting the lab in New York where the PCR test was purportedly done. It was discovered that Fletcher’s name was not in the system as one of the people who had a COVID-19 test conducted at the facility.
All persons entering Grenada must not only present a negative PCR test conducted no less than 72 hours before arrival, but must also have a mandatory test conducted on the fifth day after arrival in the island.
After Fletcher tested positive, she had to continue her quarantine. The accounts clerk was charged immediately after receiving her medical clearance.
She had to surrender her passport as part of her bail conditions.
Both charges of deceiving a public officer and uttering a forged document are indictable. The maximum penalty for the former charge is three years in prison, while Fletcher could be jailed for up to two years on the latter. (CMC)
