Government’s Management Of The Repatriation Response To COVID 19 Driven By Public Health And Science

Minister of National Security, Stuart Young, maintains Government's management of the repatriation of citizens is driven by public health and science. In a release, Minister Young said the border closure was done to protect the population present in Trinidad and Tobago and to allow a managed repatriation of nationals. He said from day one it was announced that applications will be considered on a case by case basis and this continues to date. Some of the factors that were considered in granting approvals were date of application, elderly and sick nationals, families, especially those with young children, persons who went for a vacation of a few weeks and got stuck outside, and persons with medical issues. The Minister added approvals were never granted on a first come first served basis alone. He said the system is designed to be as fair as possible and there is no discrimination.