The Tribune

By Earyel Bowleg

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

DOZENS of Bahamian students studying in Barbados took a Bahamasair flight on Friday to return to The Bahamas.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs director general Sharon Brennen-Haylock said the ministry has been trying to figure out a way to bring those students home.

“We were very fortunate that there was an opportunity. Bahamasair had to fly somewhere else from what I understand and we seized that opportunity to liaise with the countries in the Caribbean- I think the governments of Barbados and St Lucia.”

The airline’s chairman, Tommy Turnquest, estimated about 14 students were on board. He explained the group first took a chartered flight from Barbados to St Lucia. One student told The Tribune he took a bus to Hewanorra International Airport Saint Lucia to catch the flight.

Elmira Percentie-Hunter’s son was on board that flight. Mrs Percentie-Hunter said she found out about the trip around 10.45pm on Thursday.

“The student guild (I think president) was liaising with our officials here in Nassau. He said that a Bahamasair jet was to collect all 17 of them from St Lucia,” she said.

She said when Barbados got its first COVID-19 case, it was not alarming at the time. Her son along with the students were awaiting word from their university as to how exams were to be taken and were thinking about the return time.

Last Saturday, the government chartered a plane to Jamaica for 61 Bahamian students studying in the region. According to Education Minister Jeffrey Lloyd, students in Barbados were told to go to Jamaica to get on that plane. Yet, Mrs Percentie-Hunter explained there was some confusion that prevented students from leaving

“The mix-up on the flight that was sent to Jamaica to pick up students were not clear to them,” she said. “They sent messages via WhatsApp to go but that was uncertain. They did not want to get stuck on Jamaica. So they stayed put. About four students took the leap of faith and it worked out for them."

She had not spoken to her son since Friday morning when he was travelling and was praying that they are all safe and on their way home.

“I am so happy and excited to see my son. I haven't seen him from last August when he left to do a semester at McGill University in Canada. He stayed through the Christmas holidays and went back to Barbados from there in mid-January,” she said.

According to Mr Turnquest, the flight was going to come back to The Bahamas empty as the plane came to St Lucia originally to drop-off Cuban medical professionals to assist in the Caribbean country’s healthcare team.

He said: “Bahamasair got a request from the government of St Lucia to transport 113 Cuban doctors from Havana to St Lucia and so we went down to Havana we picked up the Cuban doctors. We took the Cuban doctors to St Lucia, they’re now in St Lucia.

“I can also tell you there were a dozen or so students Bahamian students in Barbados that the government has sought to get out of Barbados back to The Bahamas.”

The chairman noted that the flight to transport the doctors will cost the Bahamian government nothing as the St Lucian government chartered Bahamasair.

Ms Brennen-Haylock added that parents who have students all over the world and the US who have been reaching out all of the time for help with getting their children home.

“When we talk to these parents and we talk to the students, we, you know, try as best possible to help them look for countries they can use to try to get home and if we can... it’s only in a limited amount of cases where we really help them facilitate because of the fact countries have closed their borders,” she said.

She said the Ministry of Health will determine the students whether students will self-quarantine or quarantine once they land. However, Ms Brennen-Haylock noted people coming back were warned to be prepared if they were told to do so.