A Quarantine Centre has been established at the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) in keeping with World Health Organization (WHO) and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations.
According?? to?? Director of Civil Aviation, Tony Archer, it?? was established on December 1, in?? accordance with the?? WHO International Health?? Regulation 2005???? which states that: "Designated Airports shall provide assessment and, if required, quarantine suspected travelers, preferably in facilities away from the point of entry."??????????
In an effort to assist Caribbean and South American states in attaining the requisite public health standard, the ICAO has established a Cooperative Arrangement for the Prevention or Spread of Communicable Disease through Air Travel (CAPSCA) – Americas programme, of which Barbados is a part.
To this end, officials from the ICAO CAPSCA – Americas Team will next week pay an Assistance Visit to Barbados with the aim of briefing aviation and public health stakeholders on ICAO and WHO requirements and guidelines for public health emergency plans and preparedness in the aviation sector.?? The team will also evaluate the current provisions in Barbados and the GAIA, in order to provide recommendations and assistance for improvements.
On day one of the visit, Thursday, December 16, representatives of ICAO CAPSCA will host a briefing at the Headquarters of the Pan-American Health Organisation, Dayrells Road, Christ Church. The all-day session, which begins at 9:30 a.m., will also feature presentations from local agencies with the civil aviation and public health sectors.
The next day, Friday, December 17, at 11:00 a.m., the officials will tour the GAIA, specifically focusing on selected areas, including the Quarantine Centre, the Emergency Operations Centre; Passenger screening locations and facilities; Immigration and Customs; Rescue and Fire Fighting Services and the Air Traffic Control Tower. This will
be followed by a debriefing and post-mortem of the visit by the ICAO CAPSCA Team and local authorities.
During the official visit, the team will liaise with representatives from the Civil Aviation Department; the Ministry of Health; the Ministry of Tourism; the GAIA; the Airline industry; PAHO and the United Nations. cgaskin@barbados.gov.bb