BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 6th November 2020)- Members of the local media were on Wednesday 4th November 2020, taken on a tour of the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport to witness passenger arrival and departure processes linked to the various health and safety retrofitting due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Movement started from the entrance to the parking lot, next to through the departure area and onto the ramp. A transition followed to arrival mode for a demonstration of the process after a passenger touches down at the airport and disembarks the aircraft.

Communications Coordinator at St.Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) Nordia Demming posed as a mock model giving a passenger’s experience which included temperature screening at the airport’s entry point and being processed at the Welcome Centre.

Acting Airport Manager Marva Liburd- Burroughs informed that coming into the parking lot area, all the protocols have been adjusted for the opening of the airport and for minimal contact to ensure that everybody has ease of movement through the airport.

Starting from the entrance to the premises, it was explained that when the passenger reaches that point, he or she would be stopped at the gate.

“At this point you will meet security officers who will be asking for several items. First, they will be asked that their temperature be checked. Then they will ensure that you have a mask and inform you that you have to have your mask throughout the process. Then they will check documentation to ensure that you have business at the airport whether it’s to clear cargo, whether it’s to travel, whether it’s to work; your ID would suffice to say that you are working here.”

 “Several forms of documents will be asked for to ensure that you have business, and they will take your temperature and record it so if your temperature is high, you cannot come in so they’ll ask you to pull aside and then they’ll give you a second check, and it is still high, you would not be given permission to enter the airport,” she added.

Persons who are not travelling would come right through the parking lot and not stop, just drop off whoever is to be dropped off. There are two drop off points namely in the parking lot and also closest to the entrance for airport workers.

As understood, the parking lot is divided into several sections whereby security personnel would give descriptions of each section communication between security officers and the main gate.

No leisure walking or parking is allowed.

Minister of Tourism, Transport and Ports Lindsay Grant during the media briefing following the tour talked about the features at the airport.

He pointed out that the upgrade to the infrastructure include the resurfacing of the Alpha taxiway area, the longest taxiway used primarily for the larger airlines and the connection of Taxiway Alpha and Taxiway Bravo and the parking apron.

As far as the enhancement of the facilities is concerned, Grant told that a Welcome Center and Isolation Center were constructed, the Arrivals VIP Lounge converted into a medical screening unit, customs baggage area upgraded and parking lot redesigned all in an attempt to reduce the spread and risk of the COVID-19.

“At arrivals the process-as you just saw- has been augmented as the risk are higher especially since we have seen an uptake of the COVID-19 cases in our source market such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Europe and in some countries within the ‘[Caribbean] Bubble’ but I know some of you might now say the ‘Bubble’ does not exist,” he commented.

Grant went on to say: “We simply cannot be too careful. The extensive input from the medical professionals and from the NEOC [National Emergency Operations Centre] into the retrofit work and the protocols have given us tremendous comfort that as a team, we can certainly minimize the spread of the COVID-19.”

He touched on the process for arriving passengers.

“Upon disembarking the aircraft, the airline handler would direct the passengers to the Welcome Centre where they would be greeted by SCASPA’s customer service ambassadors. The Welcome Centre –as indicated previously- is one of the new facilities recently added as a holding area with modern conveniences for the comfort of passengers just before entering the Arrival Hall. It has a waiting area geared at allowing the passengers an opportunity to regularize their body temperature ahead of the thermal screening. This area also has the relevant material displayed on the screens and a SCASPA representative to provide the information and to manage the passenger flow.”

He said the formal medical screening process begins on entrance to the Arrival Hall where passengers will be queued as they await to enter the medical screening unit.

The Ports Minister explained that the medical screening center is outfitted with four (4) stations occupied by heath surveillance officers who among other screening procedures perform temperature checks and validate the health data such as the PCR test previously submitted.

He also pointed out that the unit also houses a testing station noting that passengers who are deemed to be high risk would be escorted to the Isolation Centre where further medical evaluation would be undertaken by the medical team and later transported to either the COVID-19 ward at the Joseph N. France General Hospital or to a quarantine accommodation site.

“If all health requirements are met and there are no symptoms of the COVID-19, the passenger is then allowed to exit the medical screening unit to immigration and then to customs.”

In regard to luggage handling, passengers are expected to manage luggage as red cap services will not be available at the arrivals in the custom area as is normally customary in the interest of minimizing all contact.

Luggage carts will be provided.

“After exiting the customs baggage hall, passengers would visit the dispatch booth where the dispatch officers would 1. Take their relevant information to facilitate contact tracing 2. Guide the passengers via a receipt to their respective COVID-19 certified taxi and tour operator,” the Ports Minister stated.

“The departing process –as you saw earlier- remains relatively the same except for the following …on entrance to the checking area, a SCAPSA team member would inspect your passport and any other required travel documents to be allowed entry into the check-in area, the airport staff operating at the check-in counters, security screening areas, departing counters, bars and concession areas are all protected by Plexiglass sneeze guards,” he shared.

Additionally, other measures throughout the airport were outlined including the enforcement of the wearing of face masks, hand sanitization, markers on the floor and seating to enforce for passengers’ three-foot physical distancing and also directional signs to guide passengers’ movements.

The airport was officially reopened on Saturday 31st October with the reopening of the borders in the Federation.