Still no return in sight for some overseas nationals

Many people have trickled back into TT since the borders wer closed in March against the covid19 pandemic.

But there are still many others out there, some of whom have reached out to this newspaper desperately urging the government to remember them as the covid19 numbers climb.

There are over 100 TT nationals overseas in just one WhatsApp group. Its 153 members include people stuck in the UK, France, Ireland, India, the US and parts of the Middle East.

One of the administrators – the third person to join the group – spoke with Newsday about the conditions faced by members individually and their reactions to the surge in cases worldwide.

From his observations, most of the members who were in the Middle East have got exemptions to return home. Over 100 people in the group are stuck in the UK. Their ages range from 25-73, said the group admin.

"Some days we have as many as five members added per day and at least one per day," he said.

They applied since May for an exemption for the group, he said, but were then required to do so individually when National Security Minister Stuart Young apparently began to clamp down on group exemptions.

"It was hard already to be granted an exemption when the covid cases were on a standstill. But now it (is) more worrisome, especially with this spike in the cases back home.

"Even when Minister Young spoke on Saturday's meeting, he spoke about the granting of exemptions to be halted and then he said to be eased."

He said individual e-mails, which are sent regularly by those who are stranded, can only go so far.

"(Citizens) have to become a pest and call the MNS (Ministry of National Security) on a daily basis to plead and beg to be granted an exemption. Why?"he claimed that some student had sent "a heap of exemption e-mails...only to be told that their name isn't on the list."

He complained, "Millions spent but the government can't hire a handful of data entry clerks to upload information onto a system."

Meanwhile, he also says Young has painted an incorrect picture of the repatriation process.

"When the first set of exemptions was granted to Trinis stuck in the UK, about 15-20 in the group alone were given (an exemption).

"At that time we were well over 100 nationals in the group already. He said they were receiving exemptions at a rate of about five to six per day.

"The process is very unorthodox as well."

He also called out the "typewriter warriors" at home, who he said cast out stranded citizens "like stray dogs" for assuming they would bring the virus home to TT with them because they're coming from somewhere with a high infection rate.

This exile's major concerns include something that has been highlighted recently in the UK and TT media – the eviction of people, especially students, from their dorms and apartments because they are unable to pay rent, overstaying, and other reasons.

"There is one student who is a mature lady, and since she came to the UK from Spain, she has to be moving from house to house like a parang band.

"Why should our nationals, especially students like myself, have to endure such troubles?"

Those in the UK are awaiting a grant from the TT High Commission of TT, which they say the government sent "a few weeks ago." Many are worried because of the high cost of living in the UK and other parts of Europe.

He was blunt about the government's decision to allow the ongoing Caribbean Premier League to take place.

"It was heartbreaking to hear about the T20 cricket teams to be granted by the ministry to enter Trinidad and play in the upcoming games but they are very unwilling to bring their own nationals home. As we all know – money talks.

"A simple solution to be done was, let one flight bring all nationals home, whether social distancing on the plane or two flights, and all nationals from the UK who wanted to be home would have been home already.

In terms of quarantine facilities, he asked why the hotels in Tobago, which have been quiet since March, could not be used by the State.

Having stayed so long in the UK and the high cost of living, many have very little to spend, he said. The vast majority, too, are unable to afford their return.

"Most of us just don't have the funds to pay for a charter flight home from the neighbouring islands, like Barbados, Antigua and St Lucia."

One of those stuck in the UK and a member of the Whatsapp group is a graphic designer and owner of a design company, Nicholas Huggins, who along with his fiancée, have been stranded in the UK since March.

"Imagine going on a two-week vacation," said Huggins, explaining his situation. "That turns into five months and counting, with absolutely no indication as to when you’ll be allowed back into your own country."

He explained that he and his fiancée, Alex, left Trinidad a week after Carnival (February 24 and 25) for a work trip which they intended to use jointly as a short holiday. They were booked to return home on March 26, so they were left stranded when the government issued short notice of the March 22 closure of borders.

Huggins said they were initially understanding because he believes closing the border was the right decision.

"Five months later and our patience is admittedly thinning," he said. "We have now been stuck in a foreign country for nearly half of a year."

They, too, asked to come home since May, but like many others, received a generic reply, telling them to remain in place, as the borders remain closed.

Huggins also complained of what he described as a lack of transparency in the process for repatriating TT nationals abroad.

"It is a disgrace that there are people whose lives, jobs, and families are based in Trinidad and yet we are being forced to wait it out in a foreign country that holds no responsibility for us.

"It is as though life is on an indefinite pause while we eagerly wait to return home – with no end in sight.

"We pay rent in Trinidad, have businesses in Trinidad ... our entire lives are in Trinidad, yet we are forced to indefinitely be exiled in a foreign country."

He said the least the government can offer is complete transparency on the process for repatriation. It too, he added, can look at how other countries and governments treat with their citizens abroad.

"Can they not figure out a more effective way of handling this situation, ensuring both the safety of citizens as well as the well-being of the citizens who are stuck?" he asked, complaining that the issue may now have reached the point of a breach of his and the others' human rights.