Daily life for Balandra’s newest residents appeared to be quiet and unassuming on Thursday morning.
Forced into a 14-day quarantine period when they returned home on Wednesday, the 68 T&T nationals remained isolated from their relatives and friends.
The situation was necessary after some of the passengers they were on board with on the Costa Favalosa cruise ship tested positive for COVID-19 after the vessel was not allowed entry to Martinique after leaving Guadeloupe due to fears the virus could spread in that country.
When Guardian Media visited the Seventh Day Adventist Church Camp - Camp Balandra, around 11 am Thursday, some people were seen sitting on the front porch while a few others were doing laundry.
A few of the people at the facility were seen wearing masks over their faces as they chatted with each other whilst enjoying the sun on the porch. Various articles of clothing were draped across the concrete tables and benches dotting the front lawn of the compound.
Around the same time, two employees of Rickel Services Ltd were seen removing two portable toilets which had been placed in the front yard of the spacious compound on Wednesday. Asked why the toilets were being removed afterwards, officials said they had been delivered to the wrong address.
Up to Thursday, armed soldiers remained stationed outside the facility to ensure no one entered or left, as the compound will remain locked down for the full 14-day period.
The 68 passengers arrived at the Piarco International Airport around midday on Wednesday, were screened and tested and then taken to the remote community. They settled in on Wednesday night in the place that’s going to be home for the quarantine period. Some of the passengers were seen milling about in the manicured front yard talking with each other, while others were on their cell phones. A few others were seen wheeling in suitcases from a batch stacked along the front porch.
At 7.07 pm, a delivery truck from the Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) exited the spacious compound after dropping off supplies and meals. The driver was dressed in full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Shortly after, the facility’s newest residents were seen in an orderly line collecting the packages being handed out.
Members of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) are keeping watch over the compound to ensure no one who is not supposed to be there comes or those in quarantine go out. Police were also seen patrolling the region at regular intervals.
The nationals will also be monitored closely by medical professionals and provided with the required amenities during the quarantine period.