March 22, 2020
The sun set over Sandy Island as cruisers like ourselves enjoyed their last few minutes on land.
Foreign vessel restrictions in Grenada due to Covid 19 Coronavirus
Efforts in Grenada to keep the island free of the Covid 19 Coronavirus have become more stringent by the day since our arrival March 18.
- March 19, 12:00am – any foreign vessel checking into Grenada must fly a quarantine flag and be quarantined on their boat for 14 days
- March 20 – Foreign vessels in Grenada or Grenadian waters cannot set foot in Grenada
- March 21 – At end of day, Grenada closed to any new foreign vessels
- March 22 – Grenada’s main airport, Maurice Bishop International Airport closed to commercial traffic
We applaud the precautions the Grenadians are taking, but how I cried when the restriction was put in place that we could not touch land. Poor Duhkxy lives for the time we take him to Sandy Island, often sitting wistfully gazing at the beach.
In an effort to establish a new routine for play we put out a ramp for Duhkxy off the swim platform. Once we jumped in he was happy to join us but he headed immediately for shore, took a poop, and then swam back to the boat.
We were visited later in the day by Grenadian immigrations, customs, and coastguard. They checked our papers to ensure we were checked in. I asked if the land restriction included Sandy Island and was told we could go there. What a relief and how kind.
We have been assured that we will have assistance in obtaining provisions, water, and fuel as needed and have already been visited by gentlemen who will provide this service. Our personal situation is not a hardship and we feel extremely grateful to be so fortunate.
My anxieties concerning the magnitude of this growing tragedy erupt without warning – concern for my loved ones at home, friends who are trying to get home, cruisers who have not found a home, the health care providers who risk their lives while not even being provided the most basic of protective apparel, the many hundreds of thousands of lives that could be cut short, the inexcusable delays in preparing for and managing the spread of this virus, businesses ruined and repercussions that we cannot even imagine.
In an effort to form my own conclusions regarding what we may expect from this pandemic, I have been tracking the number of deaths from the virus in several countries that have had the best to least success in managing the spread of the virus. Death is the only way to compare countries as the rigor of testing is so varied. At present, the United States appears to be on a trajectory similar to China. Even if the most “draconian” measures implemented in China were adopted now, we will likely see several more thousand susceptible people die. If unchecked, we can only hope the virus peters out.
Stay safe – stay isolated to the fullest extent you can, stay well. Understand that each person who contracts the virus passes it on to others – some who will inevitably succumb to the disease.
Go With The Floe 