Prime Minister Gaston Browne says approximately 25 passengers arriving on the new Air Peace service from Nigeria are still expected to travel to Antigua and Barbuda, even as the government takes a cautious approach amid Ebola concerns in parts of Africa.
Speaking on Pointe FM on Saturday, Browne said the Air Peace flight from Lagos may bypass Antigua and land directly in Barbados before passengers destined for Antigua are transported onward by LIAT.
“That flight may go to Barbados and then the individuals who are scheduled to stay in Antigua will probably get LIAT to bring them from Barbados to Antigua,” Browne said.
The Prime Minister later confirmed that around 25 passengers are expected to continue on to Antigua despite the altered routing arrangement.
“Even though they’re landing in Barbados, about 25 of them will come here,” Browne said.
Browne said health authorities will closely monitor the travelers and ensure they are screened upon arrival.
“What we will do, though, is to make sure that they’re properly screened as best we can,” he said.
The Prime Minister explained that Antigua and Barbuda is reinstating enhanced public health measures, including infrared thermal scanners and other protocols previously used during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re putting new health protocols in place, going back to the COVID framework,” Browne said.
He added that the government has also reactivated the Infectious Disease Centre as a precautionary measure in the event any arriving passenger becomes ill.
“If any of them were to take ill while they’re here, we can easily isolate them and of course do the necessary contact tracing,” Browne said.
Browne said Antigua and Barbuda’s cautious approach was influenced both by current Ebola concerns and by the country’s previous experience with Antigua Airways flights involving migrants traveling from Cameroon through Nigeria in 2022 and 2023.
“We got burnt there, so we’ve been a little cautious,” Browne said.
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Who are these people?
Why are coming to Antigua?
They are flying to the Caribbean from Nigeria
But What is their Country of origin ?
Hopefully these passengers are met by medical staff wearing hazmat or biohazard suits to transfer to a secure medical facility for a thorough health check before rejoining their families or reconnecting with the community.
In addition, I’m surprised that the newly appointed Health Minister hasn’t spoken to the general public about this possible danger to the country.
The ABLP really baffles me sometimes. If this was about finance or making money from crypto, then you’d hear no end of their chitter chatter and gibberish.
Sheeesh!!!
My Antiguan people.. could someone tell me.. what sense does it make to send this Airpeace flight to Barbados and to then put the passengers on Liat flight back to Antigua? Someone explain please!! Am I missing something?? Geez!! Some body sitting on their brains…
Well! Well! Gaston knows how to take Antiguans and Barbudans for a fool, the aeroplane doesn’t carry disease it is metal a non living organism, so only the human passengers can carry the ebola virus, so Gaston told the people of Antigua and Barbuda that he is honest to his word that the actual air peace airline not landing on Antigua soil, because he would transfer it’s content to liat airline to be brought into Antigua instead, I blame that young man Pringle for not listening to the council of the business sector and other stakeholders who had interest in seeing a change of government who recommended he Pringle step aside, he went to Gaston , and Gaston told him not to move so he Gaston can win again, now we have to endure Gaston renaissance on steroids this time around, look this man sat and told the country that the African airlines will not come here fully well knowing that Gaston has already scheme up to have a flight change, this is how liat was bankrupted in the past, by political logistical decisions instead of business decisions that was economical, that airline won’t last long.
Gaston takes antigua and Barbuda for a$$€$, and that includes Pringle doing us that too since he is working with Gaston and baba to hold the UPP hostage.
Can someone please let it make sense to me? Redirecting the Air Peace flight to Barbados and having those same 25 Nigerian passengers transiting to Antigua and Barbuda on Liat does not change the fact that these people possibly can pose a threat health wise to us here. What kind of a math is this? A 6 for a 9? When things go sour, we will the government claiming once again, they were duped. We have had the Nigerians here before came in on Antigua Airways and we hiw hiw that story ended, then the 135 Ghanain nurses and now more Nigerians again. Do they have visas or visa waivers to arrive and be landed here? Why ate we opening up our borders from the East and West African countries that are a risk to us for Ebola and Malaria diseases? Most countries are closing their borders while we are opening ours. The US just recently diverted a full flight of West African countries nationals to Canada. Anything that is bad and corrupt ‘we in dey’ Just to borrow a line from calypso Shanti .
Can someone please let it make sense to me? Redirecting the Air Peace flight to Barbados and having those same 25 Nigerian passengers transiting to Antigua and Barbuda on Liat does not change the fact that these people possibly can pose a threat health wise to us here. What kind of a math is this? A 6 for a 9? When things go sour, we will the government claiming once again, they were duped. We have had the Nigerians here before came in on Antigua Airways and we all know how that story ended, then the 125 Ghanain nurses and now more Nigerians again. Do they have visas or visa waivers to arrive and be landed here? Why are we opening up our borders from the East and West African countries that are a risk to us for Ebola and Malaria diseases? Most countries are closing their borders while we are opening ours. The US just recently diverted a full flight of West African countries nationals to Canada. Anything that is bad and corrupt ‘we in dey’ Just to borrow a line from calypso Shanti .
AIR PEACE WOULD BE STAYING IN BARBADOS WITH THE PASSENGERS WITH EBOLA. THOSE COMING IN ON LIAT WOULD BE EBOLA FREE.THERE WAS A SAYING IN ANTIGUA WHEN I GREW UP THERE.” BULLSHIT BAFFLES BRAINS”. IS THAT HAPPENING TODAY IN ANTIGUA?
Is Antigua completely overreacting to this? Barbados didn’t freak out and accepted 200 Nigerian passengers today. New York, Atlanta, Washington, London, Paris and other cities are receiving flights directly from Nigeria every day. There hasn’t been a single ebola case identified in Nigeria yet some of you Antiguans are freaking out like an army of infectious zombies are about to invade the island and wreck havoc. Sometimes, I can’t help but laugh at some of you commentators on this website. 🤣😆
Gaston Browne, ain’t no ASS, even though he acts like one all the time.
Antigua people wake up now. The stage is being set.
Air Peace not bringing no Africans to Antigua, so says Gaston Browne, however LIAT 2020 bringing them via Barbados. So now according to Gaston Browne Air Peace airplane can transfer Ebola but not LIAT 2020.
I don’t care whatever any other Government is doing re this potential Ebola threat but any sensible government would cease all flights direct or otherwise immediately. Now persons can travel indirectly from Africa and still end up in Antigua, however here is where stringent protocols come into play.
Rewind to my first statement, Gaston ain’t no fool, there actions are pre-meditated, they know what they are doing. Antiguans you are being held hostage by Gaston Browne and his handlers.
They have sold our country out and the shit storm is about to begin.
My people be warned.
First of all, the question must be asked are these people coming as tourist? The PM claimed he don’t want a repeat of what took place on Antigua airways ie Cameroon (via) Nigeria to Antigua, but check the similarity, Air Peace airways Nigeria (via) Barbados to Antigua, “we don’t want to get burn again” said he. We have 25 people coming here from Africa, but are they all from Nigeria, or various countries across Africa? we know not.
@ Eldread, why are you bringing MP Pringle into this? So you are saying MP Pringle on his own, as leader of the opposition causes all 15 UPP members to loose their seats, in constituencies they should’ve been heavily involved in.
Tjese people arw coming from an ebola infected place and allowed here? Why should the plane not land but passengefs on board are allowes to. Tjis is risky and should not happen.
This has CORRUPTION written all over it. There is a clandestine reason as none of it makes any sense. Shame, shame Mr. PM.
Why? Why? Why?
Do we not have enough to deal with on our little Island.
Please seriously you say ABOUT 25 people you don’t even know exactly how many, so how can you trace.
Where is the protection for our people and our unborn.
As soon as the Caribbean islands are ready to start opening up and do more business, open tourism markets to African countries that all of a sudden Ebola resurfaced. Propaganda is a real thing. Not saying these diseases don’t exist and or we shouldn’t be concerned, however, diseases only come from where black people lives. Propaganda is a real thing.
No one question tourist from the U.S., Canada or Europe that is predominantly Caucasian. Their diseases are only given to them from us black people. To become a U.S. citizens, or residents they still ask us to test for all sorts of diseases yet we just accepted them just so. It’s like when we see white people we see purity or angels from heaven.
Propaganda is a real thing. After all these years Ebola has resurfaced and in Africa where all other diseases originated according to all the health organizations around the world. Smh.🤦🏾♂️
If there is an Ebola breakout in Antigua, I pray not,
IT WILL BE TOTALLY THE PRIME MINISTERS FAULT.
This is a very careless decision to bring 25 possible infected Africans into Antigua at this time. What’s going on here? Shouldn’t someone hold a news conference to update the public?
Read some of the responses and wondered where do persons get this false notion that Nigeria has Ebola? Nigeria is not one of the 10 countries listed as in danger of having Ebola. Its telling that there was a boat with a deadly virus that had American and Europeans aboard, yet there is not this fear (not driven by facts) regarding tourists coming from those countries. Clearly the fear is in some part being driven by racism. The same Air peace also flies to the UK, yet there is no Ebola scare in the UK press re Air Peace
@Kunta Kinte clearly its racism at play. Can’t help but remember the 3 question caller to Observer who stated we needed to block visitors from CARICOM countries because they were bringing diseases. Recall at one point the former PM of Barbados (Owen Arthur) had to nicely put her in a place.
When some of these people talk, you just have to really question their intelligence.
Look up the water city call “Makoko” just outside Lagos Nigeria..I don’t have to look it up, because I’ve visited Lagos and have seen for myself.
Makoko is one of the most infectious decease ridden occupied territory in all of the world, not just Nigeria. And there are other cities like that in Nigeria and other African Nations.
This is not propaganda, this is real..and as much as the African Nations have advance, many of their very own people have been abandoned and left to live in these unhealthy and downright filthy conditions.
So stop being sensitive and look at the facts..
A valid question is being asked here .where are these people coming from.
Also look up the city Kibera in Kenya. Just don’t talk, do some research. Antigua cannot handle any health crisis, so more caution should be taken here. 25 lives inconvenience compared to the lives of thousands.. that’s the option here, and this administration has chosen others before it’s own people, again!
@Islanman26 there are no slum areas in places like the USA? You are unaware that US officials have sited those areas as at risk of highly infectious diseases? They point to things like the bad sanitation. Its your prejudice that causes you to site the worst places in Nigeria but forget the ones in Europe and NA. Why we tend not to worry about such is in general the inhabitants cannot afford the ticket to visit us
@Tenman.
This is a easy debate, so why are you being so thickheaded to understand the issues here?
Asking questions and challenging leaders to exercise smarts in these matters isn’t a bad thing.
Antiguan’s have questions, and rightfully so.
Good grief man, we just went through COVID, and now we have direct flights from Africa, which we never had, and which happens to have an ebola outbreak, so I don’t see what you’re beating your head about.
These things are factual things, and I don’t care where a decease starts, whether America or Africa, governments must do the right thing in first informing it’s citizens and second protecting them.
Keeping things a secret only further confuse the already ongoing distrust for authorities.
So answer the question.
Where are these 25 passengers really coming from, and were they exposed to anything deadly?
It might be a none issue for you, but poor people in the islands of the Carribean do not have the luxury of great health systems to fall back on.
So stay there in you little corner if you can’t understand that.
Spell it out good to @Tenman @Islandman26.
This man has no commonsense whatsoever, and has completely misread the seriousness of this news bulletin and the possible health repercussions.
I don’t know why you bother wid dem boss?!
I recognised earlier this year that these guys disagree for the sake of disagreeing – it’s their ABLP mantra.
Toying with their minds (just like Gaston does 😉) is a hobby of mine. It’s quite enjoyable actually.
It shall be an interesting 2026 – 2027 Tourism season.
Ebola, Swine & Bird Flu and the return of Corona will make the perfect virus flu storm.
Dr. Gates do you have any comments?
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