Stranded ship workers en route home

The 115 Jamaicans who were stranded in the United Kingdom due to the coronavirus pandemic are now on a charter flight en route to the island.

The TUI flight is to arrive in Kingston this afternoon after a brief stop in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, British High Commissioner to Jamaica, Asif Ahmad, tweeted this morning.

Among the 115 Jamaicans are 75 crew members, including 43 of the Marella Discovery 2, and six other ships from the same cruise line.

“The additional 40 will comprise Jamaicans stranded in the UK who have been affected by the global pandemic in different ways and who have been in touch with the high commission or the ministry regarding their particular challenges,” Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith said at a press conference on Monday.

The Jamaicans, including ship workers fatigued by circuitous holding voyages, have been mounting pressure on the Andrew Holness administration to allow them to repatriate after the country shut its doors to incoming passenger traffic on March 24 as part of coronavirus containment measures.

A cohort of 215 stranded Jamaicans in the United Stated are to be repatriated this week.

Taxpayers will fork out $64 million to pay for accommodation and food for 330 Jamaicans.

We want to hear from you! Email us at star@gleanerjm.com and follow @thejamaicastar on Instagram and on twitter @JamaicaStar, and on Facebook: @TheJamaicaStar.