TCI News
Abandoned! 27 residents denied return to TCI, including babies; the Minister speaks out
#Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – July 2, 2020 – Safe accommodations and a rescue flight to return for stranded Turks and Caicos residents were among the plans on the table tonight after a Covid-19 repatriation exercise today went disturbingly wrong.
Twenty-seven individuals were left behind in disbelief at the Sheltair private airport in Ft Lauderdale, South Florida as they watched their interCaribbean Airways chartered plane take off with no passengers on board.
Entry for everyone, including new born babies and their mothers was denied by Turks and Caicos Health officials without explanation and at the last minute.
Once news of this shocking abandonment of Turks and Caicos people hit mainstream and social media; comments revealed widespread outrage and bewilderment about the Government’s handling of the return home of citizens and expatriate workers.
Though many have pointed their fingers at the government administration, we are told tonight that if it were the final decision of the Minister and PDM Administration, all 27 individuals would be back on Turks and Caicos soil.
“We are very much disappointed; especially with our people being out there in Florida where you have so many more cases (of Covid-19); they are at a higher risk being out there. So any flights coming with seats on it, we want to have our people to fill it as much as we can, to bring our people home,” said the Minister of Health, Edwin Astwood.
In an interview this evening, the Minister confirmed to Magnetic Media that he was made aware of the denial of entry to 27 residents and citizens late Wednesday night. The individuals, had either bought their own tickets or had airfare paid for by the National Health Insurance Plan, which arranged seats for returning patients.
The response to the outcry for help was an immediate review the passenger list, after which he issued this recommendation:
“In reviewing the list of persons scheduled on the flight, the majority are NHIP patients and the remainder is in possession of a recent Covid-19 negative test result. Also included are three mothers with newborn babies. In addition, most stated that they would be able to quarantine at home (being in possession of their recent negative Covid-19 test).
I am recommending that the flight be granted leave to enter the TCI tomorrow afternoon, bringing the returning residents.”
With the Minister of Health on their side, the residents who had been previously informed their re-entry was denied were confident the repatriation flight would now take place. However, those hopes were crushed and instead the terminal was an emotional mix of tears, frustration, anger and bitter disappointment for the passengers, their families and the interCaribbean Airways crew.
The Minister confirmed that his Wednesday night communication was dispatched, via email, to the Chief Medical Officer, who is Dr. Nadia Astwood and the Director of Environmental Health, who is Kenrick Neely, among others.
“Maybe the Health officials thought they were working in the best interest of the general public because of the capacity and our recent outbreak (of coronavirus). That is what I am thinking that maybe they were thinking that they were acting in the public’s best interest by saying ‘no’ to this flight,” shared Minister Astwood.
The recommendation from the Minister, who is also a health professional, was rejected without notification, explanation or discussion.
“I thought persons would have taken the recommendation and go ahead with the flight, because I put myself on the line saying yes, that I would recommend that they do this flight. The relevant health officers, whom the (Public and Environmental Health) Ordinance empowers to make the final decision didn’t agree with the flight coming in,” explained Edwin Astwood.
Minister Astwood confirmed that up to the time of our interview, he had still not been offered a reason for the denial of the flight by the CMO and EHD Director.
The Minister did say that both officers have since been informed the situation their denial of re-entry has created will now cost the Government more money and has attracted considerable public backlash.
“We have the money that we can get a quarantine place. Now it will cost us the government much more in money and time, and funds are tight but it will cost us much more.”
It was also explained that knowing the details of this flight manifest in advance would have given the government administration more time to lobby for approvals and could have provided the opportunity to remove stumbling blocks.
“I have gotten other ministers involved; the Minister of Tourism, Immigration and the Premier are involved and we are seeing how we best we can sort out this problem and we have to do an investigation into what went wrong, why this happened at the ninth hour and why we were informed so late, yesterday evening.”
As for what happens tonight and when the residents can be brought home, Magnetic Media is informed that the National Health Insurance Board has been asked to offer assistance to residents until a rescue flight is arranged.
All stranded passengers are confirmed to have safe lodgings for the evening.
InterCaribbean Airways is ready to re-try the repatriation flight; requiring time to organize the mission and financial support from the Government to return for the individuals who remain stuck in Florida.
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Wednesday, 25 February 2026: Staff of the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) participated in a one‑day Professional Staff Development Workshop on Thursday, 19th February 2026. The session was facilitated by former DDME Director (2011–2021) and current Permanent Secretary of the Governor’s Office, Dr. Virginia Clerveaux.
The in-house workshop was organised by the DDME Training Unit, to focus on the National Disaster Management Framework, strengthening staff understanding of their roles and responsibilities within disaster management. The session also aimed to enhance the effectiveness of the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) and reinforce inter‑agency coordination.
Drawing on her extensive experience in disaster management in the Turks and Caicos Islands, as well as several deployments to CDEMA member states including Haiti, The Bahamas, and Jamaica, Dr. Clerveaux provided practical insights that reinforced key concepts and clarified operational expectations. Staff members actively participated in discussions and shared recommendations to improve sub‑committee performance and overall departmental efficiency.
To support learning retention, the workshop incorporated pre‑ and post‑assessments, enabling participants to evaluate their understanding and track improvements.
Acting Director of DDME, Mr. Kevaun Lucas stated: “Investing in the continued development of our team is essential to strengthening national resilience. This and future planned workshops will help to reinforce our commitment to building a highly skilled, well‑coordinated workforce capable of leading and supporting disaster management efforts across the Turks and Caicos Islands. I am proud of the team’s engagement and encouraged by the meaningful contributions they made throughout the session.”
This Professional Staff Development Workshop forms part of DDME’s ongoing commitment to enhancing internal capacity, strengthening operational coordination and improving overall departmental synergy as the agency continues to advance national preparedness and response capabilities.
Photo Captions:
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 20 February 2026 — The Informal Settlements Unit (ISU), in collaboration with key
government agencies, coordinated a multi-agency enforcement exercise on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at Block and Parcel 60609/33 in the Five Cays area.
The exercise was led by the Crown Land Unit, pursuant to its statutory mandate under the Crown Land Ordinance to prevent squatting and encroachment on Crown land. The ISU coordinated the operation, with support provided by the Planning Department and the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force, while the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force ensured security throughout the activity.
The enforcement action followed a series of inspections conducted by the Crown Land Unit throughout Five Cays, which identified several illegally constructed buildings made of concrete and timber on sections of the subject parcel. In keeping with the provisions of the Crown Land Ordinance, occupied structures were served Letters of Illegal Occupation, delivered by hand to occupants and
posted on structures where individuals were absent. Incomplete and unoccupied structures were served Notices of Unauthorized Occupation pursuant to section 22 of the Ordinance. A total of ten (10) Letters of Illegal Occupation and three (3) Notices of Unauthorized Occupation were issued during the exercise.
The Informal Settlements Unit reiterates that these coordinated enforcement exercises form part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to uphold the law, protect Crown land, and manage informal settlements in a structured and lawful manner. Members of the public are reminded that unauthorised occupation and development on Crown land is unlawful and subject to enforcement action.
Almost two million visitors recorded in 2025
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS – The Turks and Caicos Islands saw an increase in stayover arrivals in December, seven percent higher than the corresponding period in 2024.
Preliminary data suggests that stay over arrivals by air for the month of December was 66,427 in comparison to 62,610 in December 2024.
From January to December 2025, preliminary visitor arrival numbers totalled 640,754; on par with the number recorded for the same period of 2024.
Stay Over Arrivals YTD December 2024/2025
The first quarter of the calendar year attracted the largest number of arrivals with visitor arrivals three percent higher than the first quarter of 2024. Reduced airlift from the United Kingdom and the United States, most notably the Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue services, was however felt from the second quarter (April to June). As a result, visitor arrivals dropped three percent in the second quarter.
By the third quarter of this year (July to September), geopolitical and economic conditions in the key source markets, namely the United States, led to further contraction of arrivals. In the last quarter of 2025, arrivals were impacted in October due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa but additional airlift from the USA and Canada resulted in an increase in arrivals in November and December.
Mr. Paul Pennicook, Interim CEO Consultant of Experience Turks and Caicos, said December’s increase in stayover arrivals is an encouraging indicator of the sustained interest in the Turks and Caicos Islands as a premier destination.
“While we note and continue to monitor geopolitical shifts that affect us, Experience Turks and Caicos is focused on increasing marketing initiatives in our primary source markets. We have spent the last two years investing in groundwork such as crucial travel advisor training to assist them in selling the destination more effectively. In the next fiscal, we will be building on those initiatives with co-op activities with partners as well as out of home advertising to increase visitation to our destination,” he said.
In Cruise, the preliminary count of passenger arrivals for the month of December 2025 was 129,346, a 22 percent increase over last December. This growth follows the berthing of 11 additional ships in Grand Turk this month.
From January to December, the cruise sector continued to outperform the same period last year, as the 1.3 million total cruise passengers recorded, marks a five percent Year-on-Year increase. 
The cruise sector experienced significant growth in the first quarter of 2025, with passenger arrivals surpassing last quarter by 53 percent. In the second and third quarter however, several cruise lines adjusted their itineraries as vessels were pulled from the fleet or from the Caribbean region, which resulted in fewer passengers.
Arrivals dropped seven percent and 10 percent in the second and third quarters, respectively. Double digit growth was recorded in the last two months of Quarter 4. This growth however, was not sufficient to outweigh the drop in arrivals experienced in October, following the cancellation of cruise calls due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Despite the late-quarter rebound, arrivals for the final quarter of 2025 closed six percent below the same period in 2024.
