Michael and I planned to fly to Florida on March 23^rd, 2020, so Michael could receive a necessary medical procedure that was not available in Grenada.  Our trip was expected to last 10 days. By mid-March, we heard that our airport was expected to shut down any day, and borders would close to protect the country from COVID-19, so we changed our plans. Michael flew out on March 20^th. I stayed home.

On March 23^rd, the last commercial flight left Grenada. Shortly after that, the dance to try and get Michael back to Grenada began.  Michael’s original return date of April 1^st came and went with no information on when the borders and airport might reopen.

The Corona Tango began with No steps forward, two steps back.

On March 20^th, there were 560 cases of COVID-19 in Florida, with 9 deaths.  I watched the statistics carefully, thankful that we chose Florida for treatment instead of New York, where cases were surging. On April 10^th, just 20 days later, the total in Florida was an astounding 17,531 cases.

In early April, I started checking Sarasota’s statistics, specifically because that is where Michael was staying and getting treatment.  Only 2 cases were reported on April 2^nd, but that number also surged to 208 by April 10^th with 10 deaths in Sarasota.  After that, it became a morbid task to track the numbers and watch them increase in Sarasota and across Florida. By June 17^th, there were 82,719 cases in Florida. 803 of those cases were in Sarasota, and a shocking 92 people had died in Sarasota alone.

Michael sheltered in place as much as possible, only venturing out for food, medicine, or doctor’s visits. When Michael went out, almost no one was wearing masks or social distancing.  They weren’t even providing sanitizer at the doctor’s offices, and masks were not a requirement.  This seemed crazy to me, given the statistics that were escalating daily.  In April, the rate of cases in Florida was jumping by about 1,000 a day. By May, an average of 2,000 new cases was reported each day. And now, in June, 4,000 new cases daily are not unusual, and recently, they had close to 8,000 new cases in a single day.

When the airport closed initially, I thought about what was happening around the world plus what it would take to reopen our borders. I came to the chilling conclusion that Michael might not get home before the end of July.  UGH.  Our 45^th wedding anniversary is August 9^th, and I was praying that we would be together to celebrate.

American Airlines started booking flights from Miami to Grenada in early June in anticipation of the airport reopening.  I booked Michael on a June 9^th flight.  We thought it would be best not to fly in on the first flights, and we sprang for a business class seat to give him more room to distance himself from other passengers.  Sadly, the airport did not reopen.

One step forward, two steps back.

The schedule for July flights opened, and I moved Michael to a July 9^th flight and crossed my fingers.  Grenada was working diligently to contain the virus and was trying to figure out how to safely reopen the borders.  They were in the tough position of wanting to be sympathetic to citizens desperate to come home and maintaining protocols to keep the nation safe.  Grenadian health officials said they would not open the borders before June 30^th but could not commit to a specific date.  They were still developing protocols for the airport, hotels, and businesses as well as making sure there were enough tests, contact tracers, etc. to manage commercial flights.

I was listening to the almost daily updates of the protocols that the Ministry of Health was putting in place, checking our number of cases, and speaking with the Grenadian Embassy in the US for information about a repatriation flight for Grenadian citizens.  We signed up for a database that would provide information to people stranded in the US.

I was also signed up to the US Embassy database for Grenada.  I was getting alerts of charter flights coming to Grenada to repatriate Americans back to the US. Unfortunately, these planes were coming in empty. The crew wasn’t even allowed to disembark when they landed.  The plane essentially landed, refueled, passengers boarded, and it took off again. I understood this but was disappointed as I saw flight after flight arrive from the US empty.

Finally, we heard about a repatriation flight scheduled from JFK in New York to Grenada for Tuesday, June 16^th.  We both wanted Michael to be home, but we weren’t sure it was the best option for Michael.  He’d have to drive from Sarasota to an airport that had a direct flight to New York to limit his airport exposure. He’d fly to New York, stay overnight in a hotel, and board the flight to Grenada.  Everyone was required to get a PCR test within 4 days of the flight. Michael decided to get the test, and then we would make a final decision as the date got closer.

Getting a COVID PCR test in the Sarasota area was much more complicated than we expected.  Michael went to multiple locations and was repeatedly turned away because of the required timing he needed.  He tried getting a rapid test, but the only way to get that was to go to the hospital while displaying acute symptoms.  People were sympathetic but unyielding in their decision.  Michael had one more place to try, and then he was going to ask friends in other parts of the state to search for a testing site. Fortunately, he was able to get a PCR test at the last location. BUT they couldn’t promise the test results would be ready before the flight left.

One step forward, two steps back?

Then on Friday, June 12^th, we were notified that the flight was delayed – with no new departure date.  A conference call with the Embassy was scheduled for Tuesday, June 16^th. The Ambassador reviewed the testing requirement to purchase a ticket and announced that the plane would fly on Friday, June 19th. She explained that passengers would be quarantined at their expense upon arriving in Grenada. Both the Ambassadors to the US and Canada strongly encouraged people to take advantage of the repatriation flight. During an interview, the Minister of Health said the airport would be open on July 30^th. Was this an error or the real opening date?  I never got a definitive answer – most likely because people just didn’t know.

We decided Michael would take the flight based on this information, not knowing when regular commercial flights would resume, and the fact that Michael had already been gone almost 3 months. If he had waited to take the July 9^th flight and it was canceled, I think we both would have had a meltdown. Our biggest concern was Michael’s PCR test would now be older than 4 days. The Embassy notified us that the test would be accepted.  We felt comfortable because everyone on the flight would have a negative PCR test. We uploaded the test results to the Embassy website and began making plans.

One step forward!

I immediately started making plans based on previous research. I found a mid-afternoon direct flight from Orlando to JFK on jetBlue. I booked Michael into the TWA hotel, which is located at JFK right beside the jetBlue terminal.  And finally, I booked him on the jetBlue flight to Grenada, leaving early the next morning.  Michael was seated in the window seat of the 2^nd row to again limit exposure to others traveling. I was pleased with this itinerary.  Michael would have minimal exposure staying confined to one terminal for both the incoming and outgoing flight, and the hotel stay. Because the Orlando flight was mid-afternoon, he wouldn’t need a hotel before his Florida flight. And, there was a later flight available in case of any issues.  Michael worked with the rental car agency to return his car to Orlando instead of Miami. The plan felt solid and realistic.

One step forward!

On Thursday morning, just one day before the flight, potential passengers were frantically contacting the Embassy, saying they couldn’t get either a PCR or rapid test.  The Embassy offered to write a letter to provide the test site, but people were still having issues.  Finally, the testing requirement was dropped – Grenadians were desperate to get home, and there still was no known opening date for commercial flights to arrive.  While I agreed with this thinking, it placed Michael at higher risk.

In addition to blocking all the middle seats, jetBlue boarded the flight from the back to front, so passengers would not pass by each other.  Upon arrival, our airport staff recreated the seating pattern and had passengers deplane and sit in the same configuration in the terminal.  This way, passengers would continue to be close to the same people as on the plane – again to limit exposure.

No step forward, no step back.

Grenadian TV cameras filmed people arriving home.  Michael was the first person off the plane and gave a short interview, thanking the Grenadian Government and saying how happy he was to be home.

Huge step forward!

 

The Government announced that no one could meet the plane. Upon arrival, passengers would pass through a tent that misted them and their carry-on luggage, and then they would sit in their assigned seat while testing was done.  Everyone received a rapid test.  If someone tested positive on the rapid test, they were also given a PCR test.

Now, everyone boarded a bus to be taken to a Government controlled quarantine location.  Passengers had a choice of 3 places.  Initially, the plan was to have people stay in Government quarantine for 2 days and then get a PCR test.  If they tested negative, the person could go home for the remaining 12 days of quarantine.  Anyone living in the house would also have to quarantine.  This was fine with me, and I was approaching it like a second honeymoon.  Then, the Ministry of Health changed the Government quarantine to a minimum of 4 days because now people were entering the country without a negative PCR test.

No step forward, one step back.

Ok, so I’d have to wait two more days to see Michael.  It wasn’t a huge amount of additional time, but both Michael and I were getting frustrated and antsy.  I’d seen Michael’s apartment when I dropped off his “I love you” welcome basket before he arrived.

It was a nicely furnished space but tiny and cramped.  If it didn’t have a small balcony, I think quarantine would have been incredibly hard.  I was able to “see” Michael on Monday.  He was on his second-story balcony; Red Dog and I walked in a small field behind the hotel.  We could wave at each other, but I didn’t dare call out to him because if Red Dog recognized him, I thought mayhem would follow.

It made my heart happy to see him in person.  It had been 91 days since I waved goodbye in March.  Three more days, and we’d be together. EXCEPT, a new announcement was made.  The bad news, the government quarantine had been extended to 10 days.  The good news was that after 10 days, the quarantine would be over, and we wouldn’t need to wait the full 14 days to resume our regular lives. We now had to wait another 6 days before we would be together.

It felt like No step forward, SIX steps back.

We were both sad and frustrated.  I know the Government was doing the best they could. They were adjusting based on a changing situation, but it was so upsetting. Michael was supposed to have 3 meals a day delivered to him. The food service was sketchy (they didn’t show up for the first 2 meals), so I took over, making sure he had good nourishing food to keep him in good spirits.  I leaned on our good chef friends – Rain (Rain’s Kitchen) for roti and garlic pork, Nirvanna (Nirvanna’s Pasta Paradise) for lasagna, tortelloni and tagliatelle, and Karen (Patrick’s Homestyle Cooking) for curried goat, gingered pork, and another roti.  I added fresh fruits, lots of salad fixings, and supplemented the welcome basket with more mango ice cream, more homemade bagels, and other delights.

Michael is scheduled to come home on Sunday, June 28^th.  We’re still not sure of the time.  Originally, they said after 7 PM, but the hotel workers were concerned they couldn’t get everyone checked out and for them to get home by 9 PM – the national curfew.  We now expect him to be released at 6 PM.

Michael and I discussed paying for an extra night and just having him leave at the earliest possible moment. We’d then go back the next day to pick up luggage and everything else I’d dropped off to make his stay comfortable.  That way, he wouldn’t be jostling with a crowd of about 40 people trying to check out, move their belongings via a single elevator, and the chaos of families reuniting. I picture him running down the stairs and out the door, finally free.

This feels like a huge step forward.

At this point, we are waiting with our fingers crossed and our breath held, that everything will work to plan, and we will come to the end of the Corona Tango, with our arms around each other.

This was a rollercoaster dance that I don’t care to repeat.  Ever!