There are 250 T&T nationals stranded on cruise ships out at sea who want to come back home. But when he made the revelation on Wednesday morning, National Security Minister Stuart Young did not say whether these were cruise ship workers or passengers. “We cannot take that surge of persons from cruise ships back into that environment,” Young noted on Wednesday morning as he explained that they are each assigned to a cabin and are being fed.

However, care packages will be sent to Trinidadian students who are stranded in Barbados and Jamaica and have been asking the government to return home. The same will not be done for the 33 nationals stranded in Suriname as the Minister explained that they are being taken care of.

While he admitted there are scores of requests for nationals to return home, the Minister of National Security he is dealing with it on a case by case basis, adding that all decisions are based on medical advice.