ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada– A 33-year-old Grenadian woman has become the first person to be charged for presenting a fake COVID-19 test result since Grenada enforced a mandatory negative requirement PCR test to obtain an entry certificate to the island.
Gillian Fletcher, a resident of the parish of St. Andrew, was slapped with charges of the deceit of a public officer and uttering a forged document. She has been granted EC$10,000 (US$3,700) bail and is set to appear in court in May.
Fletcher had tested positive for COVID-19 here, and the charges were laid after she was medically cleared.
It is understood that a doctor who reviews results presented to health officials by travelers at the Maurice Bishop International Airport observed some “medical inconsistencies” with the result the woman presented when she arrived from New York.
The matter was investigated, and the findings were passed on to the police. The probe included contacting the lab in New York, where the PCR test was purportedly done. It was discovered that Fletcher’s name was not in the system as one of the people who had a COVID-19 test conducted at the facility.
All persons entering Grenada must not only present a negative PCR test conducted no less than 72 hours before arrival but must also have a mandatory test conducted on the fifth day after arrival on the island.
After Fletcher tested positive, she had to continue her quarantine. The accounts clerk was charged immediately after receiving her medical clearance.
She had to surrender her passport as part of her bail conditions.
Both charges of deceiving a public officer and uttering a forged document are indictable. The former charge’s maximum penalty is three years in prison, while Fletcher could be jailed for up to two years on the latter.
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