– MARAD increases monitoring of maritime space
– restricting crew with recent travel history to China

AS the world continues to contend with the increasingly worrying Coronavirus, Guyana has remained free of the virus as it works to improve its port health authority and monitor arrivals.

According to a press statement from the Ministry of Public Health, there has been no suspected, probable or confirmed case of the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
The outbreak started in city of Wuhan in Hubei Providence, China, in December 2019. The source of the virus has not been confirmed. There is a world-wide effort by scientists to develop a vaccine.

According to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). The coronavirus outbreak originated in Wuhan, China.

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, coughs, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

The novel Coronavirus has been detected in two countries in the Region of the Americas, but no case has been detected in the Caribbean-Sub Region of the Americas.

“Let me assure the Guyanese pubic that all efforts to maintain vigilance and monitoring of the virus are in place,” Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, said on Tuesday.

“We have put several measures in place and have increased surveillance at the country’s ports of entry with strengthened specialised training in all categories of workers,” she said.
The minister further indicated that the situation is being addressed at an Inter-Ministerial level with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) being the focal point.

Port health authorities at the main official points of entry have commenced screening of all travellers from high-risk countries, who will be monitored for fourteen days by the MoPH officials as stipulated by the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO).

Among the menu of measures put in place by the MoPH officials was, to conduct follow-up assessments via telephone calls and through daily visits over a two-week period on all persons who travelled from China to Guyana over the last month to check on their state of health.

“While this virus started off in China, as a Region, we are flagging all high-risk countries,” Lawrence said.

The MoPH advised Guyanese to avoid travelling to high-risk countries and maintain established hand-washing and hand-hygiene measures and to report to the nearest health facility should you experience any respiratory (breathing) problems.
The ministry is appealing to Guyanese and other nationals here to stay informed and seek information from reliable and reputable sources such as CARPHA); PAHO and the WHO.
Minister Lawrence is cautioning the nation not to fall victims of questionable or unverified information and rather to contact the Ministry of Public Health at telephone numbers 226-1224, 226-7457 or the ministry’s Hotline Tel: 223-7139/9.

For further information, persons were advised to visit the ministry’s website at www.health.gov.gy; on Facebook at Ministry of Public Health-Guyana; and on Twitter Ministryofpubl1.

Meanwhile, the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), in view of the Novel Coronavirus, has stipulated that international vessels, calling the Port of Georgetown and Berbice, will be required to provide a crew list and their nationality; the vessel’s last port of call; and the shore leave of the crew within the last 21 days, to the administration.
“Ship crew who feel unwell, experience respiratory symptoms or feel feverish should inform the master of the ship immediately. The master of the ship should then contact his ship’s agent and make the necessary arrangements to seek medical attention,” said MARAD.

Crew with recent travel history in Hubei, Wuhan, or with People’s Republic of China (PRC) passports will not be allowed entry into Guyana. Also, vessels that refuse to comply with the aforementioned instructions may be denied entry into the country’s waters.
In the interim, MARAD intends to continue monitoring the evolving situation and work closely with the industry to implement additional measures if needed.