…President says COVID-19 task force’s ‘national response’ for the disease completed
-Ocean View Hotel, Cliff Anderson Sports Hall converted to isolation facilities

IN an effort to curtail the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), President David Granger has imposed a curfew for public gathering at places of entertainment, including bars, clubs, gymnasiums, night clubs, restaurants and swimming pools, between 06:00 hours and 18:00 hours.

President Granger, in making the announcement on Thursday, said the curfew will take effect from midnight, on Friday, April 3, 2020. He said additional restrictions to safeguard public health will be announced, from time to time, as the needs arise.

In his address to the nation, the President said the Government of Guyana continues to work assiduously to combat the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am happy that many individuals, institutions, religious organisations and business enterprises, of their own accord, have initiated action to protect citizens and prevent the spread of this disease,” said President Granger, who, prior to this address, had addressed the nation on two occasions since the start of the pandemic and had detailed several new policies and measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The president commended persons who have so far contributed to the fight against the coronavirus by installing handwashing basins or through other valuable donations.
Speaking more about this, President Granger said: “This is as it should be; fighting the pandemic requires the continuous, collective action of all citizens and the entire country.”
In this regard, he reminded the nation that the extraordinary issue of the Official Gazette, published on March 16, 2020, aims at protecting the health and safety of all Guyanese and empowers the Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, to take certain actions which are already in force.

As part of those efforts, the Ministry of Public Health, together with the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), has been engaged in mobilising medical staff and marshalling the resources and equipment needed to fight this disease.

Additionally, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) was operationalised with effect from March 31, 2020; and the activation of the NEOC is aimed at ensuring the highest level of collaboration among stakeholders, and to further prevent the spread, enhance preparation and strengthen national response to the disease.

Another initiative geared at promoting stakeholder engagement was the establishment of the National COVID-19 Task Force, which is headed by Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, and includes the Attorney General and Ministers of Public Health, Public Security, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Education, Communities, Public Infrastructure, Natural Resources and Citizenship.

The task force has since completed a national response to the disease and the measures outlined in the response will take effect from Friday, said President Granger.

ONE THOUSAND PERSONS
Meanwhile, national quarantine and isolation facilities have already been established at the West Demerara Regional Hospital; the (East Bank Demerara) Diamond Diagnostic Centre; the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation; the (Timehri) Madewini Youth Centre; the (East Coast Demerara) Ocean View International Hotel; the Cliff Anderson Sports Centre and the National Gymnasium. These facilities collectively will be able to accommodate one thousand persons.

“I iterate the need for all citizens, in all parts of the country, to adopt the many advisories that have been issued by the Ministry of Public Health and the National Task Force,” said President Granger.

Among those advisories are the avoidance of leaving home; avoidance of gatherings of more than five persons; avoidance of visiting sick persons; avoidance of touching other persons; avoidance of touching parts of your own faces; and washing of hands frequently and thoroughly using soap and water.

The adherence to these advisories is necessary because the COVID-19 is a global pandemic for which there is no vaccination or cure. At the individual level certain measures are absolutely necessary to reduce the spread of this disease.

“It is now clear that several other measures must be put in place to keep the public safe. The ‘National Response’ to the Coronavirus 2019 has been crafted and a draft has been disseminated,” said President Granger.

The objectives of the response, as outlined by the president, are to protect the health and safety of the Guyanese people; protect vulnerable persons in special-care homes and shelters; prevent community spread to local and hinterland areas; reduce or mitigate the spread in affected areas; restrict or halt imported cases into the country; and restrict and contain the spread of the disease in heavily-populated areas.

Additional objectives include ensuring that there is on-the-job safety for all medical and technical staff; reinforcement of measures to mitigate the social and economic impact on the livelihood of vulnerable persons; and coordination of the efforts of civic and non-governmental organisations.

Several measures aimed at limiting social contact are already in force and these include the closure of the University of Guyana (UG) campuses and other schools; the postponement of the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA); and the closure of the Cheddi Jagan and the Eugene F. Correia International airports until May 2020.

Other measures include the closure of seaports to international vessels except merchant ships; suspension of travel, to countries which border Guyana.

Additionally, public servants have been placed on a rotational shift system of duty; the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has waived the Value Added Tax (VAT) on medical supplies associated with the testing, prevention and treatment of COVID-19; and visitation at the Palms Geriatric Home, the Night Shelter, New Opportunity Corps, and the Hugo Chavez Rehabilitation and Reintegration Centre has been suspended until further notice.
The measures that have already been implemented will remain in place until further notice, said President Granger.

NOT ALONE
In light of the increasing number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Guyana, and the number of projected cases, a meeting was held with partners from international and non-governmental organisations to coordinate the planning of mitigative and preventative actions against the short- and long-term impacts of the virus on all sectors of the country. Guyana is not alone in fighting this pandemic, said President Granger.

Guyana has so far recorded 19 cases of COVID-19 with four deaths. A number of persons remain in isolation, home quarantine and institutional quarantine, as health authorities continue to monitor the national and global situation.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.

WHO said most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment. Older persons and those with underlying medical problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.

WHO believes that the best way to prevent and slow down transmission is to be well informed about the virus, the disease it causes and how it spreads.

“Protect yourself and others from infection by washing your hands or using an alcohol-based rub frequently and not touching your face. The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so it’s important that you also practise respiratory etiquette (for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow),” WHO advised.