FOLLOWING Guyana’s first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) had set up a COVID-19 hotline so members of the public can contact health officials to report possible cases of the virus.
However, since the hotlines were set up, operators have been receiving prank calls making the job of the hotline operators and health officials difficult. This was revealed by the Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC) on Saturday during a programme hosted by the MoPH on the National Communications Network (NCN).
Dr Luella Sucre, a representative of the ministry, stated that prank calls have been making it difficult for the hotlines’ operators and the surveillance team.
She added that such idle acts have made it difficult for operators to separate persons who are truly sick, from people who are just calling to see if the hotline is working or to report persons who they think are sick without providing the necessary data that is required to trace that person. “They are not giving a name, an occupation or address, so in this case we are not able to effectively follow through and respond the way as we should for COVID-19,” she explained.
Guyanese still not taking heed
To date, the country has 29 confirmed cases of covid-19 along with four covid-19 related deaths, however, despite the rising numbers and the 12-hour curfew, Guyanese are still not taking heed and are not adhering to the social distancing rule as reports have been made of persons still congregating in large numbers.
His Excellency, President David Granger, in an address to the nation last week, had urged citizens to adhere to the precautionary measures as a means of slowing the spread of the dreaded virus. “The public must adhere to infection prevention and control measures as personal conduct is the single most important element in preventing the spread of this deadly disease,” the head of state said.
In expressing his concerns of the conduct of citizens, the head of stated noted, “The national task force continues to monitor the situation in Guyana, and this includes citizens conduct; we are concerned that too many citizens and businesses have been ignoring public advisories and warnings.”
He added that a nonchalant approach to the covid-19 pandemic will affect the population gravely if persons do not begin to adhere to the precautionary and prevention measures. “Guyanese, a cavalier approach in the face of this global pandemic can seriously impair our efforts to combat covid-19, consequences can be devastating for the entire population” the Head of state added.
