– for persons wanting to enter Guyana

VENEZUELANS along with other nationalities entering Guyana must accept they have to be vaccinated or they’ll be forced to leave, Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge told reporters Monday.

“Problems are arising with the Guyanese [Venezuelans] because some of them felt they didn’t need to be vaccinated,” the minister said.

“That is wrong! If you don’t want to be vaccinated you have to leave.”
He said that while Guyana will avoid criminalising persons who are travelling in their numbers to Guyana due to Venezuela’s economic turmoil, Guyana will not tolerate resistance to its rules and regulations.

The foreign minister explained that Guyana must take into consideration its health requirements, as many of those travelling here, not only from Venezuela, have been exposed to various illnesses, including malaria and measles.

“You are required to be vaccinated; that applies to everyone,” he said, adding that said some common guidelines have been established for treating with the migrants following a discourse with members of Cabinet recently.

“We don’t want to put in place arrangements that allow for undesirables; criminals, terrorists and others into the territory,” he stated, while calling on Guyanese Venezuelans to prove they were born here.

“If you say you are Guyanese, then you have to prove it,” said the minister, who noted that those claiming to be Guyanese can be given the opportunity to establish their citizenship.
“If they aren’t Guyanese, then they would be treated as non-Guyanese,” Greenidge stated. The minister said that once it has been established that persons are Guyanese, then the will be protected by the Constitution and laws of Guyana.

“They have to establish they are Guyanese by birth, naturalization or descent,” he said. “If Guyanese, you are entitled to go anywhere in Guyana,” he added.

Additionally, Greenidge made it clear that Venezuelans, like persons of other nationalities, must enter the country at an official port, as it is there that a request can be made to remain here. He reminded that CARICOM as a whole has encouraged individual countries against deporting or jailing the Venezuelans and those vulnerable for immigration infractions.

He pointed to communities such as Whitewater in the Mabaruma Sub-District where over the past few weeks there has been an influx of Venezuelans arriving there. It has been reported that the Venezuelans are coming here as a means of fleeing their country’s economic turmoil. Many who have come have claimed that they are Guyanese.

Community members have been tasked with providing basic necessities such as food, clothing and accommodation to those who arrive through the country’s borders. It is estimated that some 100 Venezuelans are occupying Whitewater and nearby communities.
“A joint ministerial team, [comprising Ministries of] Health, Citizenship is aware of these rules; they were discussed in Cabinet and should be implemented. There is nothing special about Whitewater,” said Greenidge, who explained that many who have sought refuge here are seeking to stay for longer periods and those requests are being handled.
Meanwhile, a recently announced visit to Puerto Ordaz in Venezuela by representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Citizenship, where a large percent of Guyanese live has been rescheduled.

Greenidge told reporters that the July 12-16 visit to the location has been rescheduled, due to the unavailability of the Consul General as well as the unavailability of flights.
“The timing was inconvenient bearing in mind other demands on the time of the honorary consul and the unavailability of flights to Puerto Ordaz,” said Greenidge.
As much as 20,000 persons are said to be living in Puerto Ordaz.