THE Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission has suspended all field inspections and survey services with immediate effect until further notice as it continues to monitor closely, the spread of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Guyana.

The commission, in a release, said all staff who travelled overseas or have been exposed to others who travelled overseas will have to undergo mandatory quarantine as per the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations.

The commission also noted that a resource desk for clients to access information on preventative measures to avoid the spread of the disease has been established; cleaning and sanitising activities at its offices countrywide have increased; and added hand sanitisers have been placed at the desk of each staff as well as the front entrances and at all cash registers.

“Public sinks with soap and disposable hand towels have also been set up at the commission’s head office. Please note that mandatory sanitisation of hands would be required by all staff and visitors to the commission. Staff rotation has commenced as per instructions of the Department of Public Service to reduce the level of person-to-person contact in offices and adhere to social distancing requirements,” the release from the commission added.

It is advising clients to make use of remote services through its hotline, website, email and Facebook page and should only visit the office to conduct essential business.

“The commission will continue to closely follow the Ministry of Public Health and World Health Organisation’s guidelines and recommendations on the steps to take to help prevent the spread of the virus. We encourage our clients to contact our offices to query the status of documents and to receive answers to land-related questions using the following [above mentioned] means,” the release concluded.