THE Ministries of Public Health and Communities have been working along with the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to come up with various strategies of combating the dreaded COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019).

So far, 80 per cent of the work to sanitiSe municipal buildings, inside and out, has been completed as of Friday, Head of M&CC’s Public Health Department, Suzette Reynolds, told the Guyana Chronicle.

A number of sluices, kokers, and constabulary outposts will also be sanitised, while the next plan includes sanitising ministries and other public places.

The agencies, according to Reynolds, are now discussing the possibility of installing sinks at various locations where municipal services are being offered, so as to benefit the public.
The Ministry of Public Health will also be lending staff of its Vector Control Department to the M&CC to assist with works.

Reynolds, at a recent press conference to detail the council’s plans, stated: “We are committing to providing mass sanitisation of public spaces starting from the municipal buildings, then we hope to extend this to the public spaces like the ministries of government, places in central Georgetown that persons congregate frequently.”
She also encouraged persons who have the necessary disinfectants, such as bleach and Jeyes fluid, to call the council for assistance in spraying their premises.

Georgetown Mayor, Ubraj Narine, has since disclosed that the municipality was given a commitment from the Guyana Fire Service to have the municipal markets washed several times a week.

He offered that the council is paying keen attention to the use of public washrooms and portable restrooms, and that strict guidelines will have to be implemented, such as the provision of hand sanitisers and soap, so that persons can clean their hands properly after using the washrooms.

He called on all food-handling businesses to be extra careful when preparing meals and to follow all hygienic and preventive measures outlined by the Ministry of Public Health and World Health Organisation.