DIRECTOR of Sport, Christopher Jones announced yesterday that the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, National Gymnasium, National Aquatic Centre and the Colgrain Pool – all facilities that are owned and controlled by the Government of Guyana, will remain close until May 1.

The move, the National Sports Commission (NSC) said, is to help in the country’s fight against the Coronavirus. Guyana now has 19 reported cases, with two casualties, according to the Ministry of Public Health.

“The public is asked to not show up to any of the above mentioned facilities for queries; please call the office at Homestretch Avenue on 225-6340/225-3560 between the hours of 08:00 and noon,” the NSC said in a release.

Associations and athletes are asked by the NSC, to “always practice social distancing and wash your hands.”

Guyana has recorded seven additional cases of the Coronavirus, carrying the total recorded rate of the disease here to 19.

This was noted by Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence on Wednesday in a daily update provided by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).

She said that the number of deaths remain at two. Regionally, there has been one recorded case in Region Three; 17 in Region Four with one inconclusive and one in Region Six.

In addition, she said the total number of persons tested climbed from 52 to 70, with 19 positives, 50 negatives and 1 inconclusive. She said there are now 36 persons in institutional quarantine.

Of the 11 persons in isolation, one person is isolated in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).She said too that there are 119 persons on home quarantine.

As regards containing and mitigating the spread of the virus, Lawrence said the MOPH continues to strengthen community and hospital surveillance as well as the Rapid Response Surveillance team.