Dear Editor,

I AM urging my friend Mayor Ubraj Narine to reconsider his decision not to implement an immediate lockdown of Georgetown.

I have been carefully monitoring the “reported” numbers of infected persons in Guyana and it is my opinion that there are many undetected COVID-19 persons out there  who have NOT been tested but have the symptoms and are ignorant of the fact, or may be afraid to come forward because of the fear of being quarantined in a government facility or the fear of being ostracis,ed by society, etc.

In the past two days the number of confirmed cases have jumped from eight to 12,
an increase of 50%.
This is a very ominous development and if the previous algorithms from the spread of this virus are taken into account, then Guyana is about to be hit by a freight train of epic proportions !

This, coupled with the fact that the majority of Guyanese society have so far shown a rather laissez-faire attitude toward social distancing and even less inclination to taking precautions that would decelerate the spread of this deadly virus. It’s a scenario that brings the old saying to mind,  “it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Please do all within your power to lock down our capital city Mayor Narine. The citizenry will thank you in the long run.

All the best

Lionel Jaikaran
Former Deputy Mayor
Municipality of Georgetown