– authorities amused

By Vanessa Braithwaite
A GROUP of business owners in the mining town of Linden, known as the Linden Business Network, is set to lockdown Linden from Monday, even though they did not receive the necessary permission from the relevant governing bodies to do so. The governing bodies include the Linden Mayor and Town Council, the Regional Democratic Council, the Region 10 Police Division and Linden Chamber of Commerce.

Officials representing these bodies, along with others representing health institutions in Region 10 are members of the Regional Health Emergency Committee (RHEC) that stipulated the mandatory curfew on the region, which commenced last Saturday. The RHEC was formed to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic in Region 10.

In a correspondence to the RHEC, Chairman of the Linden Business Network, Garfield Shepherd, wrote that the network is proposing to lockdown Linden for a period of two weeks. During this time, only essential businesses, which include gas stations, pharmacies, grocery shops/supermarkets, fruits and vegetable stands, top-up/phone credit, radio station, the television station and the post offices, will be in operation for four hours during the day: 12:00 hrs to 16:00 hrs.

All entrance and exit points in Linden will be closed, except for essential and emergency situations. On a live radio programme on Thursday evening, Shepherd related that vehicles desirous of passing through Linden will be escorted out from all the entry and exit points, while others attempting to come into the town will be turned away. He also said that Lindeners travelling into the community will be screened by health officials and quarantined. Hire cars and minibuses plying the Linden to Georgetown route will not be allowed to do so.

In the correspondence, Shepherd also proposed that hire cars will only be allowed to carry half of the capacity, within Linden. In making representation for the hire cars, he requested the LMTC to waiver all attached fees to use the municipal parks and for the bridge toll to be waivered. Representation was also made for LMTC to waiver stall rents and for Lindeners not to pay for water and electricity, during this time.

“We understand that this will be hard on our community, but we also know it will not be as hard as managing a COVID-19 infected community and the death of our loved ones.”
Shepherd and two other members were on the Linden radio station making the announcement, which resulted in Lindeners panic shopping on Friday.

HAS NO AUTHORITY
In a statement from the Linden Mayor and Town Council, Linden Mayor Waneka Arrindell said there is no lockdown in Linden from Monday and discussions on the way forward is still ongoing with the business representatives. She deemed the content of the correspondence as just proposals and commended the group for its efforts in trying to keep Linden COVID-19 free. The LMTC, which is the constitutionally-elected body that governs the town, does not have the powers to shut it down and cannot permit for same to be done. The statement also said that the proposed operating hours for essential businesses is in conflict with the already imposed curfew and a suggestion was made for it to be moved to 14:00 hrs to 18:00 hrs.

The LMTC has been proactive, the statement said, in curbing the movement of persons within the community and to limit the movement of persons coming into the community. Already implemented, is the screening of persons at the various check points. She said after the 18:00 hrs curfew, persons who have no valid reason to enter the town will be detained after 18:00hrs but vehicles will not be stopped from traversing to and fro during the permitted time.

She said going forward as well; all bars and drinking spots will be permanently closed to promote social distancing. Persons found not complying will be detained.

President of the Linden Chamber of Commerce, Victor Fernandes, questioned the authority on which the Linden Business Network would have made such an announcement.

He reasoned that Linden is not in a state of emergency and it is only the government that has the authority to lock the town down. While he understands the motive behind the proposal, he said no engagement was done by the Business Network and the Linden Chamber, before it was put to the public domain.

Fernandes said he finds imposing a four-hour business time on essential businesses while shutting down others, as arbitrary and uncalled for at this time, since the regional curfew already mandates them to operate within 12 hours.

“There is already a strain in the 12 hours. What this will do is only create pandemonium and expose people to more infectious diseases since they will be panic buying during that time. People have that individual right to shut down their businesses if they want and no group imposing that upon them,” Fernandes said.

CONCERNS
He said after the announcement by the group, several business persons contacted him, concerning the chamber’s position on the issue, including the commercial banks. Other organisations that will not be endorsing the lockdown include the National Insurance Scheme, Courts Guyana, and other commercial banks, among others.
The chamber president opined that the already implemented curfew has been successful and continues to gain momentum.

In an invited comment, Commander of Region 10, Hugh Winter, said he cannot support a lockdown but the curfew that has been implemented by the RHEC and therefore the announcement of having the police escort vehicles through Linden’s entry and exit points was not brought to his attention.

The ranks have been very active in monitoring the curfew implementation by business and residents over the last week.

Meanwhile, Former Member of Parliament, Jermaine Figueira, commended the business network for the “very good and excellent proposal” they have put forward.

“The overall success of all suggestions must be networked and weaved within the statutory and legal framework along with other key stakeholders. I would encourage more residents with brilliant suggestions and the desire to help tangibly or otherwise, so a successful undertaking can be done to win against the deadly virus,” he said.

In response to the non-endorsement to the lockdown, Shepherd argued that the LMTC, the Linden Chamber and the RHEC, do not hold the authority to decide what private citizens can do, in this case, the Linden Business Network. In contrast to what the officials said, Shepherd claimed that they were engaged, responded positively and are now turning back on their word. He is still calling on the disciplined forces and other officials within the region, to come on board to keep Linden COVID-19 free.

The businessmen do not believe that the curfew implemented is enough to stop the virus from entering the town since Linden shares borders with Region Four, which has the highest recorded number of cases.

The business group believes that a total isolation is needed and will be going ahead with their plans from Monday.

“We are in a situation where we haven’t installed a government, the people are left on their own, we have to run our own businesses and we have to protect our life and our community. We are in a position here now to defend our self to lock down and quarantine and a whole community will benefit from it,” Shepherd said.