THE National Coronavirus Task Force (NCTF) is making headway in developing a database of Guyanese, countrywide who are most in need as a result of the COVID-19 emergency measures in place.

Chairman of the NCTF, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo said on Thursday that a partnership has recently been forged with the National Data Management Authority (NDMA) to tap into its most recent database which would show society’s most vulnerable.

“[The NDMA] has a database that has been pulled from previous census[sic]. It may not be very accurate as to an update of 2020, but it will give you an idea as to the people who would have fallen below the poverty line over a period of time,” he said.

Added to this, the Ministry of Social Protection has been reeled in to provide information on pensioners, persons who receive social assistance and persons residing within homes for the elderly, both private and public.

The Ministry of Communities is keeping in touch with the various regions through assistance from the various democratic councils.

“It [the distribution] was put on pause precisely because we wanted to have a coordination of the data to ensure that we are really in fact dealing with the vulnerable sections of the communities,” Nagamootoo stated.

He said President David Granger is very keen on putting into place long-term measures and is therefore in ongoing discussions with the agriculture and business sectors to deal with the issue of food and businesses security.

He explained that while hampers are useful, these alone will not be satisfactory for the long-term and a combination of measures will be needed.

“We view COVID-19 as a long-term project that we shouldn’t just be taking knee-jerk measures, but to see how we could help the planning on a long-term basis, to deal with a comprehensive look at how the nation has to tackle this issue,” he said.

Even so, he commended Director-General of the CDC, Lieutenant-Colonel Kester Craig and team for their efforts thus far which he said has helped to reach almost 2,000 Guyanese families across the country.

The CDC, through its National Emergency Operations Centre, started the hamper distribution on April 5 and has completed the exercise in several vulnerable communities in Regions Three, Four, Five, Six, and 10.

The CDC heads the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) which was activated on March 31, 2020, and aims to ensure the highest level of collaboration among all stakeholders to further prevent the spread of the coronavirus, enhance preparation and strengthen the local response to this global pandemic.