–more to come says China’s Deputy Chief of Mission

GUYANA has received timely support, in the form of protective equipment, from the People’s Republic of China, as the battle against the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues.

According to a press statement from the Ministry of Public Health, China’s donation, which was made on Monday, comprised 500 protective face masks, 500 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and 100 infrared thermometers. Also included in the gift from the Chinese are 500 medical goggles, 500 pairs of disposable gloves and 500 isolation shoe covers.
The donation was accepted by Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Public Health, Collette Adams.

During the handing-over ceremony, China’s Deputy Chief of Mission to Guyana, Chen Xilai, reminded officials how his country has suffered since the COVID-19 outbreak, in the Wuhan Province last year.
Xilai said hundreds of thousands have been affected and some 3,000 died as a result of the outbreak.

Despite the devastating impact of the outbreak in China, Xilai assured Adams that Guyana can look forward to more donations from his country, nothing that there is more to come.
The relationship between Guyana and China dates back to 1972 and Xilai wants the two friendly nations to “work together” to win the battle against the deadly pandemic.

Earlier this month, it was reported that China had responded to Guyana’s call for help in the fight against the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), and has so far agreed to send about 30,000 masks, ventilators and other essential medical equipment.

“We have approached China and I have been told that assistance is forthcoming and an estimated 30,000 masks, ventilators and other essential medical equipment are coming to Guyana,” said Chairman of the COVID-19 Task Force, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, in a past report.

He had said authorities are actively seeking international assistance in the form of financing, which will go towards funding measures to combat the COVID-19 disease.
Speaking about the active search for financing, Prime Minister Nagamootoo said: “We are pursuing assistance from India by way of the Indian grant of US$14 million to Caribbean countries.

“It is a low hanging fruit, and we have outlined that Guyana’s allocation will be utilized for supplies relevant to COVID-19.” The government, through the Ministry of Finance, had also requested US$5M from the World Bank. “There have been approaches to international organisations for funding…specific applications have been made to certain banks to address the disease…the Ministry of Finance is active on that front, to approach the CDB, IDB, IMF or wherever, even UN funds,” said the prime minister in a past report.

In clearing the air on Guyana’s eligibility for financial aid, the Ministry of the Presidency had said: “Guyana is not shut out of international aid to fight COVID-19.”

The ministry was directly responding to reports, published in Friday’s (April 24, 2020) daily newspapers, which suggest that foreign partners as well as international financial institutions are unwilling to provide Guyana with financial aid to combat the dreaded COVID-19 disease because the country’s electoral process is incomplete.

This suggestion, the ministry said, is inaccurate because Guyana remains engaged with several of its partners. It was only on Thursday, April 23, 2020 that the United States of America (USA) announced that financial aid to the tune of US$475,000 will be provided to help address Guyana’s priority areas in its fight against COVID-19.

“The Ministry wishes to make it clear that no international or financial institution has linked support to the Guyana’s national COVID-19 campaign to the outcome of the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections,” said the Ministry of the Presidency. The ministry said no international financial institution has indicated that financial aid has been made conditional upon the completion of the electoral process.

In Guyana, eight persons have died from the contagious virus, 15 patients have recovered and 24 are so far in institutional quarantine. Health authorities have so far tested 455 persons with 53 of those remaining in institutional isolation.