AS the number COVID-19 cases in neighbouring Brazil continues to surge, the Rupununi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) is calling on the authorities to close the border at the Takutu River bridge for another three months.

Although the number of cases in Brazil has climbed over 374,000, second only to the United States, a number of residents of the town of Lethem and nearby villages along the border have been crossing the Takutu River illegally.

The RCCI noted in a release that two months ago, the international border at the Takutu River Bridge was officially closed to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
The body said that only priority goods have been allowed to enter Guyana on Thursdays, after a process of sanitisation, conducted by the Ministry of Public Health and the Guyana
Livestock Development Authority.

“So far, it seems that the decision to close the border is justified and has helped in a
significant way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 into Lethem and the
wider Rupununi Region,” the RCCI said.

The RCCI said that on any normal day, hundreds of Brazilians from the Northern States of Brazil would visit Lethem to shop various merchandise. These persons would not normally be required to undergo any major checks upon entering the Port Complex at Lethem and most times a visual check is conducted by Guyanese authorities of the persons entering and leaving.

It was noted that Brazilians would travel from Manaus, which is almost 1000km away from Lethem.

It was noted that Manaus presently has over 29,000 persons infected with COVID-19 and Boa Vista has almost 2,500.Hospitals in both cities are overwhelmed with patients. The recovery rate is slow and the death rate continues to climb, the RCCI said.

It noted too that gold prices are at an all-time high, and over for many years, thousands of Brazilians have travelled to and from Georgetown and interior locations to work in the
mining industry. “Certainly, the high price for gold would again encourage them to
travel and pose a big risk of bringing the deadly coronavirus with them,” the RCCI said.

It noted that Guyana does not have the capacity to handle any drastic increase of the
infection of the population, adding that the number of positive COVID-19 cases have been slowly climbing. “In order to ensure that this does not get out of control, we need to
ensure the Guyana-Brazil border remains closed to people traffic until the situation in
Brazil is under control,” the RCCI said.

The body called on the National COVID-19 Task Force to ensure that the border remains closed at least for the next three months or until such time as it is safe to reopen to regular traffic.

Meanwhile, residents of Lethem are perturbed that ranks of the Guyana Police Force stationed in the area, have been frequenting the neighbouring town of on BonFim on a regular basis in recent days.

A resident at BonFim noted that the ranks were seen purchasing alcohol at shops in the town today. It was noted that the ranks paid little attention to their safety.