‘Curfew to remain’
President David Granger
President David Granger

…until COVID-19 is under control
—President says compliance with emergency measures fastest way out of crisis

EMERGENCY measures employed by government to reduce the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), will remain until the pandemic is under control, said President David Granger.

Following a thorough assessment by the Public Health Ministry on Guyana’s prevailing health conditions, the emergency measures implemented to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic were extended for another month, in May.

The updated COVID-19 Emergency Measures No. Three, published in an Extraordinary Gazette, stated that the extension took effect from May 4 until June 3, 2020. The regulation requires citizens to remain indoors between 18:00 hours and 6:00 hours.
The emergency measures also speak sternly to, among other things, the restriction on visits, specific working hours allotted to essential services, preferential treatment for healthcare workers, social distancing and physical distancing protocols, religious worship and domestic travel.

“The country will reopen when we have brought the pandemic under control and when we are satisfied that the rate of infection has flattened and has been reduced to the extent that there is no danger to normal economic activity, meaning going to school, business places or even places of relaxation, would not bring about an infection and spread of the disease,” said President Granger during a recent interview on the National Communication Network (NCN).

The pandemic is still unfolding in Guyana and across the world, and in this regard, the
president said he cannot predict a date and time, when the measures will be lifted. President Granger, however, made it clear that he would like to have everything “opened” as early as possible, but it all depends on Guyana’s ability to reduce the rate of infection and deaths.

Guyana has so far recorded 139 cases of COVID-19 and lost 11 lives to the disease, and health authorities have expressed concerned that cases will continue to climb, especially if Guyanese continue to flout and disregard the containment measures.

“If we are to get better, we have to obey the rules…stay at home, avoid crowds and public places…we have to abide by these measures,” President Granger advised, noting that things are likely to get worse unless persons maintain proper hygiene and sanitary measures, and comply with the emergency measures.

The President strongly believes that the country could be “reopened” early, if persons comply with the emergency measures, which have been established and implemented since March 16, 2020.

“We are working to enforce those measures because if persons do not comply, we would not get out…if you continue breaking the rules, we will pay a high price for it,” said President Granger.

The COVID-19 emergency measures clearly state that anyone who fails to comply with these measures commits an offence under section 152 of the Public Health Ordinance and is liable on summary conviction to the penalty provided under that section.

Guyanese, however, continue to find ways to work around these measures, but President Granger assured the nation that government is examining more ways to enforce the measures. Government, through the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF), is also considering new methods of containing the spread of the disease.

The President said Ministers of Government continue to meet in council, and have been deliberating on plans to keep Guyana’s economy alive, while reducing the spread of COVID-19. To date, every ministry has presented a plan, said President Granger.

In highlighting some examples, the President said the Ministry of Agriculture through the Rural Entrepreneurial Agricultural Project (REAP), has been speeding up the production of agricultural goods; and the Ministry of Business, through the Coordinating Agency for Small Enterprise (CASE) has been assisting small businesses. The ministries of Public Telecommunications and Public Health have also rolled out a number of plans within the past few weeks.

“Every ministry has a plan and we are working day and night to ensure that these plans bear fruit, by bringing the rate of infection down,” said President Granger.

To this end, the President said Guyana will soon commission a sanatorium at the site of the former Ocean View Hotel. The President said once this facility is commissioned, Guyana will be the first English-speaking Caribbean country to have a medical facility dedicated to dealing with COVID-19.

With the advent of this hospital, the President expects that testing and treating of persons will be increased, and Guyana will be in a better position to combat the disease.

President Granger remains confident that the national task force, through various measures, will bring down the rate of infection and reduce the spread of the disease, but he reiterated that persons must comply with these measures.

Chairman of the NCTF, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, had stated that the task force is aware that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that lifting lockdown restrictions too quickly could lead to negative consequences.

“If something is working and working for the interest of Guyana, then we will need to review its effectiveness and to make decisions as we go along. As of now, we cannot say that any measures have been relaxed,” he said, in a past report.

The preamble to the list of measures have made it clear that it could be terminated, extended or amended by notice of the Minister of Public Health, after an assessment of the conditions. The Prime Minister stated that the NCTF has recognised that, in isolated cases, the measures are not being adhered to.

“We are using the more popular measure which is persuasion. We have no coercive measures in place, not that we cannot have coercive measures in place but we can try as best as we could to use information via public media, via the regional authorities…to ensure that we don’t have crossing of the borders and we don’t have violations of the curfew in the curfew hours,” he stated.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.