…as cases continue to climb

EARLIER this month the national task force had permitted 90 minutes of exercise from Monday to Friday only, in parks, on roads, at the seawall, on beaches and at rivers and creeks as the country slightly relaxed its COVID-19 emergency measures.

Nevertheless, the majority of all the other measures remain and have been extended to July 2, 2020. However, Guyanese across the country are still flouting the national COVID-19 restrictions on social gatherings along with the rule that persons must wear face mask if they have a need to leave their homes.

Despite a rise in the number of cases across the country, hundreds of Guyanese, on Sunday, were gathered at the Kitty seawall, before and after the 6pm nationwide curfew kicked in.

Several videos and photographs viewed by this publication showed that those who gathered at the infamous chill spot were not wearing face masks or practising any other precautionary measures against COVID-19.

The Kitty/ Campbellville area was listed as a COVID-19 hotspot as well as several communities on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD). These are Atlantic Gardens, Friendship, Golden Grove, Good Hope, Lusignan, Plaisance and Strathsphey. Among communities on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) where there were cases are: Diamond; Grove; Land of Canaan; Providence; and Timehri.

On Monday, the Guyana Chronicle reported that Moruca, a sub-region in Barima Waini, Region One, has 63 out of the 109 active cases of the Coronavirus in Guyana.
This amounts to approximately 58% percent of the cases, and this situation is affecting the people in the densely populated indigenous community.

Last Friday, it was reported that several new cases of the virus have been recorded at Moruca. Unconfirmed reports are that as many as 14 new cases were recorded there from tests undertaken on one day during last week.

The cases included that of a pupil who is preparing to write the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), 22 teachers, two doctors of the Kumaka District Hospital and other staff, and five policemen, who are all in quarantine. The Toshao of the village is also in quarantine because one of her family members has been tested positive, but she has tested negative.

School Children
Recently, the Ministry of Education had re-opened schools for the pupils and students who are scheduled to write the National Grade Six Assessment and the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) in July. One of the primary concerns of parents and teachers following the Ministry’s decision was that children would disregard the COVID-19 measures; as such strict instructions were given to the teachers, students and parents that, after class sessions are dismissed, students and pupils must return to their respective homes.

Minibus Operators

Minibuses are Guyana’s primary mode of public transportation, and, as such, the Government has mandated that minibus operators carry half the number of passengers that they usually would, as a means to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
However, while there are a few minibus operators who are adhering to the rule, there are still a few who continue to have a nonchalant approach to combatting the virus.
In several videos and photos published on social media websites, minibus operators were seen still overloading the buses and carrying three to four passengers in a seat, while they were advised to carry just two passengers per seat as a means of maintaining the 3ft social distancing rule to slow the spread of the virus.

The Guyana Chronicle had recently spoken to the President of the United Minibus Association, Eon Andrews, who disclosed that it is ‘hustle mentality’ that keeps operators from placing their health and the health of others first. Andrews noted that, “There are still buses who are accepting people in the bus without masks, buses are leaving the parks with the correct amount of passengers only to go a few miles and pick up more passengers.”
Andrews added that he was optimistic that the COVID-19 epidemic will motivate minibus operators to be more compassionate towards their passengers, thereby putting their (passengers) safety first during the health crisis. “I was hoping that the COVID-19 scenario would teach them that passengers are their brothers, their sisters [and] their mothers, which means that they must be respected, and that they must be treated in a special way,”