WE cannot escape the fact that the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 is very real and very present in our society. It seems as though almost every day there are reports of new cases and we need to be more proactive in our treatment of this virus if we want to diminish the adverse effect it has on Guyana.

By the time this column is published, it will be just over four months since the first cases of COVID-19 were recorded in Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and many other Caribbean nations. It has been four months since we have been forced to adopt new measures of keeping ourselves and each other safe, and four months since productivity has been on the decline.

Recently, President David Granger acknowledged that the country is faced with a massive shortfall of revenues due to the pandemic. That, juxtaposed with the mounting expenditures needed to maintain the normal operations of the country, plus the added spending needed to contend with COVID-19, can only mean that Guyana is in a precarious financial space.

Without a national budget and a Parliament in place to approve funds for government spending, how then does the country aim to effectively mitigate the effects of this disease? The easy answer would be that the country cannot do so. It seems so much more pragmatic to have a government in place that can pursue all avenues to support its citizens and work, as much as reasonably possible, to mitigate the effects of COVID-19.

Take Trinidad for example: I’ve been here since January and I had to comply with all measures the country has enforced to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and its resulting ramifications. Now today, as I sit on my bed typing this column, I have the freedom to jump in a maxi and go to the Trincity Mall and lime without feeling too concerned about COVID-19. Of course, safety measures (physical distancing, washing hands, wearing masks, etc) are still in place, and just like everywhere else in the world, the threat of COVID-19 has not been fully eliminated. The point is, however, T&T authorities were very stringent and pragmatic in their approach to the pandemic and the country has not recorded a new case in weeks. There is a sense of calm and security here, and it comes as no surprise that Oxford University ranked T&T as the most prepared country to roll back COVID-19 restrictions.

On the other hand, I look at videos of Guyana and wonder if our country has a coronavirus-repellent or whether COVID-19 just upped and left Guyana. But then, I see the daily updates from the Ministry of Public Health and I am reminded that COVID-19 is still very real and very present in Guyana. In Guyana’s case, I believe that there is an egregious appendage that clouds our recognition of this pandemic that we have been spared from. That appendage has been the elections conundrum.

So with the appendage continuing to be the appendage that it is, I don’t think there is much leeway for greater fiscal interventions at this time. Frankly, I don’t think we have the capacity nor the capability for further fiscal interventions. Therefore, I believe that there must be a greater effort from citizens to combat COVID-19.

We are social beings. Humans are inherently social beings and we crave social interactions. Cognisant of this, governments everywhere, including our government, have allowed small social gatherings and have allowed persons to utilise public spaces. But when hundreds of people congregate on the seawall with scant regard for physical-distancing protocols, it makes me question whether this should even be allowed. A few of my friends usually send me photos and videos whenever they travel around Georgetown to help cure the homesickness. And each time, without fail, I have to comment on the sheer numbers of people out and about and worse yet, the number of persons without masks. My friends usually say something like “Girl, that’s normal,” or “You ain see nothing yet.”

Over the past few weeks, I have seen videos of demonstrations which showed that persons were standing some distance apart and were wearing masks. On Monday last, however, I saw videos of the massive demonstrations staged in Georgetown and other parts of Guyana. These were done in light of the decisions and action taken as part of the continuing electoral process. Let me establish that each citizen, undoubtedly, has the right to protest and stage these demonstrations. That being established though, we are living in a pandemic and in a time where we have been forced to adapt to the ‘new normal’ we are presented with, and as such, these demonstrations must be guided by these circumstances.

And finally, of tremendous importance to me is that we show support to the small businesses that are trying their best to survive this pandemic. Four months of little to no productivity has damaging effects on small businesses and the small man or woman trying to hustle to provide for themselves and their families. All across social media, there is an abundance of persons marketing their products and services. “HELPGuyana.com” is a recently launched software solution which helps small farmers to market their produce virtually. The Chronicle’s Pepperpot last week featured a handful of local entrepreneurs tapping into various niche markets. Innovation and entrepreneurship are often birthed out of crises, and well, this pandemic is a crisis like no other. So, as much as you possibly can, support that small business. It goes a long way.