…knocks Stabroek News over inaccurate article

THE South Rupununi District Council (SRDC) is calling on the health authorities to increase COVID-19 testing in the area and the body has expressed its willingness to work with the regional task force.

According to a statement from the body, the authorities should increase the amount of testing supplies available in the region as well as to carry out tests on those persons with COVID-19 symptoms immediately. The body also called for contact tracing to be done immediately in the affected villages.

The body said that it is deeply saddened by the deaths of two senior citizens in Potarinao Village, ages 68 and 80, both of whom had been in contact with those who tested positive for the coronavirus. The men have been identified as George Ignace and Frederick Matthew. One of the men is said to be related to a man who has tested positive for the virus recently.

“We further urge the Regional Task Force to work with the SRDC to closely monitor the vast open border to prevent further spread of this disease into our communities from Brazil. Anything less threatens serious and irreparable harm to our communities,” the body said.
The SRDC said that the Toshaos have been overwhelmed in trying to keep their communities safe. The SRDC said it has, with support from villages under its umbrella, in particular, Potarinao and Sawariwao, have made regular monitoring trips to the 180km border, with little support coming from the Task Force or government, to try and prevent illegal border crossings.

The body was critical of “inaccuracies” which it noted were published in a Stabroek News article earlier this week entitled, “Region Nine COVID-19 patient escapes before being quarantine.”

The SRDC explained that it has been closely monitoring the situation in Potarinao, Shulinab and Sand Creek and their satellites, including Katuur, and the information provided to the newspaper by the Regional Executive Officer (REO) did not reflect the true situation on the ground in Potarinao and in Katuur.

The SRDC noted that only on Thursday, that a medical team is visited the latter village.
The body said that a statement in the article, which indicated that there was a positive case coming from Katuur, South Rupununi and travelling to Tiger Pond, South Pakaraimas “is premature and causing confusion among villagers and the overworked village council of Potarinao.”
The SRDC said it has been in daily contact with the Toshao and others from Potarinao and satellite villages, and can confirm that no patient in Katuur had even been tested for COVID-19 until Thursday.

The SRDC said that it has made several recommendations to the Region Nine COVID-19 Task Force for a more effective COVID-19 response, and to date nothing much has been done in relation to those recommendations.

“Instead, at the latest Task Force meeting, the REO recommended that Toshaos now be charged for hiding their villagers who cross into Guyana. Toshaos were told that if case numbers rise in their villages, they can expect little help from the regional authorities,” the body said.
The body said that the REO’s statement mischaracterised the source of the virus’s spread into the communities and the entity said that his statement was a direct threat “to violate our human rights and to deliberately abandon the government’s responsibility to protect the health and welfare of its citizens.”

The SRDC called for collective action to be taken in combating the spread of the coronavirus.