– on spreading message of how to beat COVID-19

By Jared Liddell

HEALTH Minister Dr. Frank Anthony on Wednesday succeeded in convincing members of the entertainment community of their importance to helping stop the deadly novel coronavirus (COVID-1) in its tracks.

The rapprochement was reached during a meeting between the two parties at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre at Liliendaal, where the historic recount of the ballots cast at the March 4, 2020 general and regional elections unfolded, and cemented the triumphal return of the current People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration to office.

What the Ministry of Health essentially did was encourage entertainers to join in the fight against COVID-19 by using their platform to educate and share information to the general public on how to beat the coronavirus at its own game, so to speak.
Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony touched on the importance of working together, as everyone has a significant role to play in prevent the spread of this virus.
Noting that is it of the utmost importance that persons are aware of accurate and timely information about the virus, how it works, how it is spread and how its spread can be prevented, he said that the entertainment industry has a significant level of reach that the ministry of health may not have access to.
“We need a massive public education for the people here. Our PR department might try their best; we are a health ministry; we know how to find sick people and help them; we don’t know how to break down the message so that people could understand and get it to the people. And that’s where you come in; you have different segments of the population that would relate to you, and that is why we are working with you,” said the Minister.

Speaking to the importance of testing, Minister Anthony said that identifying the number of positive cases there are is what really matters in the fight against COVID-19, as it enables the ministry to take action, in terms of advising persons to isolate themselves, or otherwise providing them with isolation options so as to minimise the spread of the virus.
And to do so effectively, he said that health authorities have shored up on the number of COVID-19 testing kits they have on hand, so as to prepare for more rapid testing. To put that into context, he said that the country is now in possession of 50,000 testing kits, thanks to the generous donations of benefactors such as China and the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO), as well as the ministry’s mobilization of its own resources.
He said what the ministry is essentially aiming to do through the proposed collaboration, is to have the entertainment industry encourage citizens to follow the three main preventative measures, namely: Sanitizing their hands, maintaining the six-foot distance in public spaces, and wearing a mask at all times in all public places.

HELP EXTEND OUR REACH
“Today,” he began, looking squarely at the sea of entertainers seated before him. “Our appeal is simple: If each one of us wants to remain safe, we have to ensure that all of us are doing the right thing. We need you to extend our reach to different people and different audiences, so that we can get our message across,” Minister Anthony said, adding: “All of us are in this fight together, and together we can make a difference. This virus is going to be with us for many more months; until we have an effective vaccine, we have to ensure that everyone lives by these rules.”

Also at the meeting was Minister of Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy, and he readily agreed with his colleague that the entertainment industry is potentially one of the largest conduits where the dissemination of information is concerned, with its thousands of listeners daily through varying programmes and platforms. And he, too, stressed the importance of everyone having knowledge of the coronavirus works, and how pivotal it is to ensure that they are able to protect themselves and their loved ones from contracting and spreading it.

Former Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy said that he knows only too well how important it is to engage DJs and entertainers, having worked with them closely during his time in office in the fight against HIV and AIDS. He said that with the aid of the unique partnership they enjoyed, and the easy and relatable access to information, persons were able to gather much-needed information on HIV/AIDS, so much so that Guyana soon became the world’s go-to model for how DJs and entertainers could help in the fight against HIV-AIDS.

In closing, Dr. Ramsammy stated that if the citizens become more aware, more engaged, and take on the personal responsibility of stopping the virus, we can win the fight against COVID-19. He said that the ministry wants to engage every citizen in battling this virus, hence its call for a collaborative approach to beating this deadly virus.

Before the meeting was over, the DJs and entertainers all committed to continue aiding in the fight against COVID-19, adding that many of them are already involved, and have been lending a hand in getting the word out there on preventative measures, as well as safety guidelines to quell the spread.
Popular radio personality, Malcolm Ferreira reiterated his commitment to using his platform to promote the safety of all Guyanese citizens through the distribution of information, while stating, “The information needs to be clear, precise and simple. We don’t need the ‘big-English’ words right now; we need some good Creolese in these messages that would get across to the people.”
He stated that the message needs to be crafted in an authentic Guyanese way.