By Naomi Parris

THE Government of Guyana has established a hotline for persons to call and report breaches of the COVID-19 protocols.
The hotline is a part of ‘Operation CoviCurb’ which was launched over the weekend to promote and enforce adherence to the safety protocols, with the aim of slowing the spread of the virus.
According to Prime Minister, Mark Phillips, the hotline will assist the relevant authorities in enforcing the emergency COVID-19 guidelines/protocols across the country.
“We will set up a hotline so if you see somebody who is not adhering to the measures, you will call us and the enforcement agency will quickly rush down and start by using suasion to ensure these measures,” he said.

“If there is a breach of the regulations by business places, they would be given a warning in the first instance. A second breach will result in closure of their businesses. That is what we want to communicate clearly across Guyana,” the Prime Minister added.
Stressing the need for compliance, PM Phillips said the coronavirus is a threat to the survival of Guyanese and is therefore a threat to national security.
He reiterated that COVID-19 is everyone’s business and the people need to play their part to slow the spread of the virus.
“It transcends politics, so whether you are in Opposition or Government, what is important [is] all of us must now play a role in curbing the spread of COVID-19.”
Meanwhile, on Friday during a press briefing, Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo noted that the constant rise of COVID-19 cases in the country has less to do with government’s management, and more to do with personal responsibility.

However, he said the government will not lock people in their own homes to avoid the spread of COVID-19, but would instead urge them to act responsibly.
“If you are locked in your homes and you don’t come out, you would have less deaths, but the question is, could we have done that forever? Could we have kept people in that state forever? A lot of people who were willing, at the beginning, to accept that, do not want to accept it now,” Dr. Jagdeo said.
The Vice President added even though the public is aware of the deadly impact the COVID-19 disease can have, there are still persons who continue to flout the Emergency Measures and take unnecessary risks, exposing themselves and others to infection.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has been enforcing the measures, but the country can ill-afford to further stretch those resources.
“How many policing capabilities will we have for the country? That’s why we say we want to do soft enforcement; talking to people, urging them, advocacy. It’s your responsibility too, not just the government’s responsibility; it’s your life that is at stake, your families’ lives,” he said.
The government recently adjusted the curfew hours to 9pm to 4am.

Essential services are allowed to operate without any time constraints. However, several key services have had their operation hours extended between the hours of 4am to 8pm. These include markets, supermarkets, beauty salons and barbershops, maintenance services, gas stations, and clothing stores.
Food and restaurant services are also permitted to operate daily within that period. Those services can continue with accompanied delivery, drive-through, curb-side and takeaway services.
Individuals are encouraged to do their part by wearing masks, washing their hands, and social distancing.
Persons can call 180 or 181 (Digicel) and 624-6674, 624-3067, 624-2819 or 265-7090 (GTT) to make a report.