– elderly man dies after testing positive

By Nafeeza Yahya-Sakur
THE Village Council of the small indigenous village of Siparuta, located in the Corentyne River in East Berbice –Corentyne, is contemplating a lockdown after 16 persons tested positive for the new coronavirus from 39 tests conducted last week.

With a population of about 400, the authorities are awaiting the results from 44 samples which were taken on Saturday. Health officials are struggling to curb the community spread of the disease and are fearful that residents in the neighbouring village, Orealla, are also positive.

Toshao for both villages, Carl Peneux, told the Guyana Chronicle that 102 persons were tested in Orealla and the results are expected in the next two days.
The toshao said if the positive cases increase, then a lockdown of Siparuta is imminent. In the interim, the council has taken a decision to stop residents from traversing between the sister villages and are now mandating that anyone who seeks to travel to the villages from the coastland provide a negative PCR test.

Meanwhile, an 86-year-old man, reportedly from Siparuta, died on Saturday hours after he was transported to the Skeldon Hospital after suffering a stroke. The Guyana Chronicle understands that the elderly man suffered the stroke just after he was swabbed for the disease; he died before the results came back positive for COVID-19.

This newspaper also understands that a 76-year-old woman from the village was transferred to the capital city after she displayed serious complications of the virus.

Mass testing commenced in Siparuta after a female student from the village tested positive when she went to the coastland to return to school. She was staying at the students’ dorm in Crabwood Creek with other students at the time; these students have since been quarantined.
The toshao noted that while the regional task force has been very supportive in providing the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE), he will be engaging the police commander to have more ranks stationed in the community to help enforce the COVID-19 guidelines.
He explained that despite the positive cases and the death of the elderly man, many residents are still not heeding the warnings and are refusing to wear face masks.
As of Sunday, Region Six has recorded 128 positive cases with five deaths.