— motion introduced to garner input and support from all political players

THE motion of the ‘Global Pandemic of COVID-19’ was introduced to the National Assembly on Wednesday, aiming to garner pragmatic input and support from all political players as is needed to combat the deadly coronavirus.

“What started out as a public health problem, has quickly transformed into an economic crisis,” Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony lamented, while presenting the motion at Wednesday’s sitting of the National Assembly.

This newly-introduced motion, Dr. Anthony said, aims to stimulate debates on what are the best plans of action moving forward to combat the virus and its pandemic.

Dr. Anthony further stated, “We have been able to work very hard and to ensure that we stabilise the medical and health response to COVID-19 but this is not enough and this is not going to get us out of the pandemic.”

Avoiding complacency, bolstering efforts to maintain and even strengthen the current mitigation efforts and adequately preparing for the eventual rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine were among the essential measures, he highlighted.

And so, at about 14:00 hours until after 20:00 hours on Wednesday, spirited contributions from both the government and opposition sides of the house were offered. The ensuing contributions, however, were largely focused on whether the current government had been able to take better control of the pandemic than the previous government — which was functioning as the de facto government when the pandemic first stuck Guyana.

But, it was Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, who strived to rouse some semblance of national unity and focus on combatting the deadly virus. She emphasised that COVID-19 is an “equal opportunity virus” that does not consider political affiliation, gender, ethnicity, class or otherwise.

“This is an opportunity for the opposition to take a national position and be able to say ‘Yes we do recognise it is a serious issue’ and to (their) pledge support,” the minister said.

She reminded that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), while in opposition, supported the previous administration with its efforts geared at resolving the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy because it was a national issue. The pandemic, she reasoned, is another national issue that demands support from all stakeholders.

Deputy Speaker, Lenox Shuman, also called for the de-politicisation of the COVID-19 response, echoing Teixeira’s sentiments that it does not consider who an individual is before infecting and possibly severely harming them.

What he suggested was a “comprehensive emergency preparedness plan” that includes greater financial support to help cushion the effects of the pandemic, emphasising that the ramifications of the pandemic have wide-reaching impact.

He also stressed that while Guyana combats COVID-19, the country should not neglect the other health issues that are prevalent.