THE University of Guyana (UG) has warned that those students who allegedly posted ‘selfies’ of themselves breaching its COVID-19 protocols while on campus will face disciplinary action, and that plans are afoot “to take immediate corrective actions” to prevent future occurrences.
According to a statement from the university on Tuesday, a “selfie video” of the incident, ostensibly going the rounds on social media, was brought to its attention. Though it did not say when the incident would have occurred, or when they learnt of it, the university said, “The Administration finds this unfortunate and deeply disturbing, and has taken immediate corrective action. The students in the video are being identified, and will face disciplinary action under the Acts and Statutes of the University immediately.”
Calls made to UG Students’ Society (UGSS) President Jafar Gibbons for a comment on the issue have so far proven futile. UG’s campuses have been closed since March 2020, when measures were first put in place to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

However, though the majority of the classes are being held virtually, some students have been given permission to use the campus’ facilities on occasion to do the practical aspects for their programmes. “Courses with laboratory components for students who need these courses in order to graduate this year have been allowed under strict COVID-19 Protocols for sanitisation, masking, and physical distancing,” the University explained. Requests for students to be on campus have to be submitted by the relevant Heads of Department (HOD) three weeks in advance, it said, and that protocol requires that the number of students who will be using the institution’s facilities at the time be identified.
Said protocol also decrees that an action plan be crafted to outline how the COVID-19 guidelines will be enforced.
“The Office of Occupational Health and Safety wishes to take this opportunity to remind staff and students that there must be strict adherence to the protocols on the University’s website (link: https://uog.edu.gy/documents/covid-19-documents), which were developed to protect staff and students in the context of the pandemic,” the University said.