Guyana has now officially declared war against the COVID-19 pandemic with a new hallmark policy. There are much stricter sanctions and guidelines this month.

Announcing the policy, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali explained that Guyana is in a war with an unseen enemy. He added that Guyana has “no idea when and where that enemy will turn up with lethal force…we must fortify ourselves against penetration”. He reasoned too that the country should build up its strength through vaccinations to repel this foe.

He stated that Guyana must defeat this enemy and win this battle, and return life to normalcy. But he warned that to do so, “all must join the battle and all must get inoculated.”
Soon after, the Ali Administration announced new measures that included a limitation on certain social activities, restrictions on public movements of unvaccinated persons, and shorter opening times for certain businesses.

Similarly, the government ministries announced that they would only allow vaccinated persons to access their services. This move meant the unvaccinated persons would need to get an appointment beforehand.

Businesses started to follow suit with private sector businesses adopting parts of the policy guidelines.

This move saw the APNU+AFC Coalition appealing to the Ali-led Government to consult on more ways to fight against vaccine hesitancy. In a media release, it threaded carefully and used its language skillfully to knock the Ali Government. It spoke about safeguarding the right of every citizen and not discriminating against some.

The truth is, the APNU+AFC opposition should not say anything about the issue since they have been part of the problem that led to the levels of vaccine hesitancy in society. Remember the ‘hot air’ and foolish conspiracies spread by the APNU+AFC concerning the inoculation programme and the vaccines. People are still holding on to what the APNU+AFC said to this day despite the science and medical documentation to prove otherwise.

And taking it further to expose the double standard of the APNU+AFC opposition, it allowed one of many of their parliamentarians to spread misinformation and condemn the vaccination efforts of the administration.

Opposition Parliamentarian, Coretta Mc Donald, like many of the APNU+AFC politicians, is running a whisper campaign against the administration. It occurs whenever they are going to visit communities across the country.

Firstly, what Mc Donald said must be bravely condemned by all responsible Guyanese. She is not a doctor or expert.

Secondly, the APNU+AFC should know that the policy of making COVID-19 vaccination mandatory, to a certain degree, was long in the making. It is a policy that protects the rights of vaccinated and unvaccinated Guyanese. So, it is neither draconian nor authoritative. There were consultations, and the National Task Force against COVID-19 is well aware of the steps to protect every life.

Even the Ministry of Health reported a spike in vaccinations as a direct result of this policy measure.
Thirdly, this COVID-19 policy is long overdue. The government has used every resource available to ensure it protects the people and economy from the disease, and still, as of Friday, 553 deaths were confirmed. Also, on Friday, with 260403 and 143302 persons accessing first, and second-dose shots respectively, Guyana is in a race against COVID-19.

Putting our feet down and supporting this policy can only result in Guyana getting better, not worse.
Get vaccinated today!