GUYANESE will now be required to be vaccinated to access public buildings. This is according to the updated COVID-19 Emergency Measures (No. 22) published in the Official Gazette on Saturday evening.

These guidelines are applicable for the month of September, unless earlier revoked or amended.

Paragraph 17(1) of the new gazette states that “… any person who wishes to enter a public building shall be vaccinated.”
The previous order had said that these requirements were in place for government ministries and government agencies.

According to the gazette, “public buildings” means any building to which the public has lawful access and shall include both publicly and privately owned buildings, including all institutions of learning.

These include stores, banks and other commercial places.
For unvaccinated persons seeking to enter these buildings, an appointment must be made or a negative result from a PCR COVID-19 test must be provided within seven days of the appointment.

These PCR tests must be done at a private facility approved by the Ministry of Health. This test costs about $20,000.