Two ministers now positive with COVID-19

…President, First lady, other cabinet members negative

President, Irfaan Ali and his wife, First Lady Arya Ali have both tested negative for Covid-19, but Tourism and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond-Allicock has joined her colleague Foreign Affairs Minister, Hugh Todd with a positive result. This was confirmed to Village Voice Thursday evening. Other cabinet ministers have also been tested negative.

President Ali had ordered his ministers to take the test on Wednesday after Todd’s diagnosis. Village Voice was told that when the results returned all the ministers except Walrdond-Allicock tested negative. She has since gone into self-quarantine.

Ali on Wednesday also announced that the entire Cabinet will work remotely pending their results. “The Minister of Foreign Affairs brought to my attention that he came into contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19. He decided to undertake the COVID-19 test which came back positive. I have since advised him to inform all individuals whom he came into contact with to work with the Minister of Health to facilitate contact tracing and testing,” Ali said.

The President did not specify how long ago Todd is estimated to have come into contact with the infected individual. “I have made a commitment to conduct affairs of the government transparently and there is no greater issue that requires transparency than the way we address the COVID-19 pandemic so I have taken this step to inform the public of this situation,” Ali further noted
Todd along with 18 other Ministers was sworn in last Wednesday at a ceremony held at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, as the new Cabinet was formed. All of the other Ministers are being tested. “I have advised all Cabinet members to undergo a COVID-19 test as a precautionary measures… and to work remotely until they receive the results of their tests,” Ali informed.

Since his appointment Todd has met with a number of foreign dignitaries including British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn; and Ambassador of the United States of America, Sarah-Ann Lynch. Todd also held a number of familiarization exercises with the Heads of Departments and staff of the Ministry. Ali said that the government is committed to doing everything to ensure the safety of the Guyana people.

“My government has taken a holistic and comprehensive approach which prioritize testing, increased provision of personally protection equipment (PPE) and inter agency collaboration in response to this pandemic,” Ali conveyed. He also took the opportunity to call on Guyanese to continue to take precaution and follow the guidelines set out by the MoH. “I want to also take this opportunity to remind all Guyanese that this pandemic has no barriers… wear your mask, ensure as far as possible adhere to social distancing. This is a time when all of us must come together, work together to ensure our country and all our citizens stays safe,” the President said.