…Jagdeo says as restrictions lifted to reopen country
Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo has stated that the Health Ministry is prepared for a possible rise in COVID-19 cases as the Government balances implementing COVID-19 restrictions to protect from the deadly virus and reopening Guyana’s economy so that persons can earn a living.
As it stands, Guyana has recorded over 4,300 COVID-19 cases and over 130 deaths. However, the Vice President said on Friday that many persons, especially those in the services sector, have approached him pleading that businesses in the economy be reopened so that they can survive financially.
“There are a lot of people [who] want this. We talk to people every day, not just the business owners but workers, people who have now ran out of money, who don’t have a social safety net, they just need to get back to work,” he said.
“That is why the reopening of the country [is being done] a bit gradually but carefully; the opening of the airports, the extension of the curfew, but we know that with that can come high rates of infection. So, we know this and that is why the capability has grown exponentially. It’s still not perfect because nobody has a cure but we have now more material…to deal with people, to do testing.”
About a week ago, the Government relaxed the COVID-19 curfew to between the hours of 10:30pm and 4:00am along with several other restrictions removed. Meanwhile, the country’s international airports have been reopened for commercial travel with negative PCR tests being the key requirement.
While the former Administration also had a plan for the reopening of Guyana’s airports, it has criticized the current Administration for its management of the local COVID-19 crisis. They have accused the Government of failing to ensure that COVID-19 positive persons are isolated, thereby contributing to the spread of the virus.
Just on Thursday, the Village Voice reported that over 50 positive COVID-19 cases were recorded at the primarily indigenous village of St Cuthbert’s Mission off the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.
“The Minister of Health is hoping that approximately 9 in every 10 persons with coronavirus in Guyana will stay safely at home, and keep away from family, friends and strangers at all times, while wearing a face mask all day once they are not sleeping. Thus, more persons become infected and die with each passing day as the COVID-19 pandemic marches on and the government does nothing of note,” Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) and former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Health, Dr. Karen Cummings had criticized in October.
However, Jagdeo says that a middle ground must be reached. He believes that, under his Administration, better management of the virus has taken place. He said that, fortunately, the capacity of the Ministry of Health has not been overwhelmed as in other countries and greater measures have been put in place for testing and receiving international financial/material support.
He said: “Even in those emergency rooms, the equipment necessary have been purchased and we continue to make investments in this regard. We just had engagements with the IDB and the World Bank to reprogramme a significant part of our funds to deal with COVID-related expenditure, building capability but also assisting people.”
