4 deaths, 126 new COVID-19 cases recorded in 24 hours

…death toll now skyrockets to 235
— Joint Services to monitor Easter weekend activities

The Health Ministry announced on Thursday that four other persons have succumbed to the deadly coronavirus disease, thus taking the death toll to a whopping 235.
The latest fatalities are a 91-year-old woman and a 45-year-old man from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica); an
84-year-old woman from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) and a 62-year-old man from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara). They all died while receiving care at a medical facility.
New statistics provided by the Health Ministry have shown that 126 new COVID-19 cases were detected during a 24-hour period. This has now taken the confirmed cases thus far to 10,375 – 5299 males and 5076 females.
The stats also showed that 12 persons remain in the designated Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 907 in home isolation, and 64 in institutional isolation. Another 21 persons are also in institutional quarantine.
So far, 9159 patients have recovered from the life-threatening virus, while 91,231 have been tested.
From the new cases, eight were detected in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); 27 in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); an alarming 62 in Region Four (Demerara Mahaica); six in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); 17 in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); one in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni); one in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and four in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice). The cases remain at 1028 in Region One (Barima-Waini) and 440 in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).
Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony on Thursday urged persons to report businesses which are non-compliant with the national guidelines. This extends to persons who are facilitating house parties and other gatherings.
“If people know that there are businesses that are evading these measures, they should report them to the Police so that the Police can take action. There is another category of people that advertising house parties, where people gather in the homes and those kinds of things. If we get that information, the Police would also act on that,” the Minister urged.
He lamented that some persons are yet to grasp the gravity of flouting the measures and the repercussions which it brings to the entire country and citizenry.
“It’s crazy! In a pandemic, you want to bring all kinds of people into your home to have a party? Is that so important at this stage in the pandemic than protecting people’s health? I sometimes marvel at the people that are doing this, because it’s obvious to me that they don’t understand the conditions in which we are living in right now…All these actions would have implications,” he declared.

Easter measures
The National COVID-19 Task Force is enforcing guidelines for the Easter holiday weekend, and has informed that no activities would be allowed in public places.
A statement from that secretariat indicated that the measures have been put in place from April 2 to April 4. Easter activities at parks, creeks, lakes, beaches and resorts are prohibited.
Meanwhile, non-religious celebrations in the form of shows, parties, limes and wet fetes are also forbidden. Events held at churches, inclusive of mass, services and cultural programmes, are to operate at 40 per cent capacity.
“Churches are encouraged to utilise their outdoor spaces, where available. Persons are encouraged to observe Easter activities within their home circles. The traditional public restrictions in observance of Good Friday must be adhered to,” the Task Force noted.
These guidelines have emerged as a result of health and security concerns, and are intended to allow for limited participation in Easter activities to curtail COVID-19 infections. The Joint Services has already planned COVI-CURB patrols nationwide to enforce these guidelines.
Apart from these specific measures, the national COVID-19 emergency measures are also in place, warranting full compliance. The national curfew remains in place from 22:30h to 04:00h (4:00am to 10:30pm) for the month of April.
Restrictions remain in place on visiting, hosting, or attending private parties, wakes, clubs, receptions, and any other social activity, including going to the cinema.
The measures also stipulate the wearing of masks, social distancing, along with frequent sanitising and handwashing to curb the spread of the disease. However, exemptions are given to children under the age of eight; where a person is in a vehicle, vessel or aircraft alone; and in any other accommodation alone.
‘Operation Covicurb’ entails the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) executing the Health Ministry’s mandate to flatten the curve by focusing on education, moral suasion, and enforcement measures.