Behavioural change still a challenge in mitigating COVID-19 – Minister

One year since Guyanese have been living in the pandemic has resulted in accumulated knowledge on what is needed to protect from COVID-19, but the behavioural change to enable such is still lacking in the country.
Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony shared that while persons know what guidelines should be followed, they are lacking in the adherence department – a challenge which authorities are tasked with addressing. Overall, he noted that response to the pandemic has increased significantly.

“I would say that overall, we have ramped up the response in various ways and by large, I think today we are much wiser about COVID-19 than we were one year ago. I think people are more informed. What we have to do now that is still a challenge is use the information that we know and turn that into behavioural change because the same persons who are not wearing the masks properly, if you talk to them, they actually know the right thing to do. I guess we need to keep belabouring the point,” the Minister shared.
He reminded that the coronavirus is still here and people will get infected if they choose to shy away from the protective measures. The most common requirements are wearing a mask, practising safe distancing from other people and proper handwashing. There is also the national guidelines and curfew which are in place.
“We still have to work to make sure that persons are understanding that COVID-19 is still here and people are going to get infected, people are going to get sick if we don’t abide by these rules.”
Dr Anthony was keen to note that while isolation is a critical part of keeping the population safe, the livelihoods of people must not be threatened. As a result, Government has moved to open a few sectors which can be kept under control.
He explained, “We have opened some of the worksites so that people can go back to their jobs and so that they’re able to earn a living…You have to strike a balance between lives and livelihood so that people can be able to earn a little bit of money to make sure that they can survive through the pandemic.”
One of the key findings from a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report in collaboration with the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) this week identified that the income generated by female-led households in Guyana dwindled significantly during the pandemic, as one in every five persons lost their income.
The final document primarily focused on the socio-economic impact facing Guyanese households during this pandemic. The data was collected via telephone and face-to-face interviews using a sample of 1500 households across the country.
According to the findings, “Although household expenditure remained somewhat normal, income has been reduced significantly, especially among female-led households.”
Additionally, approximately 69 per cent of the respondents reported that they had no alternative sources of income and would prefer cash as their primary form of assistance. Around 52 per cent of the household interviewed said that they were forced to exhaust their savings.
To maintain food security, 37 per cent of respondents resorted to buying cheaper, less preferred brands, while approximately 25 per cent of persons said that they started growing their own vegetables. Apart from the loss of income, 35 per cent of persons surveyed suggested that they would place proper internet access among their priority areas of need. (G12)