Brazil closes border with Guyana amid COVID-19 spread

The Brazilian Government has moved to close its border with Guyana as precautions continue to take effect to monitor contraction of the deadly COVID-19.
The Portuguese-speaking country lines Guyana on the South and Southwestern side. Along the border is the Takutu River Bridge across the Takutu River, linking Lethem in Guyana to Bonfim in Brazil.
On Thursday the country’s Federal Government issued an extraordinary edition of the Official Gazette – an ordinance which determines the closure of all land borders in the country for 15 days. Since Wednesday, the Venezuelan border was partially closed, with the exception of freight traffic.
The move came after Mayor of Bonfim, Joner Chagas stated that there was a large influx of persons of varying nationalities, coming from Guyana, Haiti and Cuba. Before the temporary closure, some 300 persons had already crossed over.
The decree now prohibits entry to foreigners from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru and Suriname. Brazil is South America’s largest country, with a population of 210 million. Presently, there have been over 425 confirmed cases with four reported deaths.
On March 13, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro tested negative for COVID-19. Later that day, their health authorities confirmed 25 new cases and recommended that any Brazilian or foreigner arriving in Brazil should stay in isolation for at least 7 days.
Meanwhile over on the eastern side, Suriname authorities went ahead to suspend the ferry service which operates from Moleson Creek, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne). The suspension was effective as of March 14 and was called for by the Surinamese counterpart after they recorded the first case of the novel coronavirus.
Earlier this week, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) announced the shut down of the country’s two main airports, Cheddi Jagan International and Eugene F Correira International.
This announcement was made by Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Egbert Field during a press conference by the ministerial task force, while noting that priority will be given to outgoing flights, cargo flights, medevac flights or technical stops of aircraft that require fuel and specially authorised flights. American Airlines also announced that it will be suspending its flights to several locations across the world including Guyana in a bid to slow down the rapid spread of the virus.
According to the World Health Organisation, Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).
On Wednesday, the country recorded its fifth case of the virus. Local health authorities have advised that if anyone is experiencing symptoms of coronavirus, they should contact the hotline on 231-1166, 624-3067, 624-2819 or 624-6674 and a team would be sent to their location.