City businesses need sanitation certificate

…or face closure – M&CC

Town Clerk Royston King has announced that all businesses operating in the city of Georgetown would be required to have a sanitation certificate from the City’s Public Health Department or face the risk of having their operations shut down until they are in full compliance.
During an interview with <<<Guyana Times>>>, King said the new sanitation certificate is a requirement of the Guyana Revenue Authority for the issuance of business licences. He added that the certificate would allow patrons to know the businesses are in full compliance with the city’s public health standard.
“All businesses operating within the city of Georgetown are now required to have sanitation certificates from the Public Health Department before they can properly carry on business within the city. We know that GRA is now requesting this certificate before they issue any licences to businesses,” he said.
According to King, the sanitation certificate is to verify that inspectors have inspected the premises for proper washrooms and other facilities “and no business would be permitted to operate in the city unless they can show a certificate from our Public Health Department saying that we have inspected and found these things to be in good order.”
King further stated that some businesses have already started applying for the Sanitation Certificates adding that they are now putting all businesses on notice that they must ensure compliance or risk closure. He added that it would allow City Hall to check on the statutes of businesses to ensure that they are paying their general rates to the council. “Some businesses have already started applying for it and we are now putting all businesses on notice that they must have the Sanitation Certificate before they operate. This would allow us to check on the statutes of businesses to ensure that they are paying their general rates to the Council. We have people who are operating in the city, doing business in the city and they are not paying their rates and it is wrong. Businesses must also pay their due to the city,” King noted.
“As of Monday, we would begin issuing those certificates. They (business owners) will receive a preliminary certificate from the Public Health Department Office on South Road and then they must visit the Office of the Town Clerk to receive the proper certificate,” he further stated.
This is all done as the city is seeking ways to increase its revenue collection since it is always complaining of being cash-strapped. Just on Friday, King announced that the municipality would begin charging residents a fee of $200 for garbage collection.