Covid-19 task force not functioning “as expected” – PSC

…calls for more testing as data provided “less than satisfactory”
…as GCCI proposes 7pm curfew

Caretaker President David Granger had appointed a high-level Task Force to monitor and oversee measures relating to the coronavirus, shortly after it was considered a global pandemic.

Headed by acting Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, the panel was required to respond to the threats of COVID-19 and work towards engaging stakeholders and frontline agencies.
However, the Private Section Commission has voiced concerns over the functionality of this body and disappointment in the coalition Government’s approach in dealing with the rampant disease.
The Commission was one of the stakeholders asked to participate in the discussions by appointing a representative. Two weeks have since elapsed but there has been little to no actions on the part of the Task Force.
“The Private Sector Commission, however, regrets to say that our representative appointed to participate in the Task Force has informed Prime Minister Nagamootoo that, to date, there has been no meeting of the Task Force to which he has been invited and, to all intents and purposes, the Task Force does not appear to be meeting and functioning as would be expected,” the PSC indicated.
In the statement, the Private Sector organisation went on to say that this national Task Force lacks the inclusivity of major stakeholders and the characteristic of being non-partisan.

“It must be inclusive of all major stakeholders, must function transparently, must be non-partisan and must fundamentally be professionally technical in composition and operation. This is not now the case. The Private Sector Commission is, therefore, deeply concerned at the manner in which the Government has, to date, approached the management of the COVID-19 crisis,” the Commission said while adding that this epidemic threatens the lives of the people.
It also went on to analyse data provided by the Public Health Minister, labelling it as “less than satisfactory”. Instead, the Commission called for the Chairman of the Task Force to make such updates to the nation.
“The Private Sector Commission has held intensive consultations with medical professionals and remains deeply concerned over the information being provided through the Ministry of Public Health to date. Broadcasts and the most recent Press Conference by the Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, have been considerably less than satisfactory.”

Additional testing
Meanwhile, Guyana was able to project some 1400 cases as the spread gets wider. For this, questions were raised as to why additional testing has not been done.
“There is clearly a need for much more immediate testing and consequential tracing to be carried out. Without extensive further testing at this point in time, the Government and, indeed, the country, remain blind to the actual extent to which the country has been impacted by the COVID-19 virus,” the PSC highlighted.
It went on to say that the idea of eliminating private medical facilities from the fight against this coronavirus is unacceptable; as a holistic approach is needed to effectively combat this deadly disease.
It was noted that the PSC understands that private hospitals and private laboratories have so far not been included in the national effort to bring the virus under control. “This is unacceptable. There clearly needs to be a nationally coordinated involvement of the country’s entire medical facilities and personnel in tackling and managing this crisis if the country is to avoid being overtaken by the virus.”
The entity would have submitted recommendations to the National Task Force, specifically regarding the management of public information, national capacity for laboratory testing, increased testing; the inadequacy of response to hotline calls among other key issues.
To the Finance and Business Ministries, proposals were made to cushion the financial impact on the country and moreover, vulnerable citizens by tax relief, emergency funding, deferment of payment for public utility services and rescheduling of loans and mortgages. These proposals have not been acknowledged to date.

Curfew
Meanwhile, another Private Sector organisation, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) sought to comment on the recent position shared by the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, which states that it does not have the authority to implement a lockdown.
For this, the Commerce urged businesses to establish proper sanitisation mechanisms for stakeholders as well as the closure of activity at 19:00h.
“Recognising that the M&CC has stated that it does not have the authority to enforce the closure of businesses, the GCCI calls on the business community to voluntarily practice social distancing, establish measures for hand sanitising, and for restaurants, bars and liquor stores to close at 7 pm,” the GCCI suggested.
It added, “The GCCI recognises that this is not a normal situation and thus, it requires abnormal solutions until we can gain control of the spread of the disease. The Chamber remains willing as ever to work with the authorities to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
The statement went on to indicate that these measures are all recommended to “flatten the curve” and reduce any possible spread.
“Based on the studies conducted, it is increasingly clear that we should practice social distancing and practice it early. Social distancing can reduce the spread of COVID-19 significantly,” the Chamber also said.