Extra precautions being taken in Region 6 schools – Chairman

COVID-19 pandemic

With confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus being recorded among teachers and students, the Regional Administration of Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) is asking that persons in that region take all precautions.

Last week, the Education Ministry announced that a total of eleven teachers of the Moruca sub-district of Region One (Barima-Waini) have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. That figure has since increased, and now two Grade Six students in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) have tested positive for COVID-19.
Noting that Region Six is bordering Suriname, which has shown a spike in the number of cases being recorded since the May 25 National Elections there, Regional Chairman David Armogan says every effort is being made to ensure that children who are currently attending school are protected.
In schools, social and physical distancing is being advocated. In the classrooms, students are sitting at least six feet apart, and are being encouraged to wear their face masks. They are also being encouraged to wash their hands before they enter the classroom. The Chairman believes that those measures are sufficient.
“I am not sure to what extent this has been effective in Mabaruma (Region One, Barima/ Waini), but this is something that we have been insisting on, especially at the school level,” he explained.
Armogan added that persons need to adhere to the advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), and the Ministry of Public Health, but he said he recognizes that many adults are not setting a good example, more so, that the region borders Suriname.
According to the World Health Organisation, as of Wednesday Suriname recorded 319 positive cases but between June 1, and June 24th, 219 cases.
“As a result of that, we have become more vulnerable, because it is just a river separating us and people traverse every day. Even though we say that we are locking down the border, you cannot completely lock down the Suriname border, because it is so vast,” he explained.
He added that Surinamese have been crossing the border to shop at the Corriverton Market and to visit doctors in Guyana.
Government medical services in Guyana are free, while in neighbouring Suriname there is a cost attached to those services.
“It is a big problem that we are facing, and I don’t know if people understand the magnitude of the problem,” the Chairman said.
Armogan said that at the Regional level they are insisting, especially at the school level, that students adhere to the suggested regulations.
“The whole country needs to be cognizant of this thing. When this (disease) strikes, it spreads like wildfire… five of six persons get it, and the next day fifteen and then next day thirty, that is how it moves. It spreads very very quickly, and so people must adhere to the standards that have been set,” the Chairman said.
He noted that when the virus was uncontrollable in the United States, Italy and Germany, persons in Guyana were ensuring that they stay protected.
“Even though the number of cases here was not significant…, but now that the number of cases here has become significant, people have dropped their hands down and seem to believe that everything is bright and beautiful. Everything is not bright and beautiful.”
Armogan is calling on residents of the East Berbice/Corentyne region to ensure that they use a face mask when out in public.