Guyana-Brazil border remains closed

…discussions begin on reopening only for fully vaccinated persons

Blockades and protest action by Brazilians over the closure of the border crossing shared with Guyana have sparked discussions between authorities of both countries to enable arrangements for the movement of people and goods.
Now, both Governments will consider the possibility of reopening the border for fully vaccinated persons.
The blockade of the border on the Brazil side was initiated by members of the Lethem and Bonfim communities, thereby preventing trucks carrying goods from entering Lethem earlier last week.

At the request of the Guyana Government, a meeting was facilitated with Governor of the State of Roraima in Boa Vista, Antonio Oliverio García de Almeida on Friday. Guyana’s delegation comprised of Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony; Senior Minister in the Office of the President responsible for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh; senior officials from the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry and the National COVID-19 Task Force.
From the outset, the Governor and State Representatives of Roraima and Guyana’s Ministers of Government highlighted the importance both Brazil and Guyana’s Governments attach to the bilateral relationship.
Anthony said while it is understandable that members of the communities want an opening of the border to allow for the movement of commerce and people, the arrangement put in place to restrict the movement of goods to one day per week had worked satisfactorily over the past year.
He pointed out that while it was Guyana’s desire to have the border between the two countries opened as quickly as possible, this had to be done safely given the continuing rise in COVID-19 cases and the threat of the spread of the Delta variant across the communities.
This situation was compounded by the unfortunate position being taken by some persons in Guyana not to be vaccinated. He highlighted that one possible solution is for all persons transiting the border to be fully vaccinated and produce a negative PCR test. Both sides will further discuss this to arrive at a decision in the future.

Meanwhile, Minister Singh underscored the special relationship between Guyana and Brazil and, in particular, the longstanding friendship enjoyed by Guyana with the State of Roraima. He stated that the economic intentions of Guyana and Roraima are very closely tied to each other. He also reviewed the interest of both countries in further developing the relations, in particular strengthening commercial ties, partnering to finalise the Lethem-Linden road link, and exploring enhanced cooperation in the energy, agriculture, health and tourism sectors.
Singh offered to facilitate a meeting between the Private Sector of Guyana and of the State of Roraima as a means of exploring business opportunities by both sides, at an appropriate time. Minister Singh reiterated the strong commitment of the Government of Guyana to continue working to overcome the short-term challenges posed by COVID-19, and to closer collaboration with the Government of Brazil to secure the best interests of the people of both countries.
It was agreed that early discussions would be held with counterparts of the various sectors, as well as to convene a meeting to review the full implementation of the International Road Transport Agreement for Passengers and Goods and a meeting of the Frontier Committee responsible for monitoring the development and integration of the two border communities.
“The Government of Guyana wishes to state categorically that it will not put citizens of any country at risk during this pandemic and, as a result, will continue to enforce measures in keeping with national and international protocols. The Government further encourages all citizens and the Private Sector to support these initiatives,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.
The World Health Organisation has reported that as of Friday, there have been 21,034,610 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 588,597 deaths in Brazil. As of September 10, 2021, a total of 195,324,776 vaccine doses have been administered. (G12)