Lifting of curfew to be reviewed – COVID-19 Task Force Head

Government will be reviewing the current lockdown measures and curfew implemented amid the coronavirus threat to determine whether the restrictions should be in place for a longer period.

In a gazetted document, it was indicated that these restrictions would last until May 3, unless further advised. With the curfew expected to end in just over a week, Head of the National COVID-19 Task Force, Moses Nagamootoo on Thursday expressed that the possibility of lifting it was to be reviewed.

“If something is working and working in the interest of Guyana, then we need to review its effectiveness and make

decisions as we go along. As of now, we cannot say that any measures have been relaxed,” he claimed.
In fact, he indicated that the conduct of the public and their adherence to the outlined measures have been looked at over the past weeks. It was admitted that in some cases, restrictions were being broken, but enforcement authorities would have to apply greater care to ensure that they’re abided by.
“I cannot say at this point in time whether the curfew will be lifted. There has been no representation made to the Task Force in this effect. I believe the curfew has been observed to a large extent to point where there has been less or perhaps no clustering and social distancing and physical distancing has been observed.”
The Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) has already warned Guyana against lifting too early the curfew and restriction measures which are currently in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The body noted that that action could result in an exponential spike in the number of cases here.
According to PAHO/WHO Country Representative, Dr William Adu-Krow, these numbers can spike if the emergency measures are lifted too soon.
“If, at May 1, the Government relaxes all the curfew and everything…it begins an exponential rise (in the number of coronavirus cases),” Dr Adu-Krow said during a virtual press conference last Friday. In fact, he noted that if the measures were lifted as scheduled, then by mid-May there could be as many as 5000 cases in the country.
Last month, PAHO/WHO had projected that Guyana would record some 20,000 cases of COVID-19. But the PAHO/WHO Country Representative explained that this projection was in the event that the country did nothing to curb the spread.
He noted that the implementation of the curfew and restrictions has saved many persons from fatally contracting the virus. It was projected that by April 15, there would have been 295 deaths recorded.
According to the PAHO/WHO Representative, the curfew and restrictions can only be lifted if certain criteria are met.
These include: transmission is controlled; systems are in place to detect, test, isolate and treat every case; outbreak risks in health settings are minimalised; preventative measures are implemented in social settings, such as schools and workplaces; importation risks can be managed; and communities are fully educated, engaged and empowered to adjust to the “new norm”.
With border ports closed to all but essential traffic, there is also a complete restriction on international commercial air travel until the curfew is lifted.