Dear Editor,
The Georgetown municipality’s measures to combat the COVID-19 crises and the lockdown policy of our capital city is confusing at best, and is creating considerable uncertainty and consternation in the minds of business owners, residents and visitors to our Garden City.
At first, the Mayor of Georgetown said that he did not have the authority to institute a curfew or lockdown in the city, in spite of the fact that it was pointed out to him that Section 31 D of Municipal and District Councils Act gave him the power to control and manage businesses in the city subject to a public health emergency. Shortly after, however, the Central Government announced a countrywide lockdown with a restriction on services except for those deemed essential. Nationally, all shops were ordered shut except those selling food or medicine, private vehicles were barred from the roads after 6:00 pm until 6:00 am without special permission, leaving the streets empty and silent.
It should be noted that it has already been about two months now since the lockdown has been instituted without any relief measures being implemented by the municipality to either business owners or residents. The residents are still to benefit from the many items donated to City Hall such as masks, foodstuff, sanitiSers, cleaning agents etc. Will they be using everything for and by themselves?
Georgetown is overwhelmingly a city of small businesses, petty traders and itinerant vendors which are particularly vulnerable to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Few have the savings to cover things like rent and pay wages as lockdowns across the city see businesses close, customers dry up and employees let go. Small business owners are quite terrified by what is going on right now – the uncertainty of how long this lockdown will continue and how long the economy will take to rebound after this.
Yet rather than taking steps to cushion the blow of the coronavirus pandemic, the Mayor and City Council has embarked upon a campaign of charging and fining 51 vendors for not wearing a face mask, while plying their trade, temporarily closing the Stabroek Market after customers refused to sanitise before entering this facility and arresting persons found after 6:00 pm moving around the city.
Even more egregious and insensitive is the recent attempt by the Mayor to publicly name, identify and badger the owners of a modern shopping mall for property rates that are purportedly outstanding and owed to the Council at this time of serious business and economic implications of the coronavirus pandemic to businesses.
Instead of committing to improving the provision and development of urban services through the use of modern technology and greater efficiency, the Georgetown municipality instead continues to attempt to reach the goals of modern cities by thinking backwards.
Sincerely,
Mark Roopan
