Miners must take precautions when passing through communities – GGDMA

…as villages block miners’ access over COVID concerns
…communities’ rights being violated – SRDC

The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) has called on miners to undertake greater protective and control measures as they continue to work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Friday the Association urged miners to reduce their contact in communities as they make their way to the mining sites. This statement comes days after four villages in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) namely: Shulinab, St Ignatius, Aishalton and Karaudarnau prevented miners from accessing mining lands due to COVID-19 concerns.
This is despite the fact that mining was listed as an essential service in the gazetted COVID-19 document.
“We share the concerns of the villages through which miners must traverse and urge all miners to take full precautions to ensure that they minimise exposure and interaction with local residents. We urge miners to traverse swiftly and safely through the villages and minimise the length of time they spend in areas in which they are not working,” it outlined.
The GGDMA also called on these persons to follow all the health and safety guidelines as set out by the Public Health Ministry, along with those instituted by the respective village Toshaos. Border authorities have been urged to ramp up enforcement to prevent illegal border crossings.
Meanwhile, there have been many calls for mining to be removed as an essential service. Such calls have been made by mostly Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) such as the Guyana Human Rights Association, Guyana Society for the Blind, Policy Forum Guyana, South Rupununi District Council, Benab Foundation Inc, Ursuline Sisters, Rights of the Child, Amerindian People’s Association, Red Thread and the Guyana Environmental Initiative, among others.
However, the Association’s view differed on this, stating that any closure of the mining sector would put more persons out of an income and bring even more harm to the country’s economy which is on a partial standstill due to the pandemic.
It stated that miners should be allowed to operate as long as the proper measures are practiced and they are in possession of a valid permit.
After the recent clash between miners and the villagers, Regional Executive Officer (REO) Carl Parker was quoted as saying that the miners would require a pass to be allowed to traverse throughout the lands beyond curfew hours.

Violating rights
The South Rupununi District Council (SRDC) later responded on Saturday to the current fracas, stating that giving this permission to miners would violate the rights of villages to protect their people.
The Council, which represents 21 communities in the South Rupununi, expressed grave concerns over the ‘undermining’ of efforts to keep COVID-19 out of communities.
“We find this to be disrespectful and a violation of our right to safeguard the wellbeing and health of our people. We are very concerned that persons coming in can bring undetected cases of the coronavirus into the mining areas which can then spread into our villages.”
It went on to highlight that the first case of COVID-19 in Lethem, which was reported on May 11, necessitates these measures which villages have put in place.
The affected individual would have reportedly travelled across these territories, to and from the Marudi mines, making stops within several villages along the way.

“This case reveals how easy it is for the coronavirus to enter our communities and why we sent an urgent request on April 14 and 21 that the Government [to] halt mining in the South Rupununi…The case also highlights the question of why Guyana has designated mining as an “essential service” and put the lives of miners and the communities living near mining areas at risk. The fundamental duty of Governments is to safeguard and protect its people, and we have taken up our responsibilities with the heavy burden of knowledge of the devastating impacts of past pandemics on Indigenous populations,” the SRDC claimed.
During the COVID-19 update on Friday, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Karen Gordon-Boyle specially asked persons residing on the coastland to seek proper medical care and assess their symptoms before entering mining communities within the hinterland regions. Those that are stationed at these sites with symptoms associated with COVID-19 should seek immediate attention at a health facility.