President Donald Ramotar in an address to the nation today said a range of measures have been instituted to combat the possibility of Ebola here and these will include quarantining at ports of entry.
He also said more equipment and protective gear is to be acquired.
The president’s address follows:
Fellow Guyanese, I am addressing you on a matter of great significance to Guyana and to the world, that is, the Ebola Epidemic. As you are aware this deadly disease has been having a devastating impact on countries of West Africa.
I wish on behalf of the government and all Guyanese to extend our profound concern and solidarity with the governments and people of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, in particular, in West Africa, who are battling this deadly disease.
The International Community is only now in the process of providing assistance to combat this disease and to stop its spread. Guyana, in its own small way, has joined those efforts to muster resources to assist these countries in halting its spread. However, despite this we have seen it crossing continents into Europe and the United States of America. In the world that we live in today in which globalization has spawned the most massive movement of people in history, no country is guaranteed that it would not be affected.
Here in Guyana we also have to take preventative and curative measures to protect our people. If, per chance, this disease reaches our shores we must be prepared to limit its effect to contain and bring it under control as fast as possible. We have already taken steps in that direction. In the first instance, residents from a number of West African countries are not being issued with Visas to come to Guyana during this epidemic.
We are also advising our citizens to avoid travelling to those destinations for the time being, but if they must, they must declare if they have visited any of those countries affected by Ebola, or, countries that are at risk in West Africa. We have stepped up surveillance at ports of entry. Passengers arriving in Guyana are being more thoroughly screened at these ports. In this regard, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and Ogle Airport Authorities, the Ministries of Works and Health have been working closely to monitor the arriving passengers. Modern equipment is being used and more is being acquired to raise the effectiveness of this exercise.
The government has been, and will be acquiring additional medical supplies including more protective gear, gloves etc in order to be better prepared. Retention centres are being identified and established for quarantine and monitoring of suspected cases. In the event of the discovery of suspected cases, the Public Health responses have been organised. Suspected arriving passengers will be quarantined at holding centres at Ports of Entry. Elsewhere, suspected persons, if hospitalised would be cared for under conditions of strict isolation.
Larger population of suspected cases would be mandatorily quarantined at identified facilities established in the country. This situation, I am sure you will appreciate, is one that calls for the full cooperation of the whole population of our country. I propose to seek maximum cooperation on this urgent matter.
I shall be formally inviting the Leader of the Opposition and the leaders of all Parliamentary Political Parties and civil society to join forces with the government in a national response to prepare and protect our people from the deadly Ebola disease.
