All non-essential land travel to Region Nine has been restricted by the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) after a Brazilian town located on the border opposite Lethem confirmed its first case of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
On Tuesday night, Brazilian authorities confirmed that a person, who resides in Bon Fim, was diagnosed with the disease after he travelled to the state capital Boa Vista, where he came into contact with carriers of COVID-19. Bon Fim is located close to the Takutu Bridge, which connects Guyana to Brazil.
According to Lethem residents, the Brazilian who was diagnosed is well-known to them and he would regularly traverse back and forth as he has relatives in Lethem, where his father also owns a shop.
