The Emergency Measures which were implemented by the Ministry of Public Health to reduce the community spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) are likely to be extended after the May 3 expiration date, though the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) has not officially been asked to consider any such extension.
Speaking yesterday during a virtual press conference, de facto Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who chairs the NCTF, noted that no representation has been made for an extension. He however added that the measures implemented in Guyana all follow international best practices and the country is likely to continue to do so.
“I cannot say at this time whether or not the curfew will be lifted. There has been no representation made to the task force to this effect,” he said adding that Guyana has been listening to warnings from PAHO/WHO representative Dr William Adu-Krow and the WHO itself which has cautioned against lifting measures too early.
“If something is working for Guyana, we need to review its effectiveness and make decisions as we go along. As it is now, we cannot say that any measures will be relaxed,” he explained.
The NCTF was established by caretaker President David Granger to “look at in overview a response plan for COVID-19 and suggest guidelines for its management”.
So far the guidelines suggested and implemented included a closure of Guyana’s external borders and a partial lockdown with a 6 pm curfew.
Nagamootoo explained that the most effective measure in managing the number of COVID-19 cases appears to have been the border closure. He further said that citizens have “to a large effect” observed the curfew.
He stressed that management of COVID-19 is a long-term process which in some cases is being “hamstrung” by the lack of a 2020 budget which is a direct result of the failure to conclude the March 2 Elections.
“We need to resolve our political problems and we need to move on as a nation and as Government to deal with this very pressing matter of how to stimulate our economy, how to keep production going, how to keep jobs going. We need to address these very, very important issues but as I said we are hamstrung by the political problematics that face us at this time,” Nagamootoo said.
He reminded that Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, has publicly stated that the current “political hurdle” will have to be cleared before any sort of stimulus package is offered.
These packages which will stimulate the economy will only come after the recounting of votes and the declaration of results when Guyana moves into a normal situation where there is a budget, the Prime Minister said.
Critics have argued that Guyana is one of the few places where lockdown measures have been implemented without any tangible relief to workers who might have been laid off or suffered a reduction in pay.
The PM also indicated that the political situation is possibly impacting Guyana’s ability to access international funding to respond to the pandemic.
Jordan announced in March that this country had sought a US$5 million loan from the World Bank, to implement measures for tackling the virus, which has had a devastating global impact and continues to spread. The country has so far received no response although several Caribbean countries have already been allocated sums.
“I believe that because of the political situation in Guyana while we are in transition to a Government that will emerge after March 2nd 2020 elections that we cannot for sure say whether some of these international multilateral lending agencies are going to be dealing with Guyana’s applications any time soon they probably would want to sit it out and wait until the President is sworn in,” he told the press conference.
He explained that Government in the absence of a budget and additional international funding is “reconfiguring” projects to be COVID-19 related.
“We have an ongoing relationship with the [Inter- American Development Bank] for a number of projects which will be reconfigured to be COVID-19 related projects. I am told that this will be just under $80M” he explained, adding that government is also hoping to ‘for short term use” tap into funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Other assistance has been received from the United States Government and the Indian Government which has offered “the low hanging fruit” of US$1 million for COVID-19 related assistance.
China, he added, will be providing necessary equipment.
