The isolation facilities that were established by the Civil Defense Commission (CDC) in Lethem will only be used to isolate asymptomatic coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients, thereby reducing the risks of persons living nearby becoming infected, the Regional Chairman and Head of the Regional COVID-19 Task Force Bryan Allicock has said.
In a letter to the editor published in Friday’s edition of Stabroek News, concerned resident Clairmont Lye stated that residents living in the area where the isolation facility was established were neither consulted nor notified about the decision.
Calling the situation “absolutely unbelievable,” Lye wrote, “To the east and west of that lot are residences and incredibly sharing its southern boundary and separated only by a chain-link fence is the Arapaima Primary School!”
Lye went on to object to the location of the isolation facilities, partly, he said, because he lives two lots away from the location and he would be considered a high risk case. In his letter, he also revealed that the head of a household immediately east of the facilities had to move his family of six to another location because of the said person’s own concerns.
When contacted, Allicock stated that while he was not in Lethem when the area was identified as a possible location for the isolation facility, he was assured that it will be safe and that only asymptomatic COVID-19 patients will be isolated at the facility and pre-fabricated housing units that have been erected by the CDC in that compound.
He added that if a patient develops symptoms, he/she will be transferred to another facility, which is located in the hospital compound. “They converted the building that used to house staff that was doing testing and screening for malaria when there was a surge but it is for the positive cases and not for the ones with symptoms. We are just housing them there until they can be cleared and go home back but if they develop symptoms we will isolate them immediately to the isolation area which is in the hospital compound,” he explained.
Allicock admitted that it was close to the primary school but said the facilities themselves are quite a distance from the school. He added that he did received a complaint from someone regarding the isolation facilities and stated that they were concerned about the close proximity between the housing units and the private residences. “…We see with them because we know the fear and what the risks are but they [the doctors] are saying that it is safe and they are away from it,” he added.
Additionally, he noted that the facilities are already constructed and cannot be removed. He also noted that the isolation facilities that were set up in the North Rupununi are a safe distance away from residents.
Meanwhile, according to a statement issued by the CDC yesterday, Guyana is one of five countries in the Caribbean to benefit from pre-manufactured housing units from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
According to the statement, the international organisation handed over 48 housing units to the Ministry of Public Health through the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) to boost the regional capacity of the COVID-19 response in Guyana at the end of June.
The statement quoted the Deputy Director Major Loring Benons as saying, “the pre-manufactured units have been set up in six of the ten administrative regions where an urgent need was identified.”
It was revealed that eight of the units were erected in Region One, one was erected in Region Three and four were erected in Region Four. Two were also erected in Region Five although they have not recorded a case of COVID-19 since the outbreak.
However, it was noted that most of the units were established in regions Seven and Nine, which each received 11 and 20, respectively. The remaining two will be set up in Region Eight.
“But with the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Guyana, particularly in the hinterland regions, CDC Director-General Lieutenant-Colonel Kester Craig sees a need for more of these units. According to Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, ‘the pre-manufactured housing units are being managed by the Ministry’s Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC),” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Allicock said a team was expected to arrive in Lethem yesterday to assist regional authorities with their fight against the disease, especially since the region has been recording positive cases on a daily basis.
He revealed that the new Minister of Public Health (MoPH) Dr. Frank Anthony has promised to send 300 testing kits to the region and that should assist with identifying persons who are infected with the disease.
