Saying that the decision to reduce the national COVID-19 curfew hours would facilitate greater economic activity, Prime Minister Mark Phillips on Thursday assured that stricter enforcement of safety measures will take place.
During a National COVID-19 Task Force press conference, which was the first held by the body since the change in government in August, Phillips emphasised that the new curfew, from 9pm to 4am, was not effected to facilitate persons going to parties. “We have not reduced or relaxed the measures for anyone to go out there and party and socialise and feel more relaxed,” he said.
Instead, Phillips said the “simple reason” was to allow persons to conduct their economic activities, such as business and farming. “So whether you’re a farmer, whether you’re a fisherman and you have to get up early and get to sea and get your goods to the market so that you could start selling at six, that is the reason why we have changed the timing,” he explained.
At the news conference, he launched “Operation COVI-CURB,” which he said is intended to curb the spread of the virus. This operation will focus on education and communication and stricter enforcement of the measures which will aid in slowing the spread of the COVID-19. He noted that the operation is expected to grow within 72 hours and will also involve the joint services along with volunteers and even assistance from the private sector
“We envisage within the next 7 days we will have over 5,000 persons operating in a multi sectoral inter-agency setting working throughout Guyana,” he explained. He added that those persons will engage the public by distributing flyers, hosting virtual sessions, and making use of the media to educate the general public so as to ensure that they adhere to the measures put in place.
According to acting Commissioner of Police, Nigel Hoppie, the Guyana Police Force is on the frontlines of enforcement of the regulations set out in the emergency measures. “Towards this end the Guyana Police Force in a community-minded approach will initially embark on a continuous public education and advisory campaign in order to sensitise members of the public of their individual responsibility in this matter,” he said.
The Commissioner added that the Joint Services will be working along with key stakeholders in a combined effort which he expects will be effective in contributing to the decline in cases and deaths in the country.
However, when asked of specifics as it relates to some of the actions that the force will take in terms of enforcement of the measures, Hoppie reiterated that they will embark on a continuous education programme and did not provide any specifics on enforcement. He said there will be an “approach that will see us embarking on more moral suasion initially, before we get to the aspect of enforcement,” and added that persons who are found not adhering to the measures will be warned at first and if they are still not in compliance, then the force will employ enforcement measures.
When asked about the lack of enforcement of the curfew and other measures that have been observed in the past, he noted that there have been challenges as it relates to resources for the force to handle those issues in a holistic manner. However, he said whenever issues are brought to the force’s attention, ranks are deployed to respond to those issues.
Phillips added, “If there is a breach of the regulation by business places, they will be given a warning in the first instance. A second breach will result in the closure of their business. That is what we want to communicate clearly across Guyana.”
500 Soldiers to be deployed
The Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Godfrey Best, indicated that the defence force will deploy no less than 500 troops, who will work alongside relevant stakeholders and partners to utilise a “soft cogent approach,” which he said will ensure that the citizens wear masks, and properly, while also adhering to the social distancing guidelines.
Best stated that those troops will also assist in improving security at unofficial entry points at the country’s borders. When asked what exactly will be done at the borders, he admitted that there has been a continuous issue of illegal cross-border movement in regions One, Seven, Eight, and Nine, which did foster the increase in cases within those regions.
According to the Best, after working with the task forces in those regions, the army has intensified operations in those areas. “The Guyana Defence Force has intensified our operations there. We have opened additional checkpoints,” he said. He also mentioned that additional resources inclusive of boats were sent to those regions and they will continue working with the communities to ensure the continuation of policing of the borders.
“We are working along with the communities in there to ensure that we continue to police and secure our borders thus stopping and stemming that flow of persons that are coming into Guyana unchecked. We continue to work in that regard and there have been great improvements of stopping the inflow of persons to Guyana unchecked,” he said.
Meanwhile, Phillips stated that COVID-19 is a threat to the national security of the country and it should be treated as such. “It is a threat to our survival as a people, it is a threat therefore to our national security,” he said and added that that is one of the main reasons why persons should adhere to the measures put in place.
