Dear Editor,
I write in response to the multiple letters I’ve seen recently on Covid-19, primarily as it relates to the curfew hours and the need for a lockdown. The most recent of such letters is one from one Stephanie Isaacs (SN 2021/05/03) who goes about to lay the blame directly at the feet of the government. Editor, there is one component missing from the letter with whom the blame ought to be shared – the people. It is no surprise that huge numbers of Guyanese simply do not take Covid-19 seriously. The flouting of curfew, Covid-19 regulations which include social distancing, mask wearing, restrictions on certain activities, etc., is absolutely well known and documented in the press. So who is to blame for this? When someone purposely violates the Covid-19 guidelines and regulations is it the government’s fault? Did the government tell them to not wear a mask, to not social distance, to break the curfew hours? The letter also notes there is a reluctance of taking the vaccine by persons. Anyone who looks at the media pages including government social media pages will be bombarded with information on getting vaccinated and the importance of it. Even opposition politicians have joined in to urge persons to get vaccinated. So who is responsible for this vaccine reluctance? If the government and opposition personalities are united in encouraging the population to be vaccinated and they (the population) don’t want to, who is to take responsibility for that? Many would remember the huge outcry when even the notion of mandated vaccination was floated. We don’t want mandated vaccination, but we also don’t want optional vaccination, and somehow the government is at fault.
Editor, what I say will be uncomfortable for some to hear, but a lot of Guyanese enjoy misery. They enjoy it because it allows them to complain. Our national pastime isn’t cricket, it’s complaining. We will complain about everything, rather than take responsibility for things that are within our power. Abiding by the Covid-19 regulations, social distancing, mask wearing, not sporting and gathering en mass during curfew hours, and getting vaccinated are all within our powers as individuals. Yet in true fashion we lay the blame somewhere else. I do not believe for one moment that people won’t find a way to disregard safety during these times to do what they want regardless of what the guidelines say. Then to defend their actions, they argue about something or some idea they heard about Covid-19, which they don’t fully understand, but think they are an authority on due to them possessing their social media PhD. This isn’t conjecture, this happens already. Editor, what should happen, which is the case in our sister CARICOM states (particularly the ones mentioned on the letter) is that the fines for breaking the Covid-19 guidelines and regulations be clear and steep. This should have been done from the very beginning. In Barbados and Trinidad the fines are clearly stated and promptly assessed. In Guyana, the fine mentioned references a public health ordinance from the days of British Guiana. New guidelines ought to clearly sound the warning and state the fine clearly so people would know exactly what the penalty is for violating Covid-19 guidelines and regulations. People who go about breaking these guidelines and regulations don’t hear with their ears, they hear with their pockets. Old people does say who can’t hear must feel, and violators will feel when the pocket gets lighter from their actions.
Editor, we can all agree that the Covid-19 situation in Guyana is worrying. With such a large landmass and a small population, our Covid-19 numbers should not be where they are. If we are to tackle this then government must get more pragmatic in ensuring that the seriousness of the Covid-19 regulations are felt, and that includes the regulation of the entry of persons into Guyana. And the people, yes the people, need to take responsibility for their actions, because nothing the government writes on paper will stop Covid-19 automatically and magically. Covid-19 doesn’t read the guidelines and say “ah ha – no lockdown so time for me and the guys to float about”, so why do people pretend that our actions are blameless? The letter by Isaacs ends with “the lives of the Guyanese people are at stake”. However it seems that a lot of Guyanese, especially those behaving irresponsibility in this Covid-19 situation do not think their lives are at stake. So again whose fault is that? Editor, the only way out of this mess is if everyone, government, business, and importantly the people understand their personal responsibilities to dealing with this virus and seriously act on it.
Sincerely,
V. Hemsworth
