Although it is no longer compulsory to wear masks in public, entry into Guyana would still require persons to be vaccinated and tested while individual businesses and government agencies here can keep whichever of the withdrawn measures they decide, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony says.
Persons would still have to present their negative Covid test results, taken within 72 hours of travel.
“Vaccination for entry [into the country] that will remain. I don’t think any country has withdrawn that. We will see what the global trend is and what is best for the country,” Anthony told Stabroek News yesterday.
“Covid is not finished and we still have people who are unvaccinated. It is stated in the order so businesses can decide what they would do. And persons of themselves now can choose. We won’t know the individual person’s risk so it would be wiser to take precautions,” he added.
Government felt it prudent to remove the measures after a countrywide assessment showed fewer infections and half of the population fully vaccinated.
Restrictions on all social gatherings were implemented two years ago to curb the rise of positive COVID-19 cases and deaths. Not only in Guyana but across the globe the measures resulted in confinement for citizens, forcing them to adapt to a new normal as they carried out day-to-day activities in a pandemic.
President Irfaan Ali last Monday signed an order rolling back the COVID-19 restrictions on social activities and distancing, while also making the wearing of masks in public spaces optional.
The new guidelines provide protocols for hand washing and sanitation at businesses where employees, customers and visitors “are encouraged to wear face masks.” The same provisions also apply to places of worship. “Wearing a face mask is not mandatory but in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, persons are encouraged to wear a face mask when the person is in public,” the order states.
As it pertains to domestic and international travel, the order states that “all operators and passengers of any land, water or air transport shall comply with any port health measures issued by the Board or any measures issued by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority or any competent authority.
But initiatives are still being undertaken to increase the number of vaccinations as the Minister of Health explained that data shows that vaccinations significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization due to infection by the virus.
It is to this end that Anthony pointed out that a series of workshops are being held countrywide, aimed at tackling vaccine hesitancy.
With funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and collaboration with UNICEF, Anthony said it is hoped that programmes rolled out will assist in getting those vaccinated to take the booster shots and those not vaccinated to get their first dose.
“We need more people to do the booster dose. We want them to understand that it is helping to protect them. Booster shots uptake is still very low and we hope to increase that,” he said.
A number of areas where vaccination numbers have been low, will see their community leaders trained in assisting to persuade villagers to take the jab.
“A lot of the Indigenous villages were very resistant to vaccination. So we are trying to bring some of the leaders and work with them, giving them all of the information and data so that they can go back into their villages and share and spread the information. We hope that they might be able to persuade those who are hesitant to understand that this is about protecting them,” the Minister of Health stated.
Through the USAID programme, workshops were last week held in Essequibo.
Then, speaking to healthcare workers, toshaos and religious leaders in the conference hall at Jaigobin Hotel, Anthony said that Region Two is behind with its vaccination figures.
Anthony noted that the United States government continue to help aid the country’s vaccination drive by providing refrigeration and other resources. It has also donated vaccines through the COVAX facility.
“So vaccines [are] not the problem nor storage… UNICEF assisted us with cold chain to store the vaccine. In every region vaccine hubs were built, we bring special syringes, technical training, all of that we fix… the hardest thing is to persuade people to come out and take it,” Anthony said.
