Guyana has opted not to send a delegation to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference in Cameroon given the existing fears of the deadly Ebola virus which has hit parts of West Africa, Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman said yesterday.
Trotman told a press conference held to address a series of matters relating to the National Assembly that this position was also taken by several other Caribbean countries.
He noted that because of public health issues related to Ebola, “the decision was taken not to send that delegation” to the Conference, which will be held from October 2 to 10.
Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
“Even though it is said, rightly so, that Cameroon is not a part of West Africa, it is close enough to Liberia and Sierra Leone to cause some concerns. And, I think most people were concerned about not just going but the coming back because once you come from part of that world you are going to be taken into a room, quarantined, examined and probably kept for a few days or maybe even find yourself on a watch list for some time to come,” Trotman said.
Trotman also said that while no date has been set for the reconvening of the National Assembly, all parliamentarians should be available given the fact that they have pulled out of the conference and that the next overseas engagement that a parliamentary delegation will be attending is sometime in November.
He said Prime Minister Samuel Hinds had indicated on the last occasion that a date will be set. He said that the normal practice is that the parties’ chief whips will get together and agree on the best possible date for resumption.
