As the country ramps up its response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), authorities yesterday announced that the two major airports would be closed to incoming international flights from midnight tonight for the next two weeks.
Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority Egbert Field made the disclosure yesterday during his address at a press conference at the National Com-munications Network (NCN) Studios, Homestretch Avenue, hosted by the Ministerial Task Force set up to address the country’s COVID-19 response. It was also announced that any new suspected cases would be quarantined at Health Ministry facilities as opposed to being allowed to self-quarantine.
“The Civil Aviation Authority, in order to slow the progress of this virus and in consultation with the Ministry of Health, has decided with the approval of the Cabinet Taskforce to close all airports to all international flights,” Field said.
He noted that exceptions will be made for outgoing, cargo and medevac flights, technical stops for aircraft which would require fuel to proceed onwards to another destination, and special authorised flights.
This arrangement, according to Field, will be effective from midnight tonight and last for a period of 14 days. He said during this period, monitoring will continue and he noted that there will be an extension of the closure if necessary.
The COVID-19 was first identified in China late last year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) last week declared COVID-19 a global pandemic and up to yesterday evening there had been 198,212 cases and 7,965 deaths. In the Caribbean, cases have been confirmed in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, Saint Lucia, St. Martin, St. Vincent, and Trinidad.
To date, there are four confirmed cases in Guyana and testing for the virus is being done at the National Public Health Laboratory at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
At the news conference, Commissioner of Police Leslie James noted that as the Chief Immigration Officer, having being informed about the presence of the virus in China in early February, he immediately directed specific instructions on precautions to be implemented at all ports of entry nationwide, including at the Ogle and Timehri airports, and the Lethem and Moleson Creek ports.
“…That is to say incoming passengers who would be interacting with the immigration officers, those ranks were to be wearing protective gloves, face masks as they interact with those passengers,” James said.
He noted that there has also been an increased presence to mitigate against persons who would seek to use the “backtrack” route in Region Six.
Quarantine
Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence yesterday announced that four facilities have been identified by the ministry for quarantine use and as of yesterday confirmed cases are no longer quarantined at home.
“…Now that we have those four facilities up and running, and so as of today (yesterday) any new suspected case, any new persons that would have been in contact or in an area where we suspect that they would have been exposed there is no more self-quarantine. All quarantine will be done at the Ministry of Health facilities,” Lawrence explained.
Lawrence said the information surrounding these sites will not be divulged, while citing the need to protect the patients’ rights. “The Ministry of Public Health, we have a responsibility to every person who enter into our facilities to ensure that we protect their information, protect their status and protect any matters pertaining to their request for services,” she stated.
With no vaccine or specific medication to address the COVID-19, Lawrence emphasised that a change in lifestyle plays a major role in prevention of its spread.
“All of the precautions that we have asked you to take… those are the basic which you need to adhere to so that you can be safe and the people around you can be safe. In order for us to be like other countries and beat this disease, we have to change our lifestyle,” she said.
She also related that the country has “enough” supplies to tackle the issues presently and a “large” number of testing kits which are being sourced through the WHO is expected to arrive in Guyana soon.
“All of the supplies needed to fight this particular virus is in great demand all across the world…..In terms of testing kits we are going to be having a large number arrive in the country. It should have been here within the last couple of days, we expect it within a few days and I was made to understand that the delay has to do with many of the countries holding their ports and their air spaces and so on. But we will be having enough test kits, we have enough supplies to be able to address the situation presently,” Lawrence related.
In terms of seeking medical and nursing assistance, Lawrence said that the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) has put in place measures for regional aid and she expressed confidence that such would be available if the need should arise. “…So Cuba being a member of the region of the Americas, of course, would have made available whatever resources that they can provide and so we can always tap into that and we are trying to ensure in the region of the Americas that we do it in a collective way…PAHO is coordinating all of those efforts. Should the need arise to have other technical support, then certainly I am quite confident that whether it comes from Cuba or any of the other states within the Americas, that Guyana will benefit from those skills,” Lawrence said.
Other measures
The Health Minister has also outlined a number of measures which have been undertaken since the last three cases were diagnosed here.
Lawrence explained that the health emergency operations committee has since gone into “higher” gear to ensure that they continue to “beef up” their presence at points of entry with port health officers.
She said they have also been working with the Ministry of Communities to provide some additional staff who will focus on the administrative effort of collecting data from the persons who have been screened and whose temperatures are above the range set by WHO.
She further related that the ministry has also been working along with agencies and businesses where they are a large number of persons employed and are housed in once place at any one time. So far, she said, they have reached out to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), specific high activity wharves, the football and basketball federations and several other entities that hold events at which there could be more than 50 persons in a particular space.
“At those locations, we have ensured that they are there to address each one of those cases,” Lawrence noted.
The Inspectorate Division, Lawrence said, has also been beefed up with several additional staff to give a full complement of persons who can assist in fumigation to aid in sanitising buildings.
Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo also said that the issue of social impact of the virus is one which has to be dealt with.
He said that a consultation process is currently ongoing with ministries to consider a relief package for those affected.
