Dear Editor,
In spite that COVID -19 infections and deaths have been escalating amid repeated vaccine shortages, the Guyanese Government has refused to use a lockdown to slow the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in protecting ordinary Guyanese from dying. This is a heartbreaking moment in Guyana. Understandably, people are tense, anxious and fearful. Lives are at risk. And this is a human rights issue. Clearly, this is not enough for Mr. Jagdeo who continues to justify that a lockdown will not work by falsely claiming that it did not work in Trinidad and by extension it will not work in Guyana as well. We all know that this is all propaganda by Mr. Jagdeo. Mr. Jagdeo has falsely casted doubt on the usefulness of a lockdown because he is hell bent on denying us of one. The scientific community can speak about the effectiveness of a lockdown, not Mr. Jagdeo. A global response is needed to end this pandemic and government fails to do its part. Government must understand that as part of the global effort, the USA has donated storage accommodations for our vaccines and it has awarded incentives to those who have taken the jab in the USA. Tourists in the USA will also be vaccinated for free. But Mr. Jagdeo threatens to charge Guyanese a fee for their vaccines. Clearly, Guyanese are dying from COVID because we are in a cruel dynamic with the PPP/C government.
Sincerely,
Annie Baliram
