Veteran journalist and entrepreneur Mondale Smith died yesterday after a battle with COVID-19.
The Ministry of Health confirmed that Smith, 45, who was admitted as a patient at the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit last week, passed due to varying complications.
News of Smith’s death triggered an outpouring tributes on social media.
News of the chef being admitted to the hospital with the novel coronavirus was made public late last week.
Smith, who reportedly had underlying conditions, did not receive a COVID-19 vaccine prior to his death.
Before his hospitalisation, Smith had used his social media platforms to encourage persons to follow the necessary precautions to stay safe and combat the virus. In a Facebook post, dated May 17th he had urged persons who tested positive for the virus to stay at home and not spread the virus.
“Dear people diagnosed as being Corona/COVID-19 positive, you are not being responsible when you decide to go out and party and hangout. You are supposed to be at home relaxing and healing/recovering,” he said in the post in which he noted that he saw a woman who was apparently COVID-19 positive at a popular night spot hugging others.
Among the tributes that were seen, many came from Smith’s colleagues in the media. A statement from the Guyana Press Association extended condolences to his family and detailed his long career in the media fraternity in Guyana.
The Press Association noted that Smith started his career at the Guyana Broadcasting Corporation in the early 1990s as he produced and hosted radio shows. He subsequently joined the Evening News and later Prime News, where he anchored and even covered hard news and sports.
“Throughout his media career, he never backed down from a challenge or a story, he was known for his many stand-ups and for going after stories that showed the reality we lived in. All of this spoke of Mondale’s versatility and love for journalism, he was always eager to tackle an issue or go after a story,” the statement said. The Ministry of Education also mourned Smith’s passing as he served the ministry in numerous capacities prior to venturing out and opening his own restaurant.
