While assuring that government would continue to channel the resources needed to ensure Guyana achieves herd immunity against COVID-19, President Irfaan Ali yesterday made an impassioned appeal to the unvaccinated to get their shots, including teachers, whom he urged to lead by example as he did not rule out making vaccination mandatory for those going back into the classrooms.
“I grieve with all who have lost their family and their friends. The coronavirus and its variants continue to threaten all in our society because we all know that none of us is safe, until all of us are safe. That is why your government has spent large sums of money procuring vaccines to inoculate everyone against this dreaded and deadly virus. All of us should be troubled by those who refuse to be vaccinated,” Ali said during an address to the nation where he reflected on his first year in office.
“The unvaccinated are now as deadly as the virus itself, for they are not only greatly susceptible to infection, they could carry it to others, crippling or killing their own families, their friends, and their co-workers. I appeal once again to all to protect yourselves, shelter your family, safeguard your country. Please get inoculated,” Ali pleaded.
Following the address, Ali held a virtual press conference with both local and regional journalists, during which he informed that discussions are almost completed which would see this country getting Pfizer vaccines through an agreement with CARICOM and the United States, to be used for youth from age 12.
It is against this background that he also appealed to local teachers to lead by example and take the shots.
“I think teachers have the greatest responsibility to lead. And I’m hoping that they provide that leadership, and that they get vaccinated. We surely cannot expose the children to unvaccinated teachers. And I’m sure the teachers are responsible enough to understand this and understand the importance of vaccination,” he said.
“I’ve already made it clear that we are pursuing the Pfizer vaccines. And when that comes, it will be made available to children. And once it’s available to children, we expect children to take it, beginning with the older children. So that is also part of the plan to have children taking the vaccines,” he added.
Ali said restrictions that continue to be implemented are as a result of the government taking its responsibility to defend the health of the populace seriously.
“That is why we have had to introduce measures lasting throughout the month of August, including a curfew, limitation on certain social activities, restrictions on public movements of unvaccinated persons, and shorter opening times for certain businesses. Your government would much prefer an open economy with unrestricted movement. It would be good for government revenues. It would be good for businesses. But the profit would come at the loss of many more lives and the health of the nation,” he declared.
“But our hospitals would not be able to cope, nor would we be able to bury the dead, if the coronavirus were allowed to infect the unvaccinated and spread throughout the country. We are in a war with an unseen enemy. We have no idea when and where that enemy will turn up with lethal force. Consequently, we must fortify ourselves against penetration, deny the enemy victims, and build up our strength through vaccinations to repel the foe,” he added.
Reasoning that Guyana can “defeat this enemy” and win the “battle” against COVID, thus returning to normalcy, Ali said to do so would require everyone being inoculated.
‘Under the circumstances’
On criticisms that his government has not done enough, he defended actions taken as he explained that when he took office last August, there was no dedicated COVID facility.
“We had to invest resources in bringing the Ocean View facility into operation. Let us be clear on that. We pursued the vaccination, we pursued a strategy for the management of COVID. Look, in a holistic way, what our position is to many others. I am not going to name anyone, any country, any region,” he said.
And while Guyanese here might say that enough is not being done, Dr. Ali pointed to kudos received from foreign countries and global health care workers that this country was doing an “excellent job”.
“But for me, nothing can be ‘excellent’ if one life is lost. That is why I’m so impatient when it comes to the vaccination programme, because I am aware of the impact of COVID, the impact on the economy and country if people are not vaccinated, and that is what worries me,” he stressed.
“So in the context of what is happening around us, and the development of this virus, and the modeling of the virus, there is a model that every country goes through. We have done the best we could, under the circumstances. Look at what is happening now in countries that had thought that they are completely ahead of the curve with one variant, Delta. And the longer Delta stays with us, the possibility of new variants emerges, according to the scientists. So this is not not an easy battle,” he added.
He said that when decisions are taken at critical “battle” moments, there are always “elements of risk” but “you just have to measure those elements of risk and make the best possible decision in a holistic interest of the country”.
Vaccine requirements being put in place
He also announced that vaccination requirements will be put in place for persons coming here and said that unlike Trinidad and Tobago, this country will accept persons from the region who took any of the many vaccines available.
“Yes, vaccination requirements will be put in place, like many other countries, for persons arriving in Guyana. As a matter of fact, CARICOM had raised, at the last heads of government meeting, took a united position on this, that for CARICOM nationals—well Trinidad and Tobago did not agree with this component of it—but CARICOM said that any reasonable national will be allowed into any country within the region, regardless of which vaccines they took. So we are part of the region, and part of that decision. But globally, this is the direction that the world is going. And this is the direction we’re going in also,” Ali declared.
Although Stabroek News reported yesterday that the requirement for foreign travelers was in effect from August 1, government yesterday said it will take effective from August 8.
Minister of Public Works with responsibility for the aviation sector, Juan Edghill, explained, “I would like to advise and clarify that our Government is taking further action to ensure safety for both visitors to Guyana and our local population by requiring that foreign travelers are vaccinated; meaning that they have at least one dose of a vaccine and also produce a negative PCR test prior to entry into Guyana.”
He said that he would during this week issue the gazetted orders, which will take effect from next Sunday.
“The Government of Guyana remains committed to achieving herd immunity here in Guyana and will work assiduously to protect the health and well-being of all Guyanese,” Edghill added.
Altogether, Ali said that he will not allow the gloom of the 547 lives lost and more than 22,619 infections caused by the virus to deter his government’s quest to ensure the health of the Guyanese people. “The past year of the pandemic may have dampened the fire of our enthusiasm, but it has not extinguished the flames of our optimism,” he said.
