Still opposed to government-enforced measures for citizens to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, the leadership of Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice is to shut down the region on Monday.
The leadership of Region 10 which consists of Members of Parliament Jermaine Figueira and Devin Sears, Regional Chairman Derron Adams and Mayor of Linden Waneka Arrindel said the shutdown of the region is to “resister our objection and rejection of the government’s dictatorship and mandatory vaccination policy”.
The shutdown is expected to see regional public services and commercial activities being halted for a 12- hour period on Mon-day starting from 6 am.
In recent gazetted emergency measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, government had announced that only vaccinated persons could access state services on demand while the unvaccinated would have to make an appointment.
Since the measures were gazetted in August there has been an uproar in some communities with regards to the coercive approach.
In a statement yesterday, the Region 10 leaders said that they were “deeply concerned about the dictatorial and discriminatory approach and posture of the government in its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country and its mandatory vaccination policy on the citizenry.”
The leadership said that the demand by government for health workers to be inoculated against their will is placing the health and safety of the region at severe risk of a greater health crisis than what currently obtains. When the measures were first introduced, the Linden Hospital Complex had locked out unvaccinated health professionals.
The Region 10 leaders said that health facilities in the region are already understaffed as many of their trained nurses and doctors have been transferred or have migrated for better opportunities. It was highlighted too that while personnel in the health sector are in short supply, there are also shortages of much needed equipment and drugs to effectively and efficiently manage an increase of COVID-19 patients in the region.
Figueira yesterday told this newspaper that he is in full support of the shutdown as government needs to re-think their vaccination policy.
“We are calling for government to offer free PCR tests for all citizens who don’t want to be vaccinated. Vaccinated persons can also be carriers but here we are demanding that unvaccinated people be tested. Why is it that they don’t demand a PCR test from vaccinated people if they are trying to keep staff and citizens safe,” Figueira argued.
He contended that the vaccination policy is leading many more persons to remain unvaccinated as they are questioning the coercion and not being able to choose for themselves.
Regional Chairman Deron Adams, who also spoke to Stabroek News via phone from Linden yesterday, said that while he supports the vaccination campaign and sees the need for persons to be vaccinated, he does not support a mandatory policy.
“Here at the RDC (Regional Democratic Council), nobody wanted to be vaccinated at first. I was among the first set of people who went and got vaccinated and now more staff of the RDC are deciding to be vaccinated. My point is, if you force people to be vaccinated you will get a resistance but if you allow them to decide for themselves they will come forward at some point,” the Chairman opined.
He told Stabroek News that he supports the shutdown of the region for the day and called on residents to remain calm.
“We do not want to destabilise the economy of the region. We have worked hard over the past five years to build it up and we want to continue building on that… but what we are saying is that do not make vaccines mandatory and come into the region and speak with people, I have seen educational campaigns work to sway the minds of people and that is needed,” he stated.
Further, the leadership of the region believes that because of the hesitancy they are “intentionally and strategically being targeted and discriminated against.”
Justifying their statement, they said that as it is, hundreds of their citizens remain without COVID-19 cash grants, ‘because we care educational cash grants’ and many farmers who were affected by the recent flooding have been denied their cash handouts and are unable to move ahead in their rebuilding.
“We will stand firm in defence of our people until this decision that affects our people and by extension every Guyanese citizen is reconsidered,” the leaders of the region said.
Region 10 has the lowest vaccination uptake in the country and disquiet has been expressed about the government’s policy requiring persons entering state offices to show evidence of vaccination or to make an appointment. Health care workers also have to show evidence of vaccination or to take regular PCR tests at their own expense otherwise they are not being allowed onto their work site and would be considered to be absent.
During August, residents turned out in their numbers and blocked the MacKenzie/Wismar Bridge in protest against the requirement for proof of vaccine before being able to access health services. The protest lasted for about 18 hours as government subsequently announced a grace period for persons to get vaccinated.
