Dear Editor,
The COVID pandemic has been poorly handled by the current Guyanese Government and this sadly results in the dramatic increase in infections and deaths we are currently witnessing. I remember how Mr. Jagdeo denied a lockdown which would have been quite effective in slowing the spread of the virus. Lockdowns have been employed all over the world and are quite effective but Mr. Jagdeo falsely claimed that they are ineffective. I remember travelling around the country in early July and most Guyanese were without masks. I was shocked. The rules for masking were not enforced. It is as if no one cares. This was quite disturbing to me. I also worry about the chronic shortages of vaccines amid very little social distancing and facial masking. I knew that the virus would spread under such conditions but what could I do. This is how painful life is in Guyana.
Government prefers to stash our oil money away for the gas to shore project and to give themselves huge salaries than to spend it to save lives during this pandemic. Government complained that there are many who refused to take the vaccine but I am pretty sure that any form of
monetary incentives would have motivated many to be inoculated. Then there are no gene sequencing methods available in Guyana. As a result, we do not even know the identity of the variants circulating in Guyana. Government seems oblivious to all this. Government does not care a hoot that it takes more than vaccines to save lives in this pandemic. Editor, I am convinced that there is not even one aspect of this pandemic that was scientifically handled by the PPP/C government in reducing infections and deaths. Guyanese are now paying with their lives because of a poor COVID response by the PPP/C government and no one is held accountable.
Sincerely,
Annie Baliram
