Dear Editor,
The attention of the Ministry of Finance has been drawn to a letter in today’s edition of the Kaieteur News Headlined ‘Ministry of Finance putting staff Health at risk’ by ‘A very concerned Guyanese’ stating that a ‘Ministry of Finance staff showed COVID-19 symptoms at work and was subsequently tested positive’ and that ‘The Ministry quickly took action and arranged for all members of that department to be tested’ but that ‘they were told to continue going to work rather than isolating themselves until the test results become available’, and further that ‘Now, others are showing symptoms and may have spread the virus to many other staff’. The Ministry wishes to make it pellucidly clear that it takes the issue of the COVID-19 pandemic very serious, so much so that it has been one of the lead Ministries, if not the lead Ministry in ensuring that its staffers are safe, and observe all protocols in relation to the virus and their work environment. It can be recalled that the Ministry of Finance (in collaboration with the Ministry of Health) hosted vaccination drives in its compound. During those vaccination drives, all staffers and their family members were provided with the opportunity to be vaccinated with hundreds being administered the first and second doses of vaccines since early 2021. In fact, the Ministry conducted another vaccination drive on December 17, 2021, to allow for all staff and their family members to be administered the Booster vaccine as well. In addition to these measures, the Ministry is fully equipped with sanitizers and masks for staff who observe all protocols while on duty.
Despite all this, the Ministry is aware, however, that there is the possibility that staffers can still contract the virus during interactions with the public on a daily basis, as well as to and from work or even while at home. It is the policy of the Ministry that if any staff displays symptoms and tests positive, entire specific departments are shut down, tests administered on all staff, and those staffers are immediately sent home to await their PCR test results. Many staffers have been able to work quite effectively (sometimes virtually) from home during periods when any such case has occurred. Moreover, the Ministry has maintained the Ministry of Health’s policy of staffers and members of the public being required to display their vaccination cards prior to entering the Ministry. The Ministry is unaware of any incident, where staffers of any of its departments, were tested and asked to remain at work, or continue to come to work until they receive results as this would be absolutely callous (exposing an entire Ministry and the public to the virus) and would never be a policy practiced by this Ministry. The Ministry is committed to ensuring, as far as possible, that its staff are healthy and safe and observe all Covid-19 protocols, and will continue to provide them with the necessary tools to allow them to remain so. The Ministry, therefore, considers this letter to be highly mischievous, as it is totally opposite to what actually pertains at this Ministry, and will never occur.
Sincerely,
Candace Field
Communications Director
Ministry of Finance
