David Papannah

With the Christmas season fast approaching, many retail merchants specialising in household décor and furnishings have already begun to showcase their products but they anticipate reduced sales due to the pandemic.

The Eugene F Correia Inter-national Airport (EFCIA) at Ogle is prepared to receive its first commercial traffic since the COVID lockdown – a Caribbean Airlines (CAL) flight from Barbados on Monday.

Passengers subjected to a second PCR COVID-19 test after arriving in Guyana are no longer required to wait at the airport for their COVID-19 test results but are asked to isolate themselves after arriving at their final destination until they receive their results.

Contending that they have no alternative, squatters at Success, East Coast Demerara yesterday said that they are prepared to stand their ground instead of giving up lands that are owned by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

A temporary sluice door has been installed at Grove and Diamond, East Bank Demerara to prevent more flooding from occurring during the current spring tide.

While the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI) has indicated its interest in resuming operations here on a smaller scale, Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton yesterday put the company and all others on notice that workers will not be taken advantage of under his watch.

The daily influx of Cuban nationals into Guyana had inspired niche businesses catering to their needs but when COVID-19 hit, these flourishing businesses were forced to either downscale or close their operations.

The PPP/C government is still trying to mobilise the $4.5 billion it says will be earmarked to help households hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has announced plans to recognise the efforts of frontline health workers in the upcoming 2020 budget.

After months of wrangling over the results of the recount of votes from March 2nd and a slew of court cases, GECOM Chair Claudette Singh yesterday declared the PPP/C to be the winner of the controversy-ridden polls in the absence of the three government-appointed commissioners who had left in protest.

Approaching three years since the United States placed a ban on catfish imports from Guyana, the government here is still to comply with regulatory requirements and fishing businesses have had to downscale or export to Canada while they await the reopening of the lucrative New York market.

The establishment of a fish processing plant at Victoria, East Coast Demerara will have no negative impact on residents as Chairman of the Grove/Haslington Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) , Maureen Philadelphia assured that the plant with be operated in keeping with the highest standards.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted permission to local rum producer Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) to resume the operation of its Biomethanisation Plant at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, following a year-long closure as a result of environmental violations.

With the wearing of face masks mandatory in public spaces across the country from today, the Guyana Police Force will be responsible for ensuring the citizenry’s adherence to the new COVID-19 measure, according to Director of Operations of the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) Secretariat Mark Archer.

Eleven inmates were injured and hundreds more dislocated when prisoners set fire to a dorm yesterday at the Lusignan Prison following a drug seizure.

An adventure-filled episode of Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted last week showcased a side of Guyana that not many Guyanese may ever experience in their lifetime: Chicken Pepperpot?

A 76-year-old woman yesterday became the 16th person known to have died from COVID-19 here.

Almost half of businesses in the manufacturing and services industry that were canvassed for a COVID-19 needs assessment survey have had to dismiss staff or plan to in the future and many of them see financial assistance, such as loans, subsidies, and cash grants, as being vital for their survival.

The recently gazetted order of a 10 % increase in property taxes by the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) was a decision of the previous council, says Mayor Ubraj Narine adding that the administrative arm of the then council failed to have it processed.

Introduction Following hours of chaos on March 13th, District Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo bawled out a second fraudulent declaration for Demerara-Mahaica even though earlier that day Chief Justice Roxane George had issued specific instructions on the use of Statements of Poll (SoPs) which he failed to comply with.

Water from the Atlantic Ocean has once again inundated Mahaicony farmlands at Dantzig, East Coast Demerara following high tides and small breaches in the sea defence.