Guyana Chronicle E-paper 3-16-2020

MONDAY 16th March, 2020

No. 105941

‘It’s all up to GECOM’ ... President asserts GECOM’s sole role in determining recount ... restates commitment to non-interference into commission’s work

... says Caricom team must abide by constitution 03 PAGE

Recount to begin today

PAGE

08

… Region 4 recount top on agenda

… as GECOM, CARICOM agree on ToR

Under heavy police presence, hundreds of ballot boxes were transported to GECOM Headquarters in Kingston, on Sunday, from the East Coast of Demerara. The ballot boxes were transported to Kingston even as the Elections Commission prepared for a recount. (Elvin Croker Photo)

Dept. of Citizenship, Judiciary implementing precautionary 09 measures in wake of COVID-19 PAGE

CXC discussing implications of coronavirus on regional examinations

PAGE

13

Businessman 12 arrested after firing indiscriminately at car PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, March 16, 2020

Voter turnout for March 2 elections around 70% the said 479,453 ballots cast for general elections, a total of 5,917 were reportedly rejected for varying reasons, leaving 473, 556 valid votes cast in the 2020 elections.

This is based on results for the general elections, as thus far declared by Returning Officers of the country’s ten administrative regions.

Some of the Regions, in-

cluding the largest voting block, Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), are currently undergoing a recount.

Considered a representation of the confidence of a populace in the political process, voters turning out to exercise their franchise is thought to be essential in a functioning democracy.

Notwithstanding the foregoing theory, voter turnout has been considered an issue in the wider Caribbean, where it has been reported that on average, more than one-third of the registered voters in the Region fail to turn up to vote on Election Day. Over the years, voter turnout in Guyana has faced a steady decline, hitting its lowest in 2006 at 69.3 per cent, when compared to the 72.9 per cent recorded back in 2011.

One of the busier polling stations on the West Bank Demerara where voters turned out in their numbers at the March 2 2020 General and Regional Elections

SIGNIFICANT DECLINE Nonetheless this still represents a significant decline from the 88.4 per cent and 91.7 per cent turnout recorded in the

By Tamica Garnett NOTWITHSTANDING a 13.3 per cent increase in the number of eligible voters, overall voter turnout here in Guyana has remained relatively stable, as the 75.5 per cent recorded for the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections has proven.

The percentage at reference represents a marginal increase from the 71.3 per cent turnout recorded for the 2015 elections.

What this means in numerical terms is that 479,453 of the 660,998 persons deemed eligible to vote turned up at their respective polling stations on E-Day to cast their ballots. And of

1997 and 2001 elections respectively.

At the 2020 elections, voter turnout in the 10 Electoral Districts varied. In the districts, turnout percentages ranged from 76.7 per cent in Region Four, which had the highest number of eligible voters, to as low as 63.8 per cent in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), which also had the lowest number of scheduled voters.

The percentages were calculated as a ratio of total votes cast, and not just valid votes.

In terms of turnover, seven out of the ten voting districts saw an increase in their voter turnout, with Regions Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) being the regions that saw decreases, though marginal.

Notwithstanding these declines, all ten of the regions saw increases in the number of voters that exercised their democratic right, as was expected, given that all of the Regions saw significant increases in respective number of eligible voters.

In 2015, only 583, 445 voters were eligible to vote.

That year the interim turnout ranged from 75.8 per cent in Region Five to 62.9 in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

HIGHEST TURNOUT In addition to having

the highest turnout in 2020, the Region Four district also had the highest increase in voter turnout.

Based on results declared by the Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, turnout in the region increased from 72.7 in 2015 to 76.7 per cent this year.

In terms of numbers, this means that 32,832 more voters for this Region went to cast their ballots in 2020 than they did in 2015. The Region had a total 285, 618 electors scheduled to vote this year, an increase of 29,478 from those on the Region’s Official List of Electors (OLE) in 2015.

In 2015, it was Region Five that had recorded the highest interim turnout, with 75.8 per cent of the then 40,177 voters casting their ballot. This year, the voter turnout in that Region dipped to 74.7 per cent, but still placed the Region among those with the highest turnout. Region Five had the second highest turnout behind Region Four. Following close behind were Regions Three at 72.4%; Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) at 70.8%; and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) at 70.1%.

Conversely, Region Six saw the biggest dip in voter turnout, dropping from 68.8 per cent in 2015 to 65.5 See page 10

Voters lined up to vote at a polling station at the Wauna Primary School in Region One on March 2

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, March 16, 2020

‘It’s all up to GECOM’ ... President asserts GECOM’s sole role in determining recount ... restates commitment to non-interference into commission’s work ... says Caricom team must abide by constitution

THOUGH agreeing to have a high-level team from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) supervise a recount of the votes cast during the March 2 General and Regional Elections, President David Granger says the proposed initiative must be executed in accordance with the Constitution of Guyana.

In his address to the nation on Sunday, the President said he communicated his position to CARICOM Chairman, Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados during a teleconference earlier in the day. “…the CARICOM Initiative should operate within the legal framework of the Constitution of Guyana, and respect the role of the Elections Commission and the rulings of the Supreme Court. It will not act independently,” President Granger said.

In his communication with the CARICOM Chair, President Granger also indicated that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) should be allowed to craft the Terms of Reference governing its relationship with the CARICOM team.

“The organisational structure which should embody supervisory and technical elements should be determined by the Elections Commission,” the President said.

The CARICOM team arrived here on Saturday on the instruction of PM Mottley, who had secured an agreement from both President Granger and Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo for a national recount to be done after the tabulation of votes for Region 4 (Demerara-Mahaica) faced a mountain of challenges, and the integrity of the process was questioned.

agreement for a recount.

RULE OF LAW Iterating his commitment to the rule of law and the Constitution, President Granger said he respects the integrity and autonomous nature of the Elections Commission, and will abide by its declarations and the rulings of the Court. He said that in the absence of such declarations, GECOM must be allowed to do its work as it seeks to bring the electoral process to an end.

The Head of State was keen on noting, however, that the General and Regional Elections were conducted peacefully, and in accordance with the Constitution and Laws of Guyana on March 2, 202, but the events that followed it thereafter marred the excellent work of the Elections Commission.

“Confusion ensued at the Office of the Returning Officer for District Four in the wee hours of Wednesday, March 4, 2020 as a result of an invasion of the premises by political elements. Statements following the events of March 4 by the observer missions also created uncertainty in the minds of the citizenry. The Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) so far approached the Supreme Court on three separate occasions to obstruct the work of the Elections Commission,” President President David Granger with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, OR, on her Granger summarised. arrival at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport on March 11 He said that those actions, coupled with calls for a recount, allowed for the Supreme On Sunday, the President recommitted to “The Government of Guyana looks the proposed initiative placed on the table forward to ‘a total national recount’ being Court to determine the way forward.

The Head of State also took note of the

by CARICOM. completed as soon as possible under the auspices of the Elections Commission,” fact that Chairperson of the Elections Commission Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh has he said.

He explained that the delays in the publicly stated that she will abide by the ruldeclaration of the results for the General ing of the Court. “I, too, have said that I will and Regional Elections, coupled with the abide by the ruling of the Court,” he iterated, statements by the various observer mis- while calling on the public to be patient as the sions, resulted in CARICOM fielding a Government complies with the rulings of the five-member delegation of Prime Ministers Court and the decisions of the Commission.

“I advise you to avoid provocation by to Guyana on March 11 and 12 to meet certain lawless elements, who committed with key players in the electoral process.

PM Mottley was accompanied by Prime acts of violence against innocent schoolMinisters Dr. Keith Rowley of Trinidad children, nurses and police officers. Guyand Tobago, Roosevelt Skerrit of Domini- anese, as we await the conclusion of the ca, Dr. Keith Mitchell of Grenada and Dr. electoral process, we must be reminded of Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the the very difficult public health environment occasioned by the Coronavirus Disease Grenadines.

The high-level CARICOM team 2019 (COVID-19),” President Granger comprising former Attorney-General said, adding: “I appeal to the public to and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Dom- remain calm, and to implement all the adinica, Francine Baron; former Minister visories relating to personal hygiene, social of Finance of Grenada Anthony Boat- distancing, and overall infection prevention swain; Senior Lecturer in the Depart- and control.”

On Saturday, the GECOM Chair ment of Government of UWI Cynthia The Independent High-Level Mission (from left): Angela Taylor, Chief Elector- Barrow-Giles; Chief Electoral Officer also recommitted to having a recount al Officer, Barbados; Anthony Boatswain, former Finance Minister, Grenada; of Barbados Angela Taylor; and Chief done, and in keeping with that comFrancine Baron, Chair of the Team and former Attorney General and Foreign Elections Officer of Trinidad and Toba- mitment, summoned the six Elections Minister, Dominica; Fern Nacis-Scope, Chief Elections Officer, Trinidad and To- go Fern Narcis-Scope was subsequently Commissioners to a meeting to chart the bago; Cynthia Barrow-Giles, Senior Lecturer, Department of Government, UWI. dispatched to Guyana following the way forward.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, March 16, 2020

Qatar suspends incoming flights for preliminary two-week period

(AL JAZEERA) Qatar has announced a series of measures, including the suspension of all incoming flights for a preliminary two-week period, as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The moves were announced on Sunday following a meeting between Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the Su-

preme Committee for Crisis Management.

An economic and financial package will provide incentives amounting to 75 billion Qatari riyals ($23bn) to help support the private business sector during the outbreak.

The statement from the committee included, “Stopping all incoming flights to Doha, starting Wednesday

evening, which corresponds to March 18, for a 14-day period that can be extended,” adding cargo and transit flights would be exempted from the ban.

It said Qatari citizens would continue to be allowed into the country after they quarantine for two weeks.

The announcements came after Qatar’s health ministry announced 64 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the tiny Gulf nation, taking its total number of cases to 401.

So far 7,950 people have been tested for COVID-19 while four people have reportedly recovered, according to the ministry.

The committee announced all forms of public transport, including buses and its new-

Qatar announced 64 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, taking the total to 401 [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera] ly launched metro system, would be suspended starting Sunday night.

To limit physical interaction, the committee said all government employees above the age of 55, pregnant women, and people suffering from long-term illnesses, such as diabetes or chronic heart disease, would be allowed to work remotely.

The directive reiterated a government decision made earlier this week that attendance at all schools would be suspended with government and private schools continuing through remote education.

The committee said final year high-school students will still have to sit their end-ofyear exams.

Although not included in the committee’s statement, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry announced in a tweet on Sunday that dining in restaurants and cafes would also be banned until further notice as part of the efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

Ordering food deliveries home would still be allowed.

Monday, March 16, 10:30hrs - 12:00hrs

ECONOMIC MEASURES A series of moves fo-

cused on the banking sector were also announced, including the encouragement of banks to postpone loan instalments from the private sector by extending grace periods to six months.

Other measures included exempting food and medical goods from custom duties for a six-month period, as well as exempting electricity and water bills from taxes.

Other sectors on the exemption list included tourism, small and medium-sized businesses, and logistics.

Many of the initial cases diagnosed in Qatar - one of the richest nations in the world with a population of about three million - were from a group of citizens and their foreign staff repatriated from Iran.

Qatar’s health ministry previously temporarily banned the entry of travellers from 18 countries: Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Italy, Germany, Spain, and France.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, March 16, 2020

Pandemic leave for workers with children

(TRINIDAD GUARDIAN) Public servants, who cannot find supervision for their children over the next week while schools are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, can now benefit from pandemic leave.

The novel paid-leave, part of a draft national policy for workplaces during the pandemic, was announced by Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus during a press conference at her ministry’s headquarters in Port-of-Spain, this morning.

Baptiste-Primus explained that the leave would immediately apply to public officers, who are permanent, temporary, monthly paid or daily-rated, on fixed or temporary contracts, who fall under the Salaries Review Commission, and Onthe-Job Trainees (OJTs).

It will apply to public officers assigned to Government ministries and State-companies.

Baptiste-Primus noted that the policy, which is expected to be taken to Cabinet after the National Tripartite Advisory Council considers it early this week, will have to be implemented by private companies through consultation with trade

Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus speaks at a news conference Sunday morning. unions.

During the press conference, Baptiste-Primus presented a series of guidelines to be applied by private-sector employees and employers before the full implementation in their workplaces.

She encouraged employees with children to first utilise their usual support systems and employers to implement policies to allow employees with children to work from home.

“One parent is encouraged to stay at home with the children while the other reports for duty,” Baptiste-Primus said.

While Baptiste-Primus said that the ministry could not seek to compel private employers to implement the exact policy, she encouraged them to introduce compassionate measures aimed at ensuring business continuity while securing the national interest.

Baptiste-Primus repeatedly stated that parents, employed both in the private and public sector, should not bring their children to work during the period, which may still be adjusted by the Government based on how the situation develops.

However, she called on citizens not to abuse the proposed facility.

“If you are not sick, do not stay away from work,” she said.

Speaking at the event, Chief Personel Officer (CPO) Daryl Dindial stated th10at there was no suggested cap on pandemic

leave as the situation may evolve.

“It has been left open because we don’t know how long this would occur,” Dindial said.

Dindial also explained that the leave would only apply to parents with no supervision for their children and those employees who do not benefit from for sick leave as part of their employment, in the event, they fall ill, have to be quarantined or eventually are confirmed to have contracted the virus.

He said in situations where employees with sick leave become ill or contract the virus, they would have to exhaust their sick leave and extended sick leave before qualifying for the pandemic leave.

He also noted that his office had already held preliminary discussions with associations for police, prison, and fire officers as special provisions will have to be established for them.

Companies, trade unions, and non-unionised staff who hit snags in their negotiations over the implementation of the workplace policies may consult with the Conciliation Advisory and Advocacy Division of the ministry.

Bahamas confirms first case of COVID-19 (JAMAICA GLEANER) ZNS/Bahamas: Jeffrey Lloyd, acting minister of health in The Bahamas has confirmed that a 61-year-old female is the first confirmed person with COVID-19.

The woman, a resident of New Providence does not

have a travel history.

During a press conference at the Ministry of Health on Sunday, March 15, 2020, Lloyd explained that the confirmed case presented with symptoms of a fever and cough.

“She is not known to have travelled outside of the coun-

try in the past 20 days. At this time the patient’s exposure is unknown. The patient and family members have been informed of the diagnosis. She is receiving care in the designated isolation area of the Princess Margaret Hospital.

He added: “We are cur-

rently investigating her family and social contacts to determine whether they could have been the source of her infection.”

Lloyd noted that the case was detected because of the Ministry’s enhanced surveillance methods for COVID-19.

Acting Minister of Health the Hon. Jeffrey Lloyd (centre) announced that a 61-year-old female resident of New Providence who does not have relevant travel history is the first confirmed person with COVID-19 in The Bahamas during a press conference at the Ministry of Health, Sunday, March 15, 2020.

“We have made the decision to expand our testing and have heightened sensitivity for persons presenting with influenza like symptoms due to lessons learnt from countries that have diag-

nosed cases in keeping with this enhanced surveillance approach.

The investigation is ongoing and we will update the public within 24 hours,” he said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, March 16, 2020

Mainstream media vs ‘fake news’

T

HE Guyana Press Association (GPA) has had cause to issue a statement recently, in light of certain developments following the March 2 regional and general elections. According to the media watchdog organisation, “The GPA… calls on the leadership of all political parties, State Authorities and interest groups to openly discourage actions that can have the impact of undermining the work of journalists and their media enterprises. We urge all political leaders to cease and desist from creating conditions for the perpetuation of media harassment, and the dampening of press freedom.”

The statement comes amid complaints from GPA members of threats of violence against them on social media.

Reports were also made of attempts to interfere with the work of media operatives following the March 2 regional and general elections, and the ensuing political impasse.

As the GPA has noted in its statement, “There is a stringent process of media accreditation to determine the bona fides of local journalists and other media workers, and we would expect that all due regard be paid, and courtesies extended to these professionals in the execution of their duties.”

In the circumstances, the Guyana Chronicle condemns, in the strongest terms, any threats or acts of violence against media operatives in the rightful execution of their duties.

Media operatives and workers operate on the frontlines, so that they are able to bring credible facts and information to the attention of the public. These workers are sometimes

find themselves in the line of danger when trying to do their jobs, and as such they should not be threatened, attacked or intimidated by anyone or any group purporting to inhibit their work. Freedom of the press is essential in our democratic society.

In this era of the social media, the reporting of ‘news’ is now also very much in the hands of anyone who has access to a ‘smartphone’ and an Internet connection. Social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp have become the new media houses, with citizens increasingly relying on these platforms to obtain their news and information. What should be of major concern is that Facebook has, time and time again, been implicated in the spread and proliferation of fake news campaigns. So much so that the company has been interviewed by the United States Senate for its role in the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, which saw the harvesting of data from up to 87 million profiles on Facebook.

Nonetheless, Facebook continues to maintain the social media monopoly, and is the social media platform of choice for most Guyanese.

Facebook and other social media platforms have been the arenas in which several criminal infractions have taken place. The incitement of violence and use of racist and derogatory language are prevalent on Facebook in post-elections Guyana. In many cases, and upon closer inspection, many of the profiles spreading a hateful and violent narrative appear to be fake, created for the sole purpose of creating mischief. Other pages have appeared

during the elections campaign, and subsequently after the elections, with the sole purpose of spreading false and fictious ‘official information’ and documents. Pages have also been created to peddle damaging and incendiary propaganda about certain political parties, or the incumbent Government of Guyana. Citizens must be wary of these tactics, and any information obtained on social media should be carefully scrutinised for authenticity.

Whilst social media will continue to be a part of most people’s way of life, one must be wary of the information one consumes and spreads on social media. Citizens must also be aware of the potential harm and damage the overuse of social media can pose to their health. Studies have shown that spending a mere thirty minutes on social media can contribute to the manifestation of certain mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression.

Following the events of March 2, Guyana has had a very public fallout, with social media being responsible for the rapid spread of false information and equally false narratives. Concerned citizens would be wise to refrain from excessive use of social media, especially as it pertains to the consumption of news or information about the highly-contentious elections and subsequent political situation. There are many credible sources of information available Online from respected and established media houses. Let us all make more of a concerted effort to stop the spread of fake news, and to uphold the freedom of the press.

We are more than capable of conducting our own elections Dear Editor,

YOU have to remember that when foreign powers want you to act and think in a certain way that would bring justification to an action that they are already planning to make; they must make the person the hate, a villain. Civil war is bloodiest of all wars, because you are fighting against your own people.

In every nation there is dissatisfaction and what the CIA does, they go into a country and move among the people that are dissatisfied to stimulate a revolt against a leader that they (America) do not like because they want regime change.

The congress on the United State of America voted to spend a hundred and fifty million dollars to replace the government in Iran that America did not like. The sent there agent in to work among the dissatisfy, so when they had their election and the people in Iran rose up, they have legitimate grievances but it way stimulate from the outside because it was America’s policy to destabilize their government.

In Libya they US spent millions of tax payer’s monies to arm the so called rebels. Mainstream media reported that they (Libyans) were dissatisfied; the question is what were they dissatisfied about? They have jobs, they have food, and the government used the oil money to build Libya. The oil money was also used to discover water under the desert and brought that water to the surface and brought that water from Benghazi all the way to the border of Tanzania. The government imposed farming in the desert, so that they could feed their own people. Billions of dollars were spent on building homes and apartments for their own people.

Then it is easy to conclude that something is under this because when the America, Britain and France, three imperials powers wants to destabilize that country. Is it that America was so concern about the blood that way been shed in Libya? When they turn they turned their back when the Israeli defence force bomb the innocent people of Gaza. They wre murdered unarmed men, women and children. Where was the US in Rwanda, and in the Congo? The US

when into Darfur because oil is there. The Libyans never wanted foreign occupations on the land. Muammar-al Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein were all deactivated because of their oil resources.

Here a home in Guyana, I have noticed that the foreign observers have been making public statements in relations to our elections and they have been going about it, in an evidently bias manner which would indicate a particular propensity or favoritism towards one party. Photographic evidence obtained from credible media houses and on social and the electronic media which depicts members from foreign observers’ group, frequent engagement with one political part has given confirmation to this realism.

It is important to note that these observers are here as a result of our (the people of Guyana-led by the government) invitation to only observe the electoral process through a independent eye, rather than their brawling display of bashing the coalition and on the other hand attempting to circumvent the glairing breaches of PPC. In addendum to the foregoing, Guyana is a sovereign nation and these guests/ visitors (foreign observers) and or the diplomatic community do not have any constitutional power or authority whatsoever as it relates to Guyana and her affairs. I seriously believe that the foreign observers have compromised their little credibility..

Guyana is not in a “process” like some other nations. Guyana is a Cooperative Republic and we are more than capable of conducting our own elections.

It is not the first time that we seen these precipitous actions by foreign observers, as Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham so eloquently adumbrated, he said, “……Enemies of this country would like to see racial division and antagonism continue they will not have that satisfaction………… It would appear that, the- would- be destroyers of this country have sought to convinced our Indian citizens that they have caused fear because of the removal of the former government. We can assure our Indian citizens, here and now, that rather than cause for fear, they have much to hope for from the government….this government will not pursue policies

likely to bring the races into collision. This government will maintain law and order. this government, while in office, will never declare its impotence to see that the lives and property and personal safety of any citizens are protected… ” He also stated that, “ even though we need assistance we are not going to be the pupil to those who give us assistance…………to us that is the contradiction of independence……”

America, Britain or Canada must conduct themselves in a proper manner and subscribe to the rule of law while there are here as guests.

Despite all that has been happening during Guyana’s elections debacle all of the condemnation seems to be headed one way. Not one single member of the international community or the foreign observers are making reference to what happened in the Berbice area or to PPPC operatives storming GECOM or not one of them is making reference to the PPPC operatives kicking down the chairman’s door.

Look at what the PPPC did to this country. Look at the legacy that they left for the coalition to inherit. The masacar, Narco state, TIP, misappropriations of the nations resources and monies, Recism, violation of human rights, gun runnings and the list goes on. It is a shame for anyone to support such a bunch of thugs, let alone try to force them into government. the lawlessness, and the breakdown I societal moral fiber.

Never again will the people of Guyana allow a one party to govern this country. We are better together, one people one nation one destiny. With the coalition, everyone has a say in the national affair. This is what democracy is all about.

I would suggest that our people stand and reject the influence or stimulation of any foreign policy with is arm at creating unrest or attempts to install a puppet regime which will ultimately give them control of our oil affluence.

Regards Michael Hercules

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, March 16, 2020

OP-ED

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COVID-19:

We will come through this together

By António Guterres

T

HE upheaval caused by the coronavirus – COVID-19 -- is all around us. And I know many are anxious, worried and confused. That’s absolutely natural.

We are facing a health threat unlike any other in our lifetimes. Meanwhile, the virus is spreading, the danger is growing, and our health systems, economies and day-to-day lives are being severely tested.

The most vulnerable are the most affected—particularly our elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions, those without access to reliable health care, and those in poverty or living on the edge.

The social and economic fallout from the combination of the pandemic and slowing economies will affect most of us for some months. But the spread of the virus will peak.

Our economies will recover.

Until then, we must act together to slow the spread of the virus and look after each other. This is a time for prudence, not panic. Science, not stigma. Facts, not fear.

Even though the situation has been classified as a pandemic, it is one we can control. We can slow down transmissions, prevent infections and save lives. But that will take unprecedented personal, national and international action.

COVID-19 is our common enemy. We must declare war on this virus. That means countries have a responsibility to gear up, step up and scale up.

How? By implementing effective containment strategies; by activating and enhancing emergency response systems; by dramatically increasing testing capacity and care for patients; by readying hospitals, ensuring they have the space, supplies and needed personnel; and by developing life-saving medical interventions.

All of us have a responsibility, too -- to follow medical advice and take simple, practical steps recommended by health authorities. In addition to being a public health crisis, the virus is infecting the global economy.

Financial markets have been hard hit by the uncertainty. Global supply chains have been disrupted. Investment and consumer demand have plunged -- with a real and ris-

ing risk of a global recession. United Nations economists estimate that the virus could cost the global economy at least $1 trillion this year – and perhaps far more.

No country can do it alone. More than ever, governments must cooperate to revitalise economies, expand public investment, boost trade, and ensure targeted support for the people and communities most affected by the disease or more vulnerable to the negative economic impacts – including women who often shoulder a disproportionate burden of care work.

A pandemic drives home the essential interconnectedness of our human family. Preventing the further spread of COVID-19 is a shared responsibility for us all.

The United Nations – including the World Health Organization -- is fully mobilised. As part of our human family, we are working 24/7 with governments, providing international guidance, helping the world take on this threat.

We are in this together – and we will get through this, together. António Guterres is Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Beware the neocolonialists Dear Editor,

P

LEASE allow me to give my views on the recent happenings in Guyana in relation to our elections.

While I will restrain myself from commenting on the Elections themselves, my main focus will be on the aftermath, especially as it relates to the involvement of the Observers and the various Envoys.

Watching from the Rupununi, I could not but wonder why this unprecedented action by these supposed advocated of Democracy. That wonder soon grew to suspicion as the events unfolded.

That suspicion led me to do some research on Nations that have oil but have nothing but turmoil. That research confirmed my suspicions. It is those findings that I will like to share with your readership. I know space does not permit me to do a thesis, so I will try and precise the findings to make easy reading.

The more I thought of what was happening in this largely peaceful country of ours, the more a book that I once read kept coming back to me. So I googled it and the preface jumped out at me.

That book is “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa,” by Walter Rodney.

Part of the Preface said thus: “The phenomenon of neo-colonialism cries out for extensive investigation in order to formulate the strategy and tactics of African Emancipation and Development. … solutions are implicit in a correct historical evaluation.

Hopefully, the facts and interpretation that follow will make a small contribution towards reinforcing the conclusion that African development is possible only on the basis of a radical break with the international capitalist system, which has been the principal agency of underdevelopment of Africa over the last five centuries.”

Dr. Rodney went on to inform that the book was to be used

by Africans who “wish to explore further the nature of their exploitation, rather than satisfy the standard set by our oppressors.”

That this passage is relevant to all so-called Third World Countries, is quite an understatement.

What happened at GECOM, is a stark reminder that these neo-colonialists will do all in their powers to keep us subjected to their standards. This applies not only to Africans, but to all Nations, inclusive of the mighty India.

So, what is my point?

I READ FURTHER AND LEARNT THIS: “In contrast with the surging growth of the countries in our socialist camp and the development taking place, albeit much more slowly, in the majority of the capitalist countries, is the unquestionable fact that a large proportion of the so-called underdeveloped countries are in total stagnation, and that in some of them the rate of economic growth is lower than that of population increase.

These characteristics are not fortuitous (not by chance) they correspond strictly to the nature of the capitalist system in full expansion, which transfers to the dependent countries the most abusive and barefaced forms of exploitation. It must be clearly understood that the only way to solve the question is to eliminate completely the exploitation of dependent countries by developed capitalist countries, with all the consequences that this implies.”

The point is, even though socialism has fallen, these so called champions of democracy are no more than frauds, who are hell bent on taking advantage of smaller countries, to their own benefit. They parade as helpers when all they do is keep countries

like Guyana heavily indebted.

The Plot thickens. Guyana now has oil and what I am about to reveal will come as a surprise to many who cannot read the game.

In an online magazine, Peace Science Digest, there is an article published on the 8th March, 2016 titled “Fuelling Conflict. The Link Between Oil and Foreign Military Interventions in Civil Wars.”

The author of the article, Patrick Hiller had this to say: “90% of the world’s violent conflicts are civil wars. Two thirds of the 150 civil wars from 1945 to 1997 saw foreign intervention by third party governments or international organisations, often masquerading as advocates for a speedy resolution or humanitarian relief, many have previously argued that third party involvement is more likely focussed on encouraging specific political outcomes.”

Didn’t we see that in the display of the so-called advocates of democracy? They were willing to install Irfan and Jagdeo, irrespective of their credibility issues, knowing fully well that the majority who voted for the Coalition would not countenance that. That would have led to a certain civil war. While we were fighting each other, the so-called advocates would have descended on us like vultures and consume all of our oil. Guyana would have never recovered and we would have been just as poor at the end of oil as we were before oil. We would have been one heavily indebted country.

There is another dimension to this issue. Hiller went on to state: “It is also suggested that intervention may take place due to vested interests in specific economic outcomes of the conflict.”

Sound familiar? Certainly it does.

President Granger has already signalled his intention of making this decade “The Decade of Development.”

Do you think that is in the interest of the so-called advocates?

Certainly not! That decade will see unprecedented development in Guyana. All aspects of our Nation will benefit, especially our youths. We will be able to wipe off some, if not, all of our debts.

That does not fall in the scheme of things for the “advocates.”

Walter Rodney had this to say about development: “Development in human society is a many-sided process. At the level of the individual, it implies increased skills and capacity, greater freedoms, creativity, self-discipline, responsibility and material well-being.”

This would result in citizens living a good life with less dependency on the developed countries, who would then be in danger of losing its grip on us. They cannot countenance that. They have to keep us in a state of eternal dependency.

On the other hand, it is public knowledge that Irfan and Jagdeo has credibility issues. They are corrupt and were fingered in many ills, inclusive of death squads and drug trafficking.

This kind of character suits the “advocates” since they will dictate what is to happen and when. Irfan and Jagdeo would have become the most vicious dictators this part of the world would have seen. There would have been no limit to their powers.

The country would have descended into anarchy, civil unrest would have escalated to civil war; and the advocates will then rush in troops to “resolve” the issues. All the while stealing our oil from under our collective noses.

That was the game plan. We saw it happened before: In Guatemala, Indonesia, Vietnam, Iraq, Iran, Nigeria, Sudan, and other Nations around the Globe. We must not let Guyana become a statistic.

Hiller also informed us that the common justification of

spreading freedom and democracy is used by the oil-dependent Nations to intervene in oil-producing nations, when their real motives are to rearrange the political stability or leadership of those countries to their advantage.

Hiller believes that this is inherent in U. S. Foreign Policy.

A summary of Hiller’s article is as follows: 1. Oil importing countries are 100 times more likely to intervene in Civil Wars of oil exporting countries; 2. The more oil produced or owned by a country, the higher the likelihood of third party interventions; 3. Oil is a motivating factor for military interventions in Civil Wars.

The ABCE “advocates firstly had to create the atmosphere to fuel that civil war, and so far has failed.

President Granger has got to go down in history as the greatest President of Guyana ever. He has averted, unto now, the instigation of one of the Resource Curses associated with oil production. He did that in the face of extreme provocation. His astute leadership has ensured that the Cooperative Republic of Guyana remains intact. Any wrong move would have pushed us over the brink of no return.

The events of post elections have demonstrated how fragile our social cohesion can be. It is therefore my recommendations that: 1. The media do more research on this phenomenon for dissemination to their audiences; 2. Politicians who claim that they all love Guyana, should engage their constituents and have in-depth discussions on these issues. This should not be about who will govern an oil-rich Guyana. Rather it should be about how we all can make the oil work for us and our future generations, and not against us.

If we are greedy, then we will be playing into the hands of the oil importing countries, to the detriment of future generations; 3. His Excellency should seek an audience with the U. N. and lay his case there. Let the U. N. know that we are unto the game plan of these countries. This opportunity should also be used to lobby support for the country and its democratic gains; 4. Apart from Caricom, we should explore the possibility of joining other Trading Blocs around the world to safeguard our exports and consolidate our democracy.

In this way more persons will have an insight into the true motives of these so-called advocates and they will be better able to see through the scheming. This enlightenment will ensure that the citizens themselves will work to avert the curse we have all heard so much about, and almost witnessed were it not for the visionary leadership of His Excellency.

In closing, it is my firm belief that the conflicts in the oil producing nations were manufactured by the ABCE countries. We all witnessed their attempts right here in Guyana.

Walter Rodney alerted us to the operations of these neo-colonists years ago. Let us beware of them. They mean us no good; all of us. It doesn’t matter if you are APNU+AFC or PPP/C. We all will be consumed.

Let us all work together, therefore to avert this dreaded curse just as we are working together to fight the Coronavirus.

Guyanese, we have demonstrated over and over again that we can unite to overcome, let us do this one more time, for Guyana.

Yours truly, Carl Parker

8

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, March 16, 2020

Recount to begin today - Region 4 recount tops agenda - GECOM, CARICOM agree on ToR

By Lisa Hamilton

T

ODAY, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will begin a recount of all ballots cast in the General and Regional Elections from the 10 administrative regions, having crafted a Terms of Reference (ToR) document which will guide the way forward.

The ToR coincides with the law and meets the satisfaction of the country’s main political leaders. It will see the recount beginning with the contentious Region Four ballots.

The proposed location for this to take place is the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, but the venue will be finalised early today following a site visit for logistical arrangements.

The commission completed the crafting of this ToR around 21:00hrs on Sunday following deliberations with an independent high-level team from CARICOM in the country to oversee the recount.

While the team will take a hands-off approach and will simply observe the process, they assisted on Sunday by meeting with President David Granger and Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo to communicate the position of the leaders on the ToR to the commission to help guide its work.

Both Commissioners Sase Gunraj and Vincent Alexander spoke to the media following its completion, explaining the process to come.

They said that there is the possibility that five ballot boxes will be counted at the same time and these will be supervised by the necessary GECOM staff and observed by the high-level team and other stakeholders. It is also likely that recounting will take place for over 12 hours a day.

Gunraj said that the decision to begin with Region Four was suggested by the CARICOM team as it is the “most contentious” and largest populated Region in Guyana.

He also explained that there will be no need for the use of the customary Statements of Poll (SOPs) as the commission will utilise “a document that has all the hallmarks of an SOP,” as they do not have sufficient SOPs from the concluded elections to meet the current need.

Meanwhile, the commissioners said that conference centre is being looked at as the best location as it stands to be secure, comfortable and is equipped with the necessary technology to display information on large screens.

Representatives of all contesting parties and duly accredited observers will be present along with members of the CARICOM team and

all ballot boxes will be transported to the agreed-upon recounting location.

While the recount has been welcomed by both sides, questions have been raised about a possible clash with the Representation of the People

chaired by the former Attorney-General and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Dominica, Francine Baron.

It comprises former Minister of Finance of Grenada, Anthony Boatswain; Senior Lecturer in the Department of

GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj

CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque leaves the GECOM Commission

Act which states that a report on the elections results must be prepared no later than 15 days after the elections.

These 15 days will be up on Tuesday, March 17, 2020.

However, Commissioner Gunraj said: “There is provision in the law for an extension of this time and we’re going to make use of that provision.”

Neither of the commissioners could give an average on how long the process could take, but committed to doing their best to putting systems in place which will ensure a smooth process.

Gunraj said: “We appreciate the anxiety that this nation is under and we don’t want to exacerbate that, but instead we want to assuage that anxiety and we believe that getting this process done in a timely and credible manner will assuage that anxiety.”

A CLEAR WAY FORWARD Prior to agreeing on the ToR, the CARICOM high-level team successfully met with President David Granger and Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo at the CARICOM Secretariat Headquarters on Sunday morning.

The high-level team is

Later on, at 14:00hrs, the full commission met with the CARICOM team and CARICOM Secretariat representatives, including CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque.

When the delegation left

formal communication of the same.

The commission also understood the need for the crafting of a ToR which would ensure that all stakeholders abide by the agreements made by the political leaders and

GECOM Commissioner Charles Corbin

GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander

Ballot boxes being transported earlier on Sunday to GECOM’s High and Cowan Streets office

Government of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cynthia Barrow-Giles; Chief Electoral Officer of Barbados, Angela Taylor and Chief Elections Officer of Trinidad and Tobago, Fern Narcis-Scope.

The meeting with the political leaders that morning marked the commencement of discussions on an agreed way forward.

GECOM’s High and Cowan Streets office, the commission held another meeting to discuss matters further.

Addressing the media subsequently, Commissioner Charles Corbin said that while GECOM was aware that the President and opposition leader had agreed to a recount and that a CARICOM team would be involved, it was awaiting

the law.

“The process will remain anchored in GECOM procedures and will be guided by the laws and Constitution of Guyana,” Corbin had assured.

He had explained that it was necessary for the ToR to be very “detailed” as the commission is keen on avoiding a situation whereby there

are differing interpretations based on oral understanding on what should take place.

As such, following the afternoon meeting, Ambassador LaRocque left to meet again with the President and the opposition leader to get a precise understanding of their positions on what should be included in the ToR through an Operational Proposal.

“We don’t want to be in a position where this is an agreement which was hammered out by the political leaders and we are left to figure out what [was agreed upon]. It’s better it be settled there then we will incorporate those thoughts into what it is that we will [craft the ToR],” Commissioner Corbin said.

He too had acknowledged that there would be “legislative hoops” that the commission would need cross to proceed with the recount to ensure a smooth process.

Meanwhile, in those earlier remarks, Commissioner Gunraj stated that GECOM has “failed” the nation in providing credible elections results which can withstand scrutiny.

He said it is therefore necessary for the intervention of the CARICOM team.

BASED ON AGREEMENT Both President Granger and the opposition leader have agreed for a recount of all regions and not just Region Four, where there was much contention.

After the March 2, General and Regional Elections, the tabulation process for Region Four became more and more complicated by the day following the illness of the region’s Returning Officer (RO); the use of a contested spreadsheet by GECOM staff; an injunction barring declaration of the results and, subsequently, a series of other objections.

After a week of legal battles which resulted in the initial declaration by the region’s RO being invalidated, the votes for District Four for the General and Regional Elections were declared again on Friday night, but the opposition for a second time alleged that the electoral process was flawed.

Chair of CARICOM and Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley then announced on Saturday that President Granger had made a request for CARICOM to field an independent high-level team to supervise the recounting of the ballots in all regions.

In the interest of transparency and accountability, GECOM Chair Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh has recommitted to having recounts done in light of the concerns raised.

9

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, March 16, 2020

Elections results delay stifling economic activity in Region 10

By Vanessa Braithwaite

THE government’s inability to pass a 2020 budget has had a domino effect on regional spending, to the point where, three months into the new year, funding at the central and regional levels are very limited.

Financial challenges are being trickled down to the common man, particularly those directly dependent on these two tiers of government for a daily bread.

In Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), residents are becoming anxious, and are hoping that the results for the March 2 Elections would soon be announced to pave way for the elected government to prepare the 2020 National Budget.

Anxiety continues to face both small and large-scale contractors who depend on the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) for their daily bread. With the RDC not in a position to either tender or award contracts, it is the ordinary man and business owners who depend on contractors to spend their money, and are the ones feeling the squeeze.

One small contractor, who wishes to remain anonymous, told this newspaper that he would have been guaranteed contracts at least by now, contracts he heavily depends on, but that did not happen, and it does not look like it will for another few months, given there has not been a declaration of the winner of the elections as yet. “This is already March; three months into the year, and nothing as yet, because no Budget was read. Now we’re anxiously awaiting the elections, because we

know the next thing would have been Budget.

But after one thing is another; now we hearing they calling for recount,” he lamented, adding: “This is what I have been doing for years; it is mentally fatiguing for the entire nation to know who really win these elections, but more so for those whose daily bread depends on this elections.”

While the votes for Region Four were declared on Friday night by Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, the declaration of the winner of the elections has been halted, given the call for a national recount by President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, and for the process to be supervised by CARICOM. ROLL-OVER CONTRACTS Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region 10, Orrin Gordon explained that the RDC has over 40 contracts from 2019 that were rolled over to 2020.

The system has catered for these roll-over contracts, and payments for those contractors are guaranteed, but there is no money to tender and award contracts for 2020, and indeed this will have a negative effect on the economy of the region.

“Normally at this time, already you would have had tenders and so forth, and that is not happening because no Budget was read,” Gordon said, adding: “People would have already gotten work because of maintenance and capital projects, because we are already three months into the year.”

With the limited spending available

presently, the REO said he has put stringent measures in place to ensure that the RDC does not spend above its means, and that all those providing services presently are paid.

“We don’t want to incur costs and not be able to pay. We got to live within our means; we don’t want to owe anyone,” Gordon said.

Salaries and other large contracts that were on a recurrent budget, such as security contracts, were not affected by the impasse, he said.

Gordon is hoping that the election hold-up is resolved expeditiously, so that monies can continue to circulate in the region. He expects that Budget 2020 will be read in about three months, after the new government is installed.

Not only has the budget reading affected business in Linden, but the election stalemate, coupled with the coronavirus outbreak as well.

There has been a noticeable decline in buying and selling, with persons preferring to stay indoors, and supply trucks not travelling to the mining town as often as before for vendors and business owners to restock.

VERY CONCERNED Chairman of the Linden Mayor and Town Council Social Committee and Member of the Linden Economic Committee, Lawrence Simon said that he is very concerned about the economic impact the March 2 Elections stalemate is having on Linden and the entire Region 10.

He said there has been a greater demand than supply, and some prices have been jacked up, particularly for agricultural pro-

Linden Region 10 REO Orrin Gordon duce and pharmaceuticals. “The stymieing and the long delay of the declaration and the swearing-in are having a ripple effect, and with the RDC not having funds to facilitate contracts… Right now we have beautiful weather for roads to be rehabilitated, but this cannot happen, because contracts cannot be awarded,” he said.

The LMTC, Simon said, will see how best it could compliment the RDC, particularly with ‘low-hanging fruits’, to ensure development is not stymied further. Residents are hoping that the situation will soon return to normalcy.

Dept. of Citizenship, Judiciary implementing precautionary measures in wake of COVID-19 IN light of Guyana’s confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Department of Citizenship and Office of the Chancellor on Sunday indicated that a number of precautionary measures are being put in place.

Persons entering the courts, the registries and offices will be required to sanitise their hands, and the remand of prisoners will be conducted over skype among other measures; while at the Department of Citizenship, citizens will be required to comply with the Ministry of Public Health’s guidelines on infection prevention and control. The Office of the Chancellor indicated that sanitisers will be provided and placed at the entrances and in strategic locations at all courts.

This was one of many measures decided upon at a meeting between Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Yonette Cummings-Edwards and senior court officials on March 12 to address the response of the court system in safeguarding staff and court customers in relation to the virus.

Measures taken also include fumi-

gation and sanitisation exercises at all courts and their environs. This took place over the weekend, and is expected to continue in successive weekends and periodically as necessary.

Members of the public who do not have cases or matters in court, are encouraged to stay away from the courts, while constant review and assessment of the situation will be done and updates will be provided to court users and members of the public.

“Given the nature and characteristics of COVID-19 and its potential to disrupt or even halt the functions of the court, it is expected that there will be scrupulous adherence to protocols. The judiciary and the magistracy wish to thank all court users and members of the public for their understanding and cooperation,” the statement said.

The statement also noted that a Response Team has been set up to deal with the preparedness, response, and interaction with public health agencies.

The team will interface with staff and report to the Chancellor of the Judiciary.

The courts are expected to be open for business as per normal from today.

In the Department of Citizenship statement, it was noted that the new measures being implemented are being taken to ensure that members of the public and DoC staff are protected from the spread of COVID-19.

“In order to minimise the risks involved when large numbers of persons are congregated, persons will be attended to in smaller groups and will be permitted entry on this basis. Members of the public are advised that masks are only required if they are caring for a person suspected of being infected with COVID-19 or if they are coughing or sneezing,” the department said.

The Department of Citizenship explained that these precautions are necessary, since a significant number of persons who utilise its services on a daily basis are foreign nationals, many of whom would have engaged in recent overseas travel and may have been exposed to the COVID-19.

This request will remain in effect un-

til the status of the spread of COVID-19 in Guyana is reviewed.

Officially declared a global pandemic by the WHO, the coronavirus has been sweeping the globe since the first outbreak originated in Wuhan, China in December, 2019.

According to CARPHA, coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, coughs, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

According to WHO statistics, as of last Sunday, there has been 153,648 confirmed cases of infected persons in 146 countries across the globe, 5746 deaths have thus far occurred as a result of the spread.

10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, March 16, 2020

What pet caregivers and veterinarians need to know about the corona virus

By Dr Steve Surujbally

OVER the past month, I have been inundated with calls from pet owners asking me whether their pets can infect the owners. Many of them pointed out that canine Corona Virus was included on their pets’ Vaccination Certificates.

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) has issued updated guidance (March 10, 2020) on its Website.

WSAVA has documented that veterinarians and pet owners should not panic about contracting the corona virus disease (now called COVID – 19).

Let me repeat: It is highly unlikely that humans could contract the New Corona Virus from their dog or cat, or that their companion animals can transmit this virus to people or to other animals.

Scientists like Professor Michael Lappin at the James L. Ross Veterinary Teaching Hospital (Colorado State University) and the Centre for Disease Control in

the USA have published an advisory confirming that there is currently no evidence that pets or other domestic animals can be infected by this new strain of corona virus; nor are they a source of infection to people. Evidently, this is a rapidly evolving situation that has now been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Of course, we shall be monitoring the scientific publications and advisories and will keep you posted about new developments.

Now, let me answer the question about vets vaccinating your dogs against Canine Enteric (intestinal) Corona Virus Disease.

The vaccine that we vets use is available in the global marketplace. They are not expected to offer any cross-immunization/protection against COVID-19. This new virus with which humans are being confronted is a distinctly different Corona Virus variant which targets the respiratory system, in the first instance.

Let me hasten to add, that although

some media outlets have been mentioning the possibility of human infection from animals, there is no reliable scientific evidence that pets (or other domestic animals) might be the source of the novel Corona Virus relative to humans.

It behooves me to mention that at a Symposium sponsored by the Ministry of Public Health at the National Cultural Centre on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, one speaker also endorsed the position that no data are currently available that would suggest dog to human and human to dog transmission/contamination/infection. This new Corona Virus is simply a totally different strain from that which affects canine species.

For now, I am emphasising the text contained in the last paragraph, because throughout history, mankind – not quite understanding (or being unwilling to understand) science tends to find explanations/ justifications by reading myths, legends and folklore that have as their consequence very inhumane treatment of animals; sharks are slaughtered for their fins, rhinoceroses for their horns, elephants for their tusks, black cats and bats for everything bad.

Reports have already begun to circulate

that companion animals (pets) are being strayed or killed because owners fear that their pets can be carrying the virus.

Please do not become a member of a backward humanity by subjecting/exposing your pet (part of your family) to the painful and agonising world of abandonment and loneliness.

Notwithstanding the sense and logic contained in the previous paragraphs, it is always preferable to err on the side of caution.

This means that all the preventative/advisory undertakings documented for humans should be followed, especially after playing with your companion animals/ Actually, as I have always posited, one should enact personal hygiene (not lastly washing of hands with the appropriate disinfectant) whenever you (this includes veterinarians) have touched a pet – whether during play or when you have taken/returned the dog/cat to the Vet Clinic.

This column will keep you up-to-date about new developments – especially those dealing with human-animal contamination associated with COVID-19 disease.

Should you have any specific questions relating to this issue, please do not hesitate to contact me directly or via this newspaper.

Voter turnout ...

From page 2

per cent this time around. In that Region, the number of voters who turned out only increased by approximately 2,200, notwithstanding the OLE increasing by just over 8000 voters.

Following close behind Regions Eight and Six, the lowest interim turnouts by Region in 2020 were recorded in Regions Seven at 65.5%; and One (Barima-Waini) at 65.8%.

As a result of the changes in amount of voters, naturally, there were increases in votes for both of the country’s two major political parties: The A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

Both sides recorded their biggest increases in their traditional strongholds, however, there were significant changes in votes accumulated by the smaller parties, which translated to a decreased percentage of votes for both of the two major parties in several regions.

PERFORMANCE BY PARTY APNU+AFC saw increases in number of votes in all but Region Six, where the party took 1,765 less votes than the 22,103 that it received in 2015.

This translated to a decline by 4.1 per cent of the votes for this party in that Region.

As a matter of percentage, the party had its highest increase (2.3%) in Region Nine, however, this translated to just 1297 more votes. Meanwhile, though the party increased its percentage by just one per cent in Region Four, this translated to 22,602 more votes.

For the PPP/C there were increases in

the number of votes in all ten of the voting districts. The party’s biggest increase by number of votes came in Region Three, where it received 7,375 more votes than in 2015.

The party’s greatest increase in percentage of voters was in Region 6, where it moved from accumulating 63.9 per cent of the votes in 2015 to 67.2 per cent of the votes in 2020.

Collectively, the small parties, of which there were nine at this year’s elections, saw small but noteworthy increases in number of votes as compared to 2015, particularly in Regions Two, Three, Four, Six, Seven and Eight.

These increases can be attributed to the introduction of several new parties at this year’s elections, particularly the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), headed by Lennox Shuman, who is of Indigenous extract; Change Guyana (CG), headed by hotelier Robert Badal; and A New and United Guyana (ANUG), headed by former PPP/C Executive, Ralph Ramkarran.

Primarily targeting the Indigenous voters, Shuman’s party succeeded in making small but significant voter percentage changes in Regions Four, Seven, and Eight, while CG saw its biggest support in Regions Two, Three, Four, and Six. Markedly, due to the LJP in Regions Seven and Eight, votes to small parties increased from 2.6 and 1.7 in 2015, to 10.9 and 10.8 respectively in 2020.

In Region Four, while small parties collectively received just 707 votes in 2015, in 2020, the group took 4,137 votes.

Leading the list was ANUG, with 1,387 votes, while CG received 919 and LJP received 761.

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, March 16, 2020

COVID-19 poses threat to tourism sector, as country records four cases –– ‘It has the potential to cripple tourism in Guyana’, says THAG president

WITH the number of confirmed cases of the dreaded Coronavirus in Guyana pegged at four, there is fear in some quarters that several sectors will suffer a blow from the growing pandemic, specifically the tourism sector.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) Mitra Ramkumar said the disease will most likely cripple the tourism sector in Guyana.

While all ports of entry remain open, the Ministry of Public Health

THAG President Mitra Ramkumar has said that it is aiming to significantly ramp up its COVID-19 response efforts.

“The virus has the potential of crippling the industry; it is very close to us… And if you’re looking at what is happening in Suriname, they have closed off all entry ports; you have a closure of flights… If we are forced to do that in Guyana, tourism will actually shut down,” Ramkumar stated.

He said that tourism operators are well aware of the pandemic, and are equipped to handle the situation. “I know that all of the operators, which include the hotels, the resorts, beaches, tour operators, everybody has upped their sanitation standards… We have been advising all members to ensure that they take the necessary precautions, and also that their staff are well aware of the precautionary measures,” he said.

Ramkumar also noted that the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) has been following the guidelines of the Caribbean Public Health Agency

(CARPHA), along with that of the Tourism Health Programme and the Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organisation (PAHO/ WHO).

In a press release following the first confirmed case of the virus here in Guyana, the GTA advised all travellers, locals and tourism stakeholders to take the necessary precautions as the country prepares to combat the dreaded virus.

The statement read: “The GTA advises all travellers, locals and tourism stakeholders to remain alert, and take the necessary precautions to help combat the coronavirus.

UNCHARTED TERRITORY This is uncharted territory for most of us, and the situation is changing daily.”

The GTA also urged all local lodges, hotels and airlines to be flexible with both travellers and tour operators.

“We strongly encourage you to be more lenient with your cancellation policies and temporarily modify them as necessary to accommodate changing travel plans,” the Authority said, adding: “The GTA also advises postponing when feasible. If your guests and clients want to cancel completely, be flexible and allow them the opportunity to postpone their departure.” To those wanting to travel, GTA urged that they keep abreast of the situation, and make the necessary adjustments to their travel plans.

The first case of the virus, which was confirmed on Wednesday, was that of a 52-year-old woman who recently came home with family members from the United States.

It was noted that based on the patient’s travel history and symptoms (out-of-hand diabetes and high blood pressure), health professionals also tested her for COVID-19.

A sample was collected and sent to the National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHRL), where laboratory tests confirmed a positive result on Wednesday morning.

The woman died last Wednesday while receiving medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), and her family members were informed.

It was noted, too, that other family members and more than a dozen others who came into contact with the female patient were advised by Ministry of Public Health’s specialists to self-quarantine. They are all under regular surveillance by public health specialists, the authorities said.

Tests on the other household members over the last two days have revealed that three had contracted the virus, which was discovered last year

in Wuhan, China.

The MoPH would like to remind members of the public that should anyone develop a high fever, a persistent cough or have difficulty breathing to immediately call the COVID-19 hotline: 227-4986 ext. 215 (from 8am – 4:30pm; 624 -6674; 624 – 2819 (from 4:30pm to 8am).

It is also advisable to share previous travel history accurately with a healthcare provider.

The Health Emergency Operating Centre (HEOC) was this week activated by the Public Health Ministry as part of a broader menu of measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

12

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 16, 2020

Trigger-happy businessman arrested after firing indiscriminately at car

...SWAT team called in DRAMA unfolded and interrupted the quietude of Cadet Lane, South Ruimveldt Park when an intoxicated, trigger-happy businessman fired several shots at a car parked opposite his residence on Sunday night.

Reports are that around 19:56hrs on Sunday, the police received information that a male resident of Cadet Lane, near Congress Drive, South Ruimveldt Park was discharging a firearm from his premises in an indiscriminate manner.

The SWAT team responded, and the businessman, named “Krishna”, who operates an auto dealership on Duncan Street, Campbellville, promptly surrendered.

The police retrieved a .32 pistol, along with

matching live and spent ammunition from the 41-year-old businessman, whose spouse and the couple’s two children were on the premises at the time.

No one was injured.

An eyewitness told the Guyana Chronicle at the scene that he saw the businessman pumping several bullets into an AT212 motorcar which was parked opposite his home at around 20:00hrs.

Reports are that the police were notified, and ranks immediately raced to the scene, but when they attempted to speak to the trigger-happy businessman, he reportedly barricaded himself in his heavily-fortified home.

This caused more police ranks to be called in, and on their arrival on the scene at around 20:30hrs,

Investigators at the scene of the incident on Sunday night

several gunshots were heard to ring out, though Mr. ‘Trigger-happy’ opted to remain in the house.

On their arrival at around 21:00hrs, members of the SWAT team walked through the street in full battle gear and headed

to the man’s front door.

And after they pounded on the door for several minutes, ‘Mr Trigger-happy’ emerged, and was promptly arrested.

Police then cordoned off the street as neighbours converged at the police

barriers. The man could be heard yelling loudly at the police, while the ranks took photographs of the scene and searched his home. Investigators then turned to the car which the man allegedly fired at, and took photographs of

the left side of the vehicle which bore several bullet holes.

The man was taken away in handcuffs at around 22:00hrs.

Neighbours told the Guyana Chronicle that it was not the first time the man used his firearm indiscriminately. They said that since he moved into the area sometime last year, the police had had to be called in on several occasions to settle domestic issues.

Reports also are that the man is in the habit of firing into the air whenever he is under the influence of alcohol.

Several years ago, a viral video surfaced of him using a series of expletives, as police arrested him for drunk driving.

A thorough investigation has since been launched into Sunday night’s incident.

Vivaanta celebrates one year promoting health and wellness in Guyana

VIVAANTA Ayurvedic Spa & Hair Salon is celebrating one year since opening their doors in Guyana and has contributed immensely to promoting and maintaining health and wellness amongst Guyanese, with a wide range of products and treatments to renew the body and mind.

Some of these services include hair treatment, threading, skin care, body treatment, massage therapy, facials, nail care, laser treatment and much more, at their Church Street loocation.

The company was introduced last year into the Guyanese market and the investors, who are originally from India, established a Trinidad-based company – the Aryanveda Ayurvedic Spa and Salon since 2011 and have expanded

their services to Guyana.

It was established by Nitin Mehra and his son, Karan Mehra (Owner/Director), with a burning desire to recapture an ancient heritage of Ayurvedic therapies in Guyana.

“We have taken India’s Ayurvedic therapy to Guyana. We introduced a totally new concept of care and cure. Our mission is to go above and beyond industry expectations to provide professional, high quality services and products to everyone within and outside of our community. And to ensure we do everything we can to accommodate the needs of our clients so that they feel as much a part of the Ayurvedic family as we do,” Karan told the Guyana Chronicle.

Vivaanta, he says, combines health, beauty and hair in one for the ultimate experience at

Director of Vivaanta Ayurvedic Spa & Hair Salon, Karan Mehra

one place; stating that the company has created a perfect fusion between age-old therapies and modern spa technology, creating a fusion of Asian, Western and Indian Ayurvedic treatments.

He explained that Ayurveda is one of the world’s oldest holistic ‘whole-body’ healing systems, which was developed more than 3,000 years ago in India. It is based on the belief that health and wellness depend on a delicate balance between the mind, body, and spirit. Its main goal is to promote good health; not fight disease. But treatments may be geared toward specific health problems.

“The reach of Indian Ayurveda is now

global; every part of the world is accepting it due to its effectiveness. It is the only science, which talks about absolute health. Ayurveda is different from all other sciences, which has made it so popular,” Karan said.

Over the year operating in Guyana, the company has participated and sponsored Guyanese activities and events like Rotary Events, Carnival, Launch of Keratase, Lusignan Golf Club “and we wish to continue to support the Guyanese culture in any way we can. As we celebrate our one year anniversary in Guyana our Ayurvedic Family would like to thank our loyal customers for their continuous support,” he further added.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, March 16, 2020

Wismar fire leaves five homeless

A LINDEN family of five is now contemplating their next move, after a fire of unknown origin completely destroyed the interior of their home, rendering them homeless.

It all occurred around 04:00hrs on Sunday, when neighbours were alerted

that the Lot 25 Half Mile, Wismar, Linden concrete house was on fire.

At the time of the fire, two sisters -- 17-year-old Dennell Anthony and 22-year-old Ronesha Headley – were at home sleeping but woke up after smelling smoke. They then observed fire in the

The Half Mile, Wismar, Linden house that was destroyed by fire

The interior of the house was completely destroyed by the fire

front eastern bedroom and quickly tried to escape, since the house was grilled up.

Neighbours were alerted and summoned the Linden Fire Service. The firefighters turned up with two fire tenders and managed to contain the blaze. While the exterior of the house remains intact, the entire exterior was gutted and nothing was saved.

Owner of the house, 53-year-old David Anthony and his wife Ronique Anthony were in the interior at the time.

They had left their daughters Dennell and Ronesha at home with 15-year-old son Deron Anthony. Deron, however, was not

home at the time of the blaze. Anthony and his wife quickly travelled to Linden after learning about the fire. Based on their assessment, millions of dollars in valuables have been destroyed.

They related that their three-bedroom home was well furnished and had all the amenities. They were, however, thankful that their two daughters, who were home alone, escaped the heavily grilled house.

Firefighters said preliminary investigation lists the cause of the fire as unknown.

The police in Linden are also investigating the blaze.

CXC discussing implications of coronavirus on regional examinations AS the Caribbean Region continues to deal with the increasing cases of the corona/COVID-19 virus and its impact, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has announced a closure of its Western Zone Office in Kingston, Jamaica, and noted that the situation’s impact on the holding of regional examinations was discussed.

In press releases issued on Sunday, the council informed the Region that the closure of the Western Zone Office, will take effect from Monday, March 16, with normal operations at the office scheduled to resume on March 30.

“In the interim, we are taking the necessary steps to minimise disruptions to our activities during this critical time. The public will be served remotely by the Western Zone Office team and through our corporate office in Barbados,” the statement said.

It noted that online resources are still available on their official website cxc. org, the CXC Learning Hub, and their e-learning platform, learninghub.cxc.org, which provides learners and instructors with a single access point to multiple resources geared towards exam preparation.

“CXC is taking a proactive approach to manage the impact of the COVID-19 virus and has been implementing a number of measures consistent with established national protocol in controlling the spread,” they

noted.

The council said that a meeting with representatives from the Ministries of Education had been convened to discuss administration of regional examinations and the

is the health and well-being of all our stakeholders,” the council said in the statement.

CXC is the examination board under the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which comprises 15 member

respective national protocols.

The council administers the regional Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) at secondary schools, customarily during the May/June period.

“The council presented and discussed various scenarios as it relates to the administration of its examinations.

The council will continue to work with the governments of the various territories to arrive at a regional consensus and will update the public accordingly. Rest assured that as the management and staff of the council continue to monitor the emerging situation, our first priority

states, including Guyana.

Six out of the 15 nations have thus far recorded at least one case of the coronavirus, beginning with Jamaica, which recorded its first case on March 10. That number has since increased to 10 cases as of Sunday last, according to data provided on the World Health Organisation (WHO) website.

Guyana and St Vincent and the Grenadines recorded their first cases on March 11, while that was followed by Trinidad and Tobago discovering their first case on March 12. Suriname and Antigua and Barbuda recorded their first cases on March 13.

Trinidad’s cases have since increased to two, while

Guyana is listed with six cases, according to the WHO website.

Officially declared a global pandemic by the WHO, the coronavirus has been sweeping the globe since the first outbreak originated in Wuhan, China, in December, 2019.

According to CARPHA, coronaviruses are a large fami-

ly of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, coughs, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases,

infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

According to WHO statistics, as of last Sunday, there have been 153,648 confirmed cases of infected persons in 146 countries across the globe with 5746 deaths occurring thus far as a result of the spread.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 16, 2020

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, March 16, 2020

East Coast residents say ‘No to racism’ – march against race-baiting, call for peace and harmony

WHILE they were small in number, their message was heard loud and clear as they walked through the streets of Victoria and other neighbouring communities.

Following the aftermath of the March 2, 2020 elections and ensuing racial tension, a group of young enthusiasts on Sunday organised a small march through several communities to promote unity.

Chanting “One People, One Nation, One Destiny”, and “We’re stronger together; no time for hate”, the group was led by Javon Charles, a young Victoria resident who organised the march. The purpose of the simple yet significant event, he said, was to send a humble message to all Guyanese to say, “End racism, and do not be provoked by the

current political season.”

One particular voice which was louder than all the others was that of Michael Spencer, an activist in Victoria Village, who also stated that the sole of purpose of hosting the march was to send a message to persons who would have been spewing hate and promoting racism during this sensitive and critical time in Guyana.

“We are accustomed to love, peace, unity and harmony, and today we are saying ‘Say no to racism’,” Spencer said.

Another young man by the name of Marlon Gillis noted that he joined his fellow villagers to promote love, and stomp out racism.

RISING TENSION Over the past two weeks post-elec-

OAS welcomes CARICOM’s offer to monitor recount THE Organisation of American States (OAS) has welcomed the move by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to deploy a high-level mission to Guyana to oversee the recounting of the ballots cast in the General and Regional Elections.

The decision came after President David Granger and the Leader of the Opposition agreed to have CARICOM field an independent high-level team to the country to supervise the recount.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the OAS said its Permanent Representative in Guyana Jean Ricot Dormeus will remain engaged with the re-count, and with the overall electoral process. At the end of the electoral process, the OAS said, Dormeus will report to the General Secretariat.

On March 13, 2020, the OAS Observer Mission said in a statement that it had no other option but to withdraw its presence from Guyana.

This was as a result of its observation that the process was being conducted by the Returning Officer (RO) for Region 4 (Demerara-Mahaica) to ascertain the results of the elections did not meet the “required standard of fairness and transparency”.

It cautioned that the legitimacy of any government that is installed in these circumstances will be open to question, and that failure to conduct a transparent process would be “a terrible blow to the country’s democracy”.

“The OAS General Secretariat, therefore, welcomes the initiative of the Caribbean Community to deploy a high-level mission to supervise a re-count of the ballots in Region 4, as well as the other regions of Guyana,” the OAS said in a statement on Sunday.

The OAS had deployed an Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) to the country following a request from the Guyana Government.

It successfully observed the voting of the Disciplined Services and the wider process on Election Day. In a preliminary statement on March 3, 2020, the OAS pointed to an “orderly and well executed voting process.”

However, it was not until the count of Region 4, the country’s most populated Region, that several challenges arose.

Michael Spencer, centre, surrounded by fellow marchers bearing placards during Sunday’s march against racism tions, the racial tension across the country has risen, and resulted in a number of unfortunate events and acts of violence.

Aside from the number of foul threats, comments and posts circulating on social media, there were a number of riots across the country, which resulted in damage to roads and personal property.

As citizens grew frustrated and

impatient, given the delay in the declaration of the results, the outcome of the said riots has left several young children bruised and traumatised, as well as several members of the Guyana Police Force injured and hospitalized.

The unfortunate events have also left a family mourning the death of their 18-year-old loved one.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 16, 2020

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 16, 2020

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 16, 2020

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 16, 2020

Van Dijk would be ‘gutted’ if Liverpool wins title behind closed doors Van Dijk has helped Liverpool to a 25-point lead at the top of the Premier League

(BBC) - Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk admits he would be “gutted” if the coronavirus crisis prevents fans from watching them win a league title for the first time in 30 years.

The Reds lead the Premier League by 25 points but football across the country is suspended until 3 April.

The prospect of playing matches without fans has been raised as one of a number of ways to complete the fixture list.

“No one wants to play games without the fans,” said Van Dijk, 28.

“If we won it in an empty stadium and the fans weren’t there, I’d be gutted for them,” the Dutch international told newspapers.

“Obviously, if there are no fans at Anfield, then it will be a bit of a blow.

“Until a decision is made on how we go on from here, then we just have to deal with it. But when it happens, we are still bringing the title to our fans, definitely.”

Brighton’s chief executive says it would be ‘unjust’ if Liverpool are not awarded the title Sport is expected to be subjected to further restrictions next week with Prime Minister Boris Johnson set to announce a blanket ban on major public gatherings.

Uefa will meet on Tuesday to discuss the schedul-

ing of Euro 2020, which is due to begin on 12 June.

The Premier League will then hold a second emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss potential ways forward in the wake of Uefa making its own plans clear.

On Saturday, Brighton chief executive Paul Barber said it is “hard to imagine” the league resuming in early April given the crisis unfolding on a global scale.

Liverpool need a maximum of two more wins to secure the Premier League and Barber said it would be “incredibly unjust” if they were not to be awarded the title.

In a newspaper column, West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady said declaring the season “null and void” was “the only fair and reasonable thing to do”.

On Friday, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said “football matches really aren’t important at all” in an emotional message on the club’s website where he urged fans to “look out for each other”.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 16, 2020

Ferrari shuts down for two weeks (BBC) - Ferrari has shut down production at its Formula 1 and road-car factories in Italy for two weeks as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

It is part of a wider lockdown that began last week across badly-hit Italy.

Ferrari said the decision had been made “for its employees’ wellbeing”.

Chief executive officer Louis Camilleri said: “It is out of our respect for them, their peace of mind and of their families that we have decided on this course of action.”

Staff who have laptops and the possibility to continue to work from home will do so, with Ferrari planning on being shut down until 27 March.

Italy is the worst affected country in Europe, with over 1,440 deaths so far.

Other F1 teams are carrying on working for now, despite the uncertainty over when the season will start this year.

Mercedes’ two F1 factories in the UK will continue normal operations but all team members returning from Melbourne will selfisolate for 14 days.

Ferrari’s decision comes after the F1 season was suspended following the

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Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel will not be in action until at least May

cancellation of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.

A decision to postpone the succeeding Bahrain and Vietnam races followed hours after the Melbourne race was called off on Friday morning in Australia. The Chinese

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Grand Prix, which had been scheduled to be the fourth event of the season, was postponed in February.

Governing body the FIA and commercial rights holder the F1 Group gave conflicting information in concurrent statements as to

the likely next steps.

The FIA said it hoped “to begin the championship in Europe on 1 May”, which is the scheduled start of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, the first race after the long-haul events.

But F1, which controls the calendar, said in its statement that both organisations “expect to begin the championship in Europe at the end of May, but given the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in Europe in recent days, this will be regularly reviewed”.

That suggests a start date of the Monaco Grand Prix, which is currently scheduled for 22-24 May. In reality, neither may be possible and insiders say that in fact F1 is tentatively planning at this stage for the season to start with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on 7 June.

There will be a rejig of the calendar and an attempt to cram in as many of the postponed races as possible before the end of the year, although some will inevitably fall by the wayside.

And any start date depends on the progress of plans to control the spread of the coronavirus around the globe.

Green snatches five as Scorpions register big win

with an aggressive halfcentury, lasted just three balls this time around without scoring, perishing in the next over lbw to Mindley trying to work a length ball into the onside.

And West Indies legspinner Hayden Walsh, resuming on 18, made 35 off 66 balls with five fours and a six before edging an ambitious drive at Green into the lap of first slip.

With Hurricanes tottering on 154 for nine, Jeremiah Louis attempted to repeat his first innings heroics, lashing five fours and a six in an entertaining 23-ball 29.

But he perished in the same vein, skying a heave at Green to extra cover, where Alwyn Williams took a simple catch.

CMC – Seamer Derval Green notched his first five-wicket haul of the Regional Four-Day Championship as Jamaica Scorpions crushed Leeward Islands Hurricanes by an innings and 118 runs.

The visitors needed just 73 balls to bundle Hurricanes out for 183 in their second innings, after the hosts resumed Sunday’s final day of their eighth round encounter at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground on 134 for six.

Green finished with five for 75 while offspinner Jamie Merchant retained his overnight figures of three for 12 after not featuring on Sunday.

Fast bowler Marquino Mindley picked up another wicket to end with two for 49 and take his tally for the season to 24 from six matches.

Montcin Hodge, unbeaten overnight on 60, added a single run before becoming the day’s first casualty, caught at the wicket in the fifth over nicking a drive at a full length delivery from Green at 141 for seven.

Alzarri Joseph, top-scorer in the first innings

Fast bowler Derval Green.

MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD THAT HAVE BEEN HIT BY THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK: TENNIS

-- The ATP suspended its professional men’s tennis tour for six weeks after the Miami Open (March 23-April 5) was cancelled.

-- The Fed Cup finals (Budapest; April 14-19) were postponed.

-- The BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells was cancelled.

-- The WTA said its events in Mexico and Colombia in March and April would not be held. The Xi’an Open and Kunming Open had already been cancelled.

PENTATHLON

-- The rest of the modern pentathlon World Cup season has been postponed until May.

ROWING

-- Two World Rowing Cups and the European Olympic Qualification Regatta, all scheduled for Italy, were cancelled here

SAILING

-- SailGP has cancelled its San Francisco event scheduled for May 2-3.

TRIATHLON

-- The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has suspended all activity until April 30 including all events on the World Triathlon and Continental calendars.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 16, 2020

MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD THAT HAVE BEEN HIT BY THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK: OLYMPICS -- The Tokyo 2020 Olympics torch-lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia was held without spectators.

-- The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games flame handover in Athens next week will be done in an empty stadium.

-- The Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) suspended the remainder of the torch relay through the country to avoid attracting crowds.

OLYMPIC TRIALS -- U.S. Olympic trials for wrestling, originally scheduled for April 4-5 at Penn State University, were postponed.

-- U.S. Rowing postponed its Olympic team trials.

-- U.S. Olympic diving trials, scheduled for April 3-5 in Tucson, Arizona, were postponed. All USA Diving events postponed for next 30 days.

NORTH AMERICA -- The NBA has suspended its season.

-- The NHL has suspended its season.

-- The MLB will delay its 2020 season’s opening day of March 26 by at least two weeks. It said Spring Training camps were also suspended.

ATHLETICS

-- The World Athletics Indoor Championships (Nanjing, March 13-15) were postponed. They will be held in the same city from March 19-21, 2021.

-- The Paris and Barcelona marathons were postponed.

-- The London marathon, due to take place on April 26, was postponed to Oct. 4.

GOLF

-- The year’s first major, the Masters, has been postponed from April 9-12 to “some later date”.

-- The Players Championship in Florida was cancelled after the first round. The next three PGA events have also been scrapped.

-- The Honda LPGA Thailand event and the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore were cancelled.

-- The next three LPGA Tour events scheduled for Arizona and California have all been postponed.

-- The Indian Open, the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur and the China Open have all been postponed.

BASEBALL

-- The final qualification tournament in Taiwan for the Olympics was put back from April to June 17-21, while the March 22-26 qualification event in Arizona was postponed here -- Japan’s professional league postponed the start of the season.

CRICKET

-- The last two games of Australia’s three-match one-day series against New Zealand in Sydney and Hobart were cancelled.

-- Australia and New Zealand’s limited overs tours were postponed.

-- The start of the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament, scheduled for March 29, was postponed until April 15.

-- The cricket boards of India and South Africa agreed to reschedule a three-match one-day international series to a later date. The first match on March 12 was washed out.

-- England’s two-match test series in Sri Lanka scheduled to start on March 19 was postponed.

GYMNASTICS

-- The All-Around World Cup (Stuttgart; March 20-22) was cancelled.

MOTORSPORT

-- Formula One cancelled the Australian Grand Prix and postponed the next three races in Bahrain, Vietnam and China.

They hope to start the season in Europe at the end of May, putting the Dutch and Spanish races currently scheduled for May 3 and 10 in Zandvoort and Barcelona in doubt.

-- Four rounds of the MotoGP season in Qatar, Thailand, Texas and Argentina will not go ahead as scheduled.

-- NASCAR races at the Atlanta Motor Speedway (March 15) and Homestead-Miami Speedway (March 22) postponed.

-- Round four of the World Rally Championship in Argentina that was scheduled for April 23-26 has been postponed.

-- The World Rallycross Championship opener in Catalunya-Barcelona scheduled for April 18-19 has been postponed.

-- Rally Mexico was cut short after the second leg.

JUDO

-- The International Judo Federation cancelled all Olympic qualification events until the end of April.

SOCCER

-- All elite soccer matches in England, including the Premier League, Football League (EFL) and Women’s Super League (WSL), were suspended until April 4.

-- The German Football League called off matches scheduled for March 13-15 in the Bundesliga and second-tier Bundesliga 2. They recommended both leagues be suspended until April 2.

-- UEFA postponed all Champions League and Europa League matches due to take place this week.

-- The Confederation of African Football has postponed two rounds of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers scheduled for March 25-31.

-- CONCACAF suspended all competitions, including the Champions League and men’s Olympic qualifiers.

-- The top two tiers of French football — Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 — have been suspended.

-- All soccer matches in Spain’s top two divisions were postponed for two weeks.

-- England’s friendly internationals against Italy and Denmark at Wembley on March 27 and 31 will not take place.

-- U.S. Major League Soccer has suspended its season.

-- All soccer in the Netherlands was suspended until the end of March.

-- FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation have agreed to postpone Asian World Cup qualifying matches in March and June.

-- FIFA has postponed South American qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup between March 23-31.

-- Spain’s Copa del Rey final between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad (Seville; April 18) was postponed.

-- New seasons in the Chinese, Japanese and South Korean leagues were postponed.

-- A four-team event in Doha featuring Croatia, Portugal, Belgium and Switzerland (March 2630) was cancelled.

-- Tickets are not being sold for the Euro 2020 qualifying playoff semi-finals between Bulgaria and Hungary and Bosnia and Northern Ireland.

-- Asian Champions League: Matches involving Chinese clubs Guangzhou Evergrande, Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai SIPG were postponed. The start of the knockout rounds was moved back to September.

-- The Mexican soccer league, the Liga MX, said all matches in the top-flight Liga BBVW MX, the second tier Ascenso BBVA MX and women’s league Liga BBVA MX Feminil have been suspended until further notice.

-- The Brazilian football Confederation (CBF) suspended all national competitions until further notice, a ruling that affects the Brazilian Cup, the women’s first and second divisions, and two youth tournaments.

BASKETBALL

-- Euroleague Basketball suspended all 2019-20 EuroLeague, EuroCup and Euroleague Next Generation Tournament games.

CYCLING

-- Cycling’s governing body (UCI) plans to retroactively use March 3 as the cut-off point for Olympic qualification in mountain bike, BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle.

-- The final two stages of the UAE Tour were cancelled after two Italian participants tested positive.

-- The Paris-Nice cycling race ended a day early after the eighth stage into Nice was cancelled.

-- The Giro d’Italia, scheduled to start in Budapest, Hungary on May 9, has been postponed.

WINTER SPORTS

-- The International Ski Federation cancelled the final races of the men’s Alpine skiing World Cup. -- The World Cup finals in Cortina were cancelled along with the last three women’s races in Are. -- The women’s world ice hockey championships in Canada were cancelled.

-- The speed skating world championships in Seoul have been postponed until at least October.

-- The March 16-22 world figure skating championships in Montreal were cancelled.

ICE HOCKEY

-- The Swedish Ice Hockey Association (SIHA) is ending the 2019-20 season immediately, with no playoffs, no champions, no promotion and no relegation.

RUGBY

-- Four Six Nations matches were postponed.

-- The Singapore and Hong Kong legs of the World Rugby Sevens Series were postponed from April to October.

-- Rugby Europe announced a suspension of all its matches and tournaments from March 13-April 15.

-- France’s rugby federation has suspended all its competitions.

-- The Premiership Rugby Cup final on Sunday (March 15) has been postponed.

-- Super Rugby, rugby union’s club competition in the southern hemisphere, is suspending its season after this weekend’s games.

-- Rugby Australia (RA) locked down its headquarters to be disinfected after two members of the national rugby sevens programme were tested for the coronavirus.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

22

Italian football calls for postponement of Euro 2020 (BBC) - The Italian Football Federation has called for the postponement of Euro 2020 to give time to complete the Serie A season, which has been suspended because of coronavirus.

Federation president Gabriele Gravina says the idea will be put to Uefa at an emergency meeting on Tuesday.

Serie A was suspended last Tuesday, with Italy the European country worst affected by the virus.

“We will propose that Uefa postpone the European Championship,” Gravina said.

Speaking to television channel Sportmediaset, the Italian added: “We will try to get to the end of this championship [Serie A] because it is fairer and more correct after the many investments and sacrifices of our clubs.”

Uefa has invited representatives of its 55 member associations to Tuesday’s video conference meeting, with Euro 2020 due to take place from 12 June-12 July at venues across Europe.

The boards of the European Club Association and the European Leagues, and a representative of world players’ union Fifpro have also been invited and discussions will cover all domestic and European competitions, including the possible postponement of Euro 2020 by one year.

The Italian Football Federation had previously said the Serie A season may not be completed and offered alternatives including play-offs, not having a champion for 2019-20 or declaring the

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 16, 2020

current standings final.

Gravina now hopes the league could finish by 30 June, one month later than scheduled, but admitted it could be extended for another month and suggested players should not train at the moment.

“If the league were to resume at the beginning of May, I would leave the question of training for the moment,” he said.

“Let’s leave the boys at home, they have to recover physical and mental energy.”

On Sunday, Italy reported 368 more coronavirus deaths, a new one-day record in the country.

La Liga president Javier Tebas said he is “convinced” the Spanish top-flight season will finish.

The league was suspended on Thursday after the Real Madrid squad went into quarantine, while five Valencia players and staff have tested positive for coronavirus.

Spain is the second worst-hit country in Europe after Italy and is set to declare a national lockdown on Monday.

“I am convinced that we are going to end the season. We are working with other leagues to match dates,” Tebas told Cadena COPE. “I have had contacts with Italy, Germany. The approach for now is to see what happens on Tuesday with Euro 2020 and then decide.

“The news is to see how we finish the championship if there is no Euro because, if not, we are going to have serious problems.

“We must be in good health, which is the first thing, of course.

If the competitions are suspended, everything is reviewed and the income is much lower.

“All team budgets will be compromised if the competition is not over, but I am convinced that it will end.”

Juventus v Inter Milan was one of several Serie A games played behind closed doors before the league was suspendeda

Footballers treated as ‘guinea pigs’ -- Rooney

(BBC) - Wayne Rooney says the government and football authorities have treated footballers as “guinea pigs” during the coronavirus outbreak.

Elite football in Britain has been suspended until at least April 3, with the Premier League saying “conditions at the time” will determine its return.

“For players, staff and their families it has been a worrying week,” he said.

“One in which you felt a lack of leadership from the government and from the FA and Premier League.”

Writing in his column in the Sunday Times, the former England captain said: “The rest of sport - tennis, Formula 1, rugby, golf, football in other countries - was closing down and we were being told to carry on.

“I think a lot of footballers were wondering, ‘Is it something to do with money being involved in this?’. Why did we wait until Friday? Why did it take Mikel Arteta [Arsenal manager] to get ill for the game in England to do the right thing?

“After the emergency meeting, at last the right decision was made - until then it almost felt like footballers in England were being treated like guinea pigs.

“I know how I feel. If any of my family get infected through me because I’ve had to play when it’s not safe, and they get seriously ill, I’d have to think hard about ever playing again. I would never forgive the authorities.”

Now, 34 the former Everton and Manchester United player is just over two months into his time as a player-coach at Championship club Derby.

The Rams are currently five points off a play-off berth in the second tier with nine games of the season remaining, and Rooney believes there will have to be a radical restructure of the football calendar to allow fixtures to be fulfilled.

“We’re happy to play until September if the season extends to then, if that’s how it has to be. That’s our job,” Rooney added.

“As long as we know we’re safe to play and it’s a safe environment for spectators, we’ll play.

“The next World Cup is in November and December 2022, so you could actually use this situation as an opportunity and say we’re going to finish the 2019-20 season later this year, then prepare for 2022 by having the next two seasons starting in winter.”

Footballers’ messages of solidarity World greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have led the way as footballers have sent their thoughts and best wishes to the world at large during the coronavirus outbreak.

In a post on Instagram, Messi said: “They are complicated days for everyone.

“We live worried about what is happening and we want to help putting ourselves in the place of those who are having the worst of it, either because it directly affected them or their family and friends, or because they are working on the frontline to combat it in hospitals and health centres.

“I want to send a lot of strength to all of them. Health must always come first. It is an exceptional moment and you must follow the instructions of both health organisations and public authorities.

“Only in this way can we combat it effectively. It is the time to be responsible and stay at home, it is also perfect to enjoy that time with yours that you can not always have. A hug and hopefully we can turn this situation around as soon as possible.”

Wayne Rooney joined Derby in January after signing an 18-month deal

23

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 16, 2020

CWI Keeping close eye on UK amid coronavirus CMC – Cricket West Indies says it will continue to liaise with its counterparts, the England and Wales Cricket Board, over the upcoming Test tour as the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the United Kingdom’s sporting calendar.

West Indies are scheduled to tour England for Tests at the Oval and Lord’s in London and Edgbaston in Birmingham, all three fixtures scheduled during the month of June when the UK government expects the coronavirus outbreak to be at its peak.

The virus, known as COVID-19, has resulted in 1 140 UK infections and 21 deaths, and has already forced the suspension of major fixtures like the English Premier League and the London Marathon.

Further, the ECB last week recalled its side from the tour of Sri Lanka where they were scheduled to play two Tests later this month.

And though the ECB has made no formal statement on the Windies tour, CWI chief

executive Johnny Grave said the regional governing body would continue to monitor developments regarding the virus.

“It is [still on] at the moment but it’s a dynamic situation that is changing quite literally by the hour, so at the moment there’s been no announcement by the ECB about postponing any of their upcoming events,” Grave told CMC Sports.

“Albeit, the ICC (International Cricket Council) have cancelled the World Cup qualifiers which were due to take place in Malaysia and a number of the county clubs have cancelled their pre-season tours.”

He added: “At the moment it seems like they (ECB) are taking a sort of fourweek period where some events have been postponed or cancelled until mid-April.

“Our players are due to travel at the end of the April, so at the moment … it’s being closely monitored but at the moment we’ve had not reason to believe the England tour will be cancelled.”

West Indies are scheduled to undergo a

Pollard’s experience will benefit a ‘very talented’ WI team at T20 WC - Lara WEST Indies legend Brian Lara feels that the current team has the quality to be a top player in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia later this year, while stating that the experienced Kieron Pollard will get the best out of the power-packed outfit.

Pollard became the first cricketer to play 500 T20 games when he took the field in first of the two T20Is against Sri Lanka recently. Lara marvelled at the West Indies’ limited-overs captain’s achievement, and pinpointed his abilities as a leader which he feels will be crucial to the team’s success in the near future.

“It’s a tremendous achievement first of all to play so much T20 games, it’s unbelievable,” Lara told ESPNcricinfo. “Kieron Pollard has been around for quite some time. I remember his first game was 2007 for the World Cup. Obviously, he’s played a lot of franchise cricket around the world and I think the experience he has gained under different captains…he has captained teams in franchise cricket around the world, he brings a lot of experience.

“What he also has is cohesiveness in the bunch of players that he is in charge of. I think everyone respects him, which is important and he has a very good head on his shoulder. [He’s a] fair guy as well so I expect him to do very well for West Indies and I expect everyone to rally [around him]. The most important thing is a captain is as good as his team, and if he has support from his team - and a very talented team at that, especially in the T20 version of the game - I think he’s going to get the best out of them.”

As for the other established T20 greats in Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo, who alongside Pollard are the only players to have played more than 400 games, Lara feels that their performances in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League will play a key role in determining their selection to the West Indies squad for the T20 World Cup. Bravo had recently made a comeback to the West Indies team for the home series against Ireland, while Gayle’s last international

camp in England before playing tour matches against England Lions and Worcestershire at the end of May. They face England in the opening Test at Lord’s starting June 4, open the second Test at Edgbaston on June 12 before wrapping up the series at Lord’s in the final Test bowling off June 25.

The ECB last week conceded its summer schedule was being threatened by the outbreak but said it would continue to plan for all eventualities.

“It is difficult for us to be sure of what outcomes the game might be expected to deal with,” said ECB chief executive Tom Harrison.

“Therefore, we will continue to plan for a season that proceeds as normal, but in parallel prepare for a range of different scenarios. These could include the possibility of playing matches behind closed doors, or potentially postponing or cancelling elements of the season.”

Globally, cricket has already suffered

disruption, with the lucrative Indian Premier League delaying its start from March 29 until April 15 as a “precautionary measure”, India scrapping their ongoing ODI tour of South Africa and Australia and New Zealand also calling off their limited overs series Down Under.

CWI also announced bold measures on Saturday to combat the spread of the coronavirus in the Caribbean, suspending all its domestic fixtures for a minimum of 30 days, including the final two rounds of the first class championship.

The region, which has confirmed nearly 40 COVID-19 cases, could face further disruption with West Indies Women hosting South Africa in five ODIs from May 30 to June 10, and West Indies A taking on South Africa A in a series from June 10 to July 9.

West Indies men also host New Zealand in a limited overs series from July 8-19 and South Africa in a Test and T20 International series from July 15 to August 16.

KIERON POLLARD

appearance dates “I think the IPL is going to be a huge point or signal for who is actually going to carry on,” said Lara, who himself featured in five 50-over World Cups for West Indies. “It’s still going to be five months after the IPL for the World Cup. Fitness levels are very important, but a gruesome tournament like the IPL is going to tell the West Indies selectors who are the players that they really need going into the last four months of preparation for the World Cup.” West Indies are the only team to have won two T20 World Cup titles, in 2012 and 2016, and Lara further stated that Pollard-led side, with the quality of power-packed players in their ranks, will once again be a team to beat in the upcoming edition in Australia.

I don’t think we are going to be dark horses in the World Cup. I think everybody is going to look at the West Indies as the team to beat.

“Later in the year for the T20 World Cup I feel the kind of squad that we have - Hetmyer, Pooran, Pollard himself, Dwayne Bravo, I see Andre Russell is back, [Evin] Lewis, I think we’ve got a group of players in which anyone or two or three of them can turn things on and beat the best in the world at what they do. I think we’ve got a great chance and my biggest worry is that every other team will be worrying about the West Indies, and they’re going to put their best foot against the West Indies. And I hope that the guys are up for the challenge.

“I don’t think we are going to be dark horses in the World Cup. I think everybody is going to look at the West Indies as the team to beat.” (ICC Media Zone).

CWI Keeping close eye on UK amid coronavirus

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23

West Indies are scheduled to play one of their three Tests at Lord’s in June.

Zeeburg Sports Club whip La Grange All Star in latest WDCA T20 clash LED by an all-round performance from Yutesh Dhanpaul and half- centuries by Ronaldo Renee and Andre Seepersaud, the Zeeburg Sports Club were able to destroy the La Grange All Star by 173 runs in the latest fixture of the West Demerara Cricket Association (WDCA) President T20 clash, which was played yesterday at the Canal Number Two ground.

Zeeburg won the toss and opted to take first strike and it worked in their favour with their top order exploding with the bat.

Former national -19 cricketer Renee led the attack. He clobbered seven sixes and three fours in a top score of 73, while Seepersaud added 51 (2x4s, 5x6s). Dhanpaul and Malcolm Hubbard also batted themselves in.

Dhanpaul scored 44 (7x4s, 2x6s), while Hubbard added 43 (3x4s, 4x6s), which helped to propel the side to an imposing 270-5 from their allotted 20 overs.

In reply, La Grange All Star were restricted to 97 all out in 15.2 overs after Dhanpaul, with his off-spin and Bisram Thomas, with his medium pace, combined for six wickets.

Dhanpaul led the charge with 4-13, while Thomas bagged 2-20.

J. Ramroop with 30 and J. Mohabir with 20 were the main contributors for La Grange.

L-r: Ronaldo Renee (73 runs), Yutesh Dhanpaul (44 runs and 4-13) and Andre Seepersaud (51 runs) led Zeeburg SC. Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2020