Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_04_20_2020

MONDAY 20th April, 2020

No. 105975

‘Recount must comply with curfew’

– PM tells GECOM chair 03 Int’l observers must be subjected to 14-day quarantine

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Guyana records two new COVID-19 cases –– four persons in ICU, 49 in institutional quarantine

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Seventh COVID death is 02 visually-impaired Lindener PAGE

Orealla, Siparuta run low on fuel, food 04 PAGE

… as Suriname military restricts use of Corentyne River

Guyana, Suriname to discuss COVID-19 02 measures PAGE

Fully masked-up, police constables enforcing traffic regulations downtown Georgetown Sunday afternoon (Carl Croker photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 20, 2020

Guyana records two new –– four persons in ICU, 49 COVID-19 cases in institutional quarantine

By Navendra Seoraj

GUYANA has recorded two new cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease over the past 24 hours, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 65.

The country had also lost another life to the disease on Saturday, taking the number of deaths to seven.

According to the Ministry of Public Health, 322 persons have been tested so far for the disease of which 257 are negative and the remainder positive. Nine of the infected persons have since recovered and were medically cleared by health authorities.

As a containment measure, health authorities have placed 49 persons in institutional isolation, and 21 in quarantine. Additionally, four of the infected persons are being treated in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Globally, there are over two million cases of COVID-19, with over 150,000 deaths. And, with no approved treatment or cure, there is no assurance that persons will survive after contracting the disease. In the absence of approved medication, governments and authorities across the world have employed a number of preventative measures

to contain the spread of the disease.

Locally, the government had extended its emergency measures to combat the dreaded disease, with the imposition of a 12-hour curfew on citizens. These emergency measures were taken pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) (b) of the directions issued by the President, in accordance with the Public Health Ordinance, Cap. 145, and published in the Official Gazette, Legal Supplement B, on March 16, 2020.

The measures at reference took effect from April 3, 2020, and are expected to last one month, unless earlier terminated, extended or amended by notice of the Minister of Public Health, after an assessment of the prevailing public health conditions.

HELP ON THE WAY President David Granger, in an address to the nation last Saturday evening, said Guyana is in line to receive approximately 30,000 masks, a number of ventilators and other medical equipment from the People’s Republic of China, as it ups its fight against COVID-19. Added to that, the country has turned to the Government of India for financial assistance.

According to President Granger, the fight requires unprecedented expenditure and outlay of resources to enable identification and testing, isolation, protection and treatment.

These added resources will complement systems already in place to suppress the spread of the virus and provide appropriate medical attention.

As the country wages war against the deadly disease, the Head of State said the efforts of the country’s frontline workers, in particular those within the medical field, should not go unnoticed.

“I ask you… to think tenderly of our public health professionals and service providers; that is to say, our doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and all other supporting staff, medical and non-medical, who are providing the required care for those in distress,” President Granger said, adding: “Public health practitioners are on the frontline of protecting those stricken by the disease; they have been working tirelessly, through this very difficult situation, to provide quality healthcare to those who have been infected and afflicted. Everyone in the public health system has played a vital part in the fight against this disease.”

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the newly-discovered coronavirus.

The WHO said most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illnesses and recover without requiring special treatment. Older persons and those with underlying medical problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer, are more likely to develop serious illness.

The WHO believes that the best way to prevent and slow down transmission is to be well-informed about the virus, the disease it causes and how it is spread.

“Protect yourself and others from infection by washing your hands or using an alcohol-based rub frequently and not touching your face.

The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so it’s important that you also practise respiratory etiquette (for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow),” the WHO has advised.

Guyana, Suriname to discuss COVID-19 measures THE livelihoods of Guyanese living along Corentyne River as well as health, security and immigration issues are among the topics which will be discussed when the Governments of Guyana and Suriname meet today to discuss COVID-19 measures.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, officials from the two countries will meet virtually today at

10:00hrs. The meeting is to explore cooperation on measures to address the Coronavirus pandemic.

According to the press statement, both Guyana and Suriname have closed their borders as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. “This has impacted the ability of residents of riverain communities on the west bank of the Corentyne to traverse

the river to secure much needed fuel and supplies,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

It was noted that as a consequence, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) assessed the situation and has already put a number of systems in place for relief to be given to the communities. The livelihoods of these residents are also expected to be addressed during the meeting.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that since March 30, 2020 when the Surinamese government implemented COVID-19 lockdown, persons living at the villages of Orealla and Siparuta have been unable to use the river to get to the business district at Corriverton.

As such supplies have been running low at the two villages.

Visually impaired Lindener identified as seventh COVID-19 victim THE deadly novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease has claimed the life of 49-year-old Sydney “Jacket” Trellis, making him the seventh Guyanese (locally) to succumb to the dreaded disease.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that Trellis, a resident of Wismar Housing Scheme, Linden, died on Saturday evening, while receiving treatment in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Trellis, who was visually impaired, became the first person from Linden to test positive for the COVID-19 disease.

Linden has since recorded another case of the disease, but the Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) authorities have taken steps to contain the spread of the disease.

Medical Superintendent

of the Linden Hospital Complex, Dr. Joseph London, had said that Region 10 continues to have an aggressive approach to the disease, stressing that all required protocols and actions are being taken as they seek to protect and safeguard residents within the region.

“We are monitoring, we are evaluating, and we are keeping a close eye out as we recognise that we need to remain proactive so as to ensure that all remain safe within Region 10. We are appealing to all to remain at home as it is the safest way to protect one’s self while we would like all to know that, from a health position, we are continuing to work to ensure that we safeguard the region as best as we can,” said Dr. Joseph in a past report.

Dr London declared that persons should pay heed to

the advisory from the regional health authorities and, more so, the Ministry of Public Health warning that COVI19 is not a joke and should not be treated as a light or unimportant matter.

He said that should people increase the urgency and vigilance towards the disease, it would aid in curbing the increase, adding that the lives they save may just be theirs.

Locally, health authorities have tested 322 persons so far for COVID-19, and the results showed that 257 persons were negative and 65 were positive. Nine of the infected persons have so far recovered. As a containment measure, health authorities have placed 49 persons in institutional isolation and 21 persons in quarantine.

Guyana Chronicle had reported that the COVID-19

disease has proven to be a “real killer,” especially in cases involving persons who have co-morbidities. This was according to doctors of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

At that time, Guyana had recorded six deaths due to the COVID-19 disease and while the loss of life is never pleasant, doctors had said most of the persons who died, had co-morbidities.

In medicine, comorbidity is defined as the presence of one or more additional conditions co-occurring with a primary condition; in the countable sense of the term, a co-mobidity is each additional condition.

“Most of the people who passed, have [sic] co-morbidities…some had diabetes, hypertension, asthma and one of them even had severe pneumonia, which, without

COVID, can also cause death….These, coupled with the complications related to COVID-19 can be dangerous,” said Head of the Department of Internal Medicine at GPHC, Dr. Genellys Camps, during an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle.

Among the persons who lost their lives to the deadly disease was local Drag Racer, Deryck Jaisingh, called ‘Mad Dog.’ It was reported that Jaisingh was also being treated for malaria and reports are that he was diabetic. Guyana’s first COVID-19 victim, 52-year-old Ratna Baboolall was also hypertensive and a diabetic. Jermaine Ifill, an emergency medical technician (EMT), who had also succumbed to the dreaded COVID-19 disease, was also being treated for pneumonia.

Two other persons who

Sydney ‘Jacket’ Trellis died from the disease were OSA Collins, a 78-year-old resident of New Amsterdam and 77-year-old Colonel, John Percy Leon Lewis.

The World Health Organization (WHO) had said that 81 per cent of persons who contract COVID-19, will have mild symptoms while 14 per cent will have severe symptoms and five per cent will need intensive care.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 20, 2020

Recount must be done within the ambit of the curfew

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– PM tells GECOM

–– says int’l observers must be subjected to 14-day quarantine

By Lisa Hamilton THE National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) has decided that the pending national recount must be conducted within the COVID-19 curfew hours, and international observers coming to the country must submit themselves to a 14-day quarantine at a government institution.

The Task Force has also requested that GECOM allows four technical experts of the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) to conduct a site visit to the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) – where the recount will take place – to assess whether distancing arrangements conform to the established COVID-19 guidelines and the published Order.

EXECUTIVE DECISION NON-NEGOTIABLE These decisions were relayed by Head of the NCTF, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, to the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, on Saturday. However, it was brought to the public’s attention on Sunday, through the Prime Minister’s weekly column, ‘My Turn’.

Justice Singh had written to the NCTF in request of: a recommended time at which the daily recount exercise should end; the number of persons who should be safely accommodated at the recount venue and the required protocols for quarantining persons coming from abroad, and who were invited to be part of the recount process.

The NCTF was established by President David Granger, as a means to better coordinate government’s action plan in response to COVID-19. It led to the implementation of several emergency measures which include a 6:00pm to 6:00am curfew, a ban on international travel and the mandatory closure of non-essential businesses.

The Prime Minister said in his column that there has been no politicising of the coronavirus pandemic by the Task Force but noted that “the recount will take place during a pandemic when there are in effect restrictive emergency measures, similar to those in all other countries that are

itself has already suggested that while some CARICOM representatives could be physically present, others could be virtually present via streaming.

The Caribbean Community

Government-nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander battling COVID-19”.

He stated further: “We may have our diverse and differing political views on the no-confidence motion, the incomplete electoral processes and, even, our preferences as to the outcomes. But one thing ought to be absolutely clear: there is established under our Constitution a President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, ‘who shall be Head of State, the supreme executive authority, and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the Republic’. In the present circumstances where the Constitution is the supreme law, this dispensation remains immutable and non-negotiable.”

GRANT SPECIAL PROVISION The Commission had long agreed that the presence of COVID-19 in Guyana would affect the logistics of the national recount. However, the Opposition and Opposition-nominated Commissioners were not pleased with the response of the Task Force especially as

it relates to restrictions to the COVID-19 curfew and the mandatory quarantining of international observers.

Regarding the latter, GECOM has re-invited the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to validate the recount process after the previous high-level team withdrew from the process on March 17, 2020, after it was beset by several legal interventions.

Opposition-nominated Commissioner Sase Gunraj believes that NCTF is working to jeopardise the process with the mandatory 14-day quarantine measure.

“I recognise the seriousness of COVID-19 and seek in no way to trifle with this.

But isn’t the resolution of our electoral process by providing credible results to our nation equally important?” he questioned on social media on Sunday.

He added: “I always believed that efforts would be made to stymie CARICOM’s involvement in observation and oversight of the recount. This is evidenced by the delay occasioned to facilitate initiation of the Court proceedings, fumigation of the venue and now this!”

Regarding the national curfew, he argued that “many other activities [are] being condoned at all ungodly hours during this curfew period” which begs the question why the Commission cannot be granted special provision.

Opposition-nominated Commissioner Sase Gunraj GLOBAL BEST PRACTICES On the flip side, Government-nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander, on Sunday, told Guyana Chronicle on the matter of the mandatory 14-day period, that this should not result in debate at the Commission as the Task Force is being guided by health experts and international best practices.

“This is an international best-practice in the face of COVID and I don’t see why Guyana should be different.

It’s in the interest of the people coming, it’s in the interest of the people they have to interface with, it is the best in our circumstance,” he said.

Countries with mandatory 14-day quarantine mea-

Head of the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF), Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo sures upon re-entry include Chile, Costa Rica, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Ghana, Vietnam, Australia, Uruguay, New Zealand, Israel, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Serbia (28 days), Turkey, Ukraine, Uganda and several others.

In the Caribbean, Anguilla, Barbados, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis and others either have mandatory 14day quarantine for all visitors or those coming from specific countries.

The 17 Guyanese who arrived from Barbados on a chartered flight in March were also subjected to a 14-day quarantine by local health authorities.

This aside, some persons have suggested testing the CARICOM officials as soon as they enter the country and Alexander said that such a decision must be made by the Task Force. Until then, he said, persons must respect the view of health experts as opposed to public opinion.

Even so, he said that the alternative has long been put forward at the level of the Commission that if the CARICOM team cannot come from outside of the country, that a team of CARICOM officials be sourced from the CARICOM Secretariat located in Georgetown.

Added to this, Commissioner Alexander said that the CARICOM Secretariat

RECOUNT COULD TAKE A MONTH Meanwhile, the advice to the Commission laid out by the Prime Minister from the NCTF, with respect to the curfew, disclosed that the GECOM Chair had her sights set on a 10-hour work schedule.

Government-nominated Commissioner, Vincent Alexander, told the newspaper, on Sunday, that it was based on the directive now received from the NCTF that GECOM had intended to confirm a final time period for work schedule.

With the GECOM Chair deciding that there will be no more than 10 workstations at the recount centre, due to the threat of COVID-19 and the now disclosed 10-hour work schedule, Alexander estimates that the total recount could take a little over 30 days.

In contrast, the Opposition has proposed a 10- to 14-day recount period and has been lobbying for the same for weeks.

There seems to be no issue between the Opposition-nominated Commissioners or Government-nominated commissioners with the NCTF’s request for PHEOC to conduct a site visit to the recount centre to determine whether social distancing standards are being met.

Alexander said that when the Commission convenes its next meeting today, hopefully decisions will be made on a commencement date, the expected duration of the recount and any outstanding matters.

He said: “Now that we know those things we can start. We couldn’t start without knowing those things…we need to get this exercise done as quickly as possible and people need to stop putting up barricades in moving forward and then blaming GECOM.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 20, 2020

Orealla, Siparuta run low on fuel, food …Suriname military restricts use of Corentyne River

By Alva Solomon RESIDENTS of the indigenous villages of Orealla and Siparuta on the Corentyne River are on edge, as fuel, food and other supplies are running low, following an order by the Surinamese military, prohibiting them from utilising the river to travel to Corriverton.

The river is the only means of travel to and from Corriverton, the closest business district to the two riverside villages.

Reports are that since March 30, 2020, the authorities in Par-

amaribo have restricted travel along the river, as part of nationwide measures, in light of COVID-19.

In a prepared statement, the Orealla Village Council informed residents, over the weekend, that the border between Guyana and Suriname has been closed, due to lockdown measures implemented by Paramaribo.

“They have deployed their military along the river. Our boats are prevented from travelling to and from Corriverton.

Hence we are locked down here,

The waterfront at Orealla. (Delano Williams photo)

no road to anywhere. At present stocks in our shops are very low,” the statement read.

It was noted that the village has run out of fuel for its generator set and mechanical water-pump. In addition, residents were informed that the generators for the telecommunications tower of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) are in need of required maintenance and as such, the village feared that communication would be

cut-off if technicians are not able to travel to the area.

Toshao of Orealla, Carl Peneux, told the Guyana Chronicle, on Sunday afternoon, that two boats from the villages are set to leave for Corriverton today for supplies. But he noted that the arrangement remains tentative as the authorities in Suriname have not finalised the granting of permission for villagers to use the river.

“We have an issue of not

Monday, April 20, 03:30hrs - 05:00 hrs

being able to travel on the river, but we are trying to get permission for two of our boats to go out tomorrow [Monday] morning,” he said.

PENSIONERS, TIMBER, PINEAPPLE BUSINESSES AFFECTED The village council informed residents that most of the pensioners have not received their pensions for March and April 2020. “We want these pensions to be paid in the villages, the pensioners must not go to Corriverton to be exposed to the coronavirus,” the council said.

Residents of the village depend on logging as a means of earning an income. It was noted, by the village council, that, with the restrictions placed on the use of the river by Suriname, logging and lumber businesses at the village have grinded to a halt. “For over a month we have had over 300 logs which cannot be sold and shipped to Crabwood Creek. The same goes for our chain-saw milled lumber,” the village council said.

Orealla is known for its pineapples, and, according to the village council, pineapple farmers have now started to reap for the season. “These pines cannot be marketed in Corriverton or elsewhere on the coast because we are locked down here. We just can’t use the river,” the village body said.

NO FISHING According to a resident of Orealla, boats from the area would venture out into the river as persons would go to hunt and catch fish to feed their fam-

ilies. However, this has been “banned” by the Suriname soldiers, a resident said on Sunday, noting that the soldiers would patrol the river daily.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that three boats left the area for Corriverton on Tuesday; two from Orealla and another from Siparuta on Wednesday.

Reports are that on Wednesday, the Surinamese soldiers stopped the boat from Siparuta as it neared Corriverton and informed the captain that he must return to the village as he had no permission to be on the river with passengers.

The Suriname soldiers then forced the passengers to disembark the boat as it neared Crabwood Creek while the captain and boathand were ordered to return to Siparuta. The passengers were left stranded in Corriverton, a resident said.

“We are not going over to Suriname, we are going on our side to Corriverton because we need food and other goods,” the resident noted, while adding “we are running out of supplies and people are panicking and all of that.”

Reports are that the Ministry of Social Protection has been apprised of the issue and residents were told that permission for residents to utilise the Corentyne River on Fridays is being pursued by the authorities, through the National Covid-19 Task Force.

Ownership of the Corentyne River has been a longstanding issue between Guyana and Suriname. Suriname has claimed the river as its territory, and, over the years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guyana, was forced to make public statements on the issue, after military personnel from that country stopped or boarded Guyanese boats operating on the river. “We know it is a problem, but we are convinced that there are possibilities to address the border issue without considering the river as something that separates us, but rather be seen as something that unites us,” President Granger said on the subject of the border controversy back in July 2016 during a state visit to Suriname.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 20, 2020

Coronavirus: Little Mix and Tom Jones in Together At Home concert (BBC) Sir Tom Jones and Little Mix are among the UK artists featuring in a British version of the star-studded One World: Together At Home concert.

The event has already been shown online and on US TV with the aim of celebrating healthcare workers working through the coronavirus pandemic.

BBC One is broadcasting a British edition with extra performances and stories about UK front-line staff.

The stars filmed themselves singing in their own - mostly luxurious - homes.

Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, the Rolling Stones and

Coldplay’s Chris Martin appeared in the main concert on US TV, and are also in the UK version.

Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift are among the US stars in both.

The BBC One edit, which is presented by Dermot O’Leary, Clara Amfo and Claudia Winkleman, also includes additional performances from Rag ‘N’ Bone Man, George the Poet and The Kingdom Choir.

Ellie Goulding and Jess Glynne have offered different songs for the UK and US versions.

Little Mix performed their hit Touch, and singer Perrie Edwards

said she hoped fans were “being positive during this weird, weird time”.

She said: “I think we can all agree that the love that we feel for the NHS staff at this time and the key workers, doctors, nurses, carers, retail workers, postmen, waste collectors, the list goes on and on.

“You all deserve such a huge thank you and we appreciate you so, so, so much. Everybody please take care of yourselves, take care of your loved ones, stay home, save lives, protect the NHS.” ‘True heroes’ Sir Paul called healthcare workers “the true heroes” of the crisis, and remembered his mother

Mary, who was a nurse during World War Two. “Let’s tell our leaders that we need them to strengthen the healthcare systems all round the world so that a crisis like this never happens again,” he said before launching into Lady Madonna.

Although the show has been dubbed the “lockdown Live Aid”, the stars weren’t asking viewers to donate to charity.

Instead, Global Citizen, the organisation that put the show together with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Lady Gaga, said “world leaders, corporate partners and philanthropists” had pledged $127m (£100m)

Griffith warns COVID Stay Home abusers again (TRINIDAD GUARDIAN) “Stay home or I will make your life very uncomfortable.”

This was the warning issued by Police Commissioner Gary Griffith on Saturday, as he urged citizens to adhere to the regulations set out in the Public Ordinance Act under the Stay-at-Home order currently in effect across T&T. While admitting there is no curfew in place limiting one’s movements, Griffith urged people to listen to the authorities regarding non-essential travel to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Saying he has a few options which he is not afraid to use to compel people to remain at home, Griffith assured that any action they embark upon will be within legal parameters.

However, he signalled to the population, “If you are not an employee of an essential business and you are not going to utilise an essential good or service, stay home to avoid all complications.”

Asked if the police could charge people for breaching these regulations, Griffith said there were several laws under which he could act.

He reminded, “There were people who felt the police did not have the authority to do anything to break up COVID-19 parties by persons doing whatever they wanted on their private property, and I had to explain that the powers that people did not think I

have, I do have it and I would use it.”

He said it was a similar situation when he advised the TTPS had the authority to shut down supermarkets and banks if people did not adhere to the social distancing protocols.

“There are certain laws that I will just have to dust off as they are on the shelf, but there are laws I can and will use if it is required to ensure my responsibility as the Commissioner of Police to maintain law and order and ensure persons adhere to the policies as dictated by the Government pertaining to COVID-19,” he said.

Under Section 133 of the Public Health Ordinance, Griffith can order the closure of a particular business if people outside them fail to adhere to the protocols outlined.

Referring to the traffic congestion on the nation’s roads between Wednesday and Friday last week, Griffith said this was evidence of a relaxing of personal restrictions by citizens.

On Friday, officers conducted several road exercises and stopped 5,525 vehicles which were occupied by some 9,825 people. Scores of those people were turned back after excuses such as going to sell a dog or going to meet a significant other.

Griffith said from 2 pm on Friday there was a 90 per cent reduction in traffic in comparison to the same period of the previous week, which means that persons can

adhere to the measure. He said between Tuesday to Thursday last week, however, “it was almost like things were back to normal where everybody was back out on the streets.”

“I would put systems in place and that can make things very difficult for persons,” he reiterated.

“There would be continuous roadblocks. You would not know when it is going to happen, so to avoid you being inconvenienced and probably having to turn back, being thoroughly questioned and interrogated by the police as they have the authority to do…to avoid all of that happening, stay home.”

He made it clear he was not referring to people who had exceptional circumstances.

“The vast majority of cars on the road is because of persons dropping the ball, becoming complacent and not adhering to their responsibility, so I will give them the responsibility by force, by enforcing what is within my authority as the Commissioner of Police,” he said, noting Friday’s action was to reinforce the call for persons to stay at home.

Moving forward, he added, “You will be asked to justify being out and I would have avenues that could make it very uncomfortable for individuals, don’t do it. Everything I am doing is within the law.”

during the event to support health workers.

As well as raising funds and celebrating front-line staff, the broadcast gave viewers a glimpse into the homes of pop and rock superstars - from Taylor Swift’s floral wallpaper to Sir Elton John’s basketball hoop and US singer Charlie Puth’s unmade bed.

The Rolling Stones managed to play together from four separate locations - although drummer Charlie Watts did not appear to have a drum kit in his house.

Instead, he banged on flight cases and the arm of a sofa for their rendition of You Can’t Always Get What You Want.

Church group prays outside Couva Hospital for COVID-19 patients (TRINIDAD GUARDIAN) The faithful in Christ are calling on God to rid T&T of the COVID-19 virus.

On Sunday, members of Kingdom Wealth International of the Foundation of Christ gathered outside the Couva Hospital housing COVID-19 patients. The small group chanted and prayed for the sick and all the people of T&T. Spokesperson and organiser for the group, Tricia Herreira, said those assembled are employed with a forex trading company.

“God gave me a vision to let people come together and pray virtually via Zoom,” she explained. “God has given us a vision that prayer could change everything and last week, He gave us a vision to go by the churches and start praying, because the church needs to come out and realize there is power in prayer, there is power in the name of Jesus and there is nothing that God cannot break.”

She added: “In the Bible it says ‘if My People who are called by My Name will humble themselves, turn from their wicked ways and pray’, God says He will heal our land. That is what we are doing—we are coming here humbly before God, so that He will heal our land.”

Tricia Herreira said Sunday’s rains were a sign of blessings: “We believe after today that we will see more and more people being released from the hospital here, being healed and being released from the coronavirus.”

Herriera said the group was not hassled by the security, soldiers and other authorities when they asked to pray. Herriera called on all pastors to come out and heal the nation in the name of Jesus.

She said in the coming days, the group plans to pray in front of all the facilities that house COVID-19 patients

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 20, 2020

The recount is not a beauty contest to affirm the PPP’s distortion

IT is now abundantly clear that the PPP never intended to have an honest recount of the votes cast at the March 2 general and regional elections. In the first instance, that party never intended to have an honest election period. From the no-confidence motion to the voters list to the count of the votes, the PPP had a well-crafted plan to steal the elections right under the noses of unsuspecting observers. All along they used the judicial branch of government as cover for their sinister plan. They also enlisted the help of sections of the private media, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and other prominent individuals in their elaborate scheme to rob the Guyanese people of their innocence.

As with such scenarios, it took the rest of the country a little while to realise what was being done in their name and to their country. From the moment of May 2015, the PPP set about to reclaim what they think is their birthright. While the coalition was busy trying to clean up the mess they inherited, the PPP was equally busy plotting the coup that only became evident on that shocking night in December 2018. The coalition fought back, but the plot was already thick. Perhaps what fooled the rest of the country was the mask of democracy which the PPP at all times brandished as authentic democracy.

When on March 4, they didn’t get their way, they resorted to naked violence at GECOM’s command centre. The brazen hooliganism was as surprising as it was vile. GECOM had

to fight against the thuggery of a group of people who were prepared to destroy their country in their quest for power. Ever since then, they have targeted that body for a persistent diet of intimidation. As one commentator opined in this publication, they have held a gun to GECOM’s head.

How can one speak of free and fair elections when one side is instilling fear in the umpires? This is the fundamental question of now? GECOM has been playing by the rules; the coalition has been following best practices, but the PPP and their acolytes in so-called civil society and the new parties have been breaking all the rules and norms of democratic engagement. They ordered violence against children on March 6; they exploited the unfamiliarity of foreign observers with the local dynamics; they manipulated the judicial process; and worst of all, they have encouraged the curse of sanctions on their country if they do not prevail.

Now we come to the recount. Jagdeo and the other PPP leaders are kicking and screaming for the recount to be hastily done. They have cited the pending deadline for convening parliament as the reason for the haste. But as Attorney General Basil Williams has pointed out, there is no threat of constitutional crisis if the recount is not completed by April 30. The only crisis that threatens on April 30 is the one the PPP plans on that date. It would not be surprising if the PPP were to call out their goons on that day to assault the peace. It would not be

surprising if they again invade GECOM’s counting centre to stop the recount. Nothing is beyond this group.

These are desperate times for a desperate party which is prepared to destroy the fabric of our society in their quest to dominate Guyana. We must be resolute in the face of this naked political aggression . GECOM must be protected. Our Guyana must be protected. In the moment of COVID-19 the citizens must be protected from the bigger plague in the form of a rampaging cabal which stops at nothing. The state must protect the nation; the real rule of law must stand up and be counted.

This publication stands in solidarity with GECOM for doing what is right and necessary. We stand on the side of transparency, no matter if it takes a little longer than usual. There is a lot at stake. Whatever happens we must get the recount right.

Why have a recount if it’s just a beauty contest to affirm the PPP’s distorted beauty? No, we must not surrender another inch to those who have taken advantage of the political maturity of the Guyanese people and the coalition partners.

They have manipulated our institutions enough. They have poured scorn on suggestions for national reconciliation. They have threatened mayhem if they lose. They have gone way too far across the line. The pending recount is not a beauty contest to affirm their distortions. It is a serious exercise meant to affirm Guyana’s electoral and political integrity

Bruce Golding’s credibility was destroyed in the Dudus Coke fiasco Dear Editor, A JAMAICAN politician has labelled head of the Organization American States (OAS) observer mission to Guyana, former Jamaica Prime Minister Bruce Golding, “a panhandler with no decency or integrity who will sell his mother for a small change.”

The former Jamaican Member of Parliament was at the time reacting to criticism Golding has received from Guyanese who have accused him of parroting the position of Guyana’s Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, in Guyana’s ongoing election saga.

Golding has admitted that Jagdeo is his longtime friend. Jagdeo, who is widely viewed in the Caribbean Region as corrupt, has challenged the results of Guyana’s March 2, 2020 general and regional elections.

The results announced by the elections commission show a win for the ruling APNU+AFC coalition. Jagdeo has however claimed that his opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) won the elections and has demanded a recount. Currently, the Guyana

Elections Commission (GECOM) and the political parties are locked in a battle over modalities for a recount of all ballots, which, many legal experts say, may be unconstitutional.

A May 15, 2020 recount agreement between CARICOM, President David Granger and Jagdeo, which called for CARICOM to supervise the recount process, was last week tossed out by the Guyana Court of Appeal. The High Court ruled that the CARICOM arrangement was unconstitutional because GECOM cannot transfer supervision of an election to anyone or entity.

Golding has been openly supportive of Jagdeo and his PPP party. He has joined with Jagdeo to call for GECOM to remove individuals, whom Jagdeo say are “partisans,” from its employment.

Golding was Prime Minister of Jamaica from September 2007 to October 2011. However, politicians in Jamaica are shocked that Golding has been portraying himself as a stalwart of democracy and rule of law. “Bruce has no integrity or moral authority to speak on any matter of importance

here in Jamaica. No one will listen.

We here are surprised about his pronouncements on Bolivia and Guyana. It’s a total joke,” said a political observer in Jamaica.

Golding’s political career came to an end after he was forced to resign in disgrace in 2011. His resignation was triggered by a leaked US law enforcement surveillance audio recording. The spy tapes revealed that Golding and his government were in bed with infamous drug kingpin, Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke. Coke was a criminal, drug lord and gang leader from the Jamaican ghetto area of Tivoli Gardens in South Kingston, Jamaica -- a part of Golding’s parliamentary constituency. Golding also faced devastating allegations of corruption, including receiving bribes from the drug kingpin in exchange for protection. Observers have likened Golding’s relationship with Coke to that of Jagdeo and his former PPP government’s alliance with convicted Guyanese criminal and narco-trafficker Roger Khan.

Members of Golding’s Jamaican Labour Party (JLP) forced him out of office when Jamaicans

discovered that, not only was he in bed with criminals, but had bitterly fought a US extradition request for “Dudus Coke.” Golding was so determined to protect the drug kingpin, who had allegedly been buttering his hand, that he orchestrated his government’s hiring of a Washington DC lobbying firm to pressure the US government to drop Coke’s extradition request.

The Jamaica Gleaner reported that “Golding resisted Coke’s extradition for nine months, arguing that the US indictment on gun and drug-trafficking charges relied on illegal wiretap evidence.” This caused critics to accuse Golding of attempting to usurp the authority of the courts.

Golding’s spirited defence of Coke severely “strained relations with Washington, which questioned Jamaica’s reliability as an ally in the fight against drug trafficking. When Golding finally agreed to send Coke to the US, a hunt for the fugitive led to days of fighting in May 2010 that killed at least 73 civilians and three security officers. Coke was captured about a month later,” the Gleaner reported.

Golding has been accused of having blood on his hands.

With his integrity in tatters and a reputation for having greased hands, some Jamaicans are now speculating whether Golding has found himself in an inducement arrangement with Jagdeo, which has bought his bias against Guyana’s ruling APNU+AFC coalition. Dr. Peter Phillips, Jamaica’s opposition leader and political leader of the People’s National Party (PNP), has said that “the Coke saga was one of the bloodiest episodes in Jamaica’s recent history.”

Bruce Golding’s “credibility was destroyed in the Christopher Coke fiasco,” Phillips said.

Now that Golding’s reputation has suffered another blow with allegations that he has been compromised, some Jamaicans are calling for him to disclose the sources of his finances.

Regards Pamela Maynard (Ms. Pamela Maynard is a freelance journalist and photographer based in the Cayman Islands and Jamaica)

7

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday April 20, 2020

‘Moon does run til day ketch am’ – PPP/C backpedalling on national recount is revealing Dear Editor GUYANESE from all walks of life, at home at abroad, members and supporters of all political parties, even the apolitical welcomed the national recount agreement between His Excellency President David A. Granger and Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo. I rather suspect too that after CARICOM was invited to “supervise” and to be signatory of the agreement with GECOM and the two aforementioned leaders, Guyanese and Caribbean persons were even more elated. The enthusiasm of Guyanese soon dissipated after the High Court ruled in the Ulita Moore injunction matter, that proceeding with the national recount would be unconstitutional and illegal since the agreement

transferred the supervision of the recount from GECOM to CARICOM. GECOM is the only authority under Guyana’s Constitution that is allowed to manage Guyana’s electoral system which includes undertaking and overseeing vote tabulation. Further, the High Court ruled that the recount must be undertaken in keeping with Guyana’s Constitution, GECOM’s statutory responsibilities outlined therein and the country’s electoral laws.

Soon after the High Court ruling, the CARICOM team departed Guyana. While speaking to the media, Prime Minister of Barbados – Mia Mottley - famously remarked that “there are forces in Guyana that do not want a recount.” On April 3, 2020, the GECOM commissioners along with its chairperson agreed to pro-

ceed with the national recount. On April 2, 2020, Mr. Gerry Gouevia of the Private Sector Commission released to the public a letter he wrote, purportedly on behalf of the commission (several PSC members have since publicly distanced themselves from the letter drafted and signed by Mr. Gouevia without first consulting members of the PSC. In the days and weeks following the agreement by GECOM to proceed with the national recount, Guyanese began to observe that the PPP/C along with its proxy parties (ANUG, LJP, TNM etc.) began suggesting several conditionalities for the previously agreed national recount. Guyanese even read letters dispatched to the media by the OAS, Commonwealth Observer Mission and Carter Centre, all of

which sought to cast aspersions on the national recount and dictate to GECOM how the recount should happen, who should be involved as observers and which GECOM officials should and should not be present during the recount.

To date, Guyanese have seen the PPP/C and its proxies attempt to derail the national recount by questioning the credibility of the process using the following tactics: (1) After agreeing to a national recount, the PPP/C then began backpedalling on its agreement. First, through the PSC, Gerry Gouevia said that a national recount is “a waste of time” and that GECOM should only recount Region Four, something that was done twice already, (2) the PPP now wants the observer groups – the same

international observer groups who have been clearly compromised and who’s actions in no small manner, contributed to the chaos that ensued inside and around the GECOM Command Centre, not just the OAS should be invited to help oversee the national recount, not just CARICOM (the proverbial hmmm?), (3) at least three GECOM officials should not take part in the recount, (4) the recount should commence with Region Four first, instead of in numerical order or simultaneously and (5) the recount should be completed in 12 days (this is impossible, the recount stemming from the disputed and illegal 1997 elections took 70 days).

Regards R. Chung-A-On

Let’s resort to the final report Dear Editor,

THE Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has finally made her electronically communicated decision for a recount of the March 2, 2020 declared election results, using no more than 10 workstations.

However, a starting date for the proposed recount was not yet provided. As suspected and anticipated, the PPP and its aligned and allied cronies have started griping.

Once again, while I hold no esteemed position, affiliation or legal accolade, it is strongly opined that our pursuit of this type of pre-emptive approach to an election petition contravenes our laws. We will pardon our leaders for acknowledging that this proposal was an obvious oversight on their part, and that we should resort to what governs the electoral process. However, to continue with this chaotic experiment may lead us into the deepest regret to face this land.

With the new wave of opposition to the GECOM Chair’s recount decision, it is clearer to see that there will never be consensus on anything that is not the pure dictates of the PPP. The Chair may now adopt the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)’s final report for the March 2, 2020

declared election results, since all efforts to resolve the impasse in a fair and unbiased manner have failed. GECOM has a fundamental role and responsibility. GECOM’s final task has been held in abeyance by the Chair. The Chair should have no obligation to any political party or leader. The Chair should NOT allow her function to be influenced nor compromised by opinions, personal or private deliberations of any contesting political party, or parties. The Chair is our umpire, and although reviews are helpful, that Chair must act in a ‘Fit and Proper’ manner that reflects the desires of those who crafted our electoral laws.

The Chair should act within her constitutional mandate on what is before her – that final report.

An election petition should be the way to go if the elections, which were deemed free and fair up to the point of declarations, are sighted as having controversial results.

We should be cognisant that those who are constantly crying ‘wolf’ seem to be the most recalcitrant and a guilty of the very things they gripe about.

A few days after the General Elections (GE), the presidential candidate of the People’s Republican Party (PRP) –- A professed God-fearing party -- made a startling confession. Rev. Pastor Phyllis Jordan confessed before the Lord

and the Guyanese nation that a leading political party had furnished the PRP with a spreadsheet of the GE results that conflicted with those of original Statements of Poll (SOPs) from her party’s agents. It is widely suspected that the PRP was supplied with those conflicting totals by the PPP, since the APNU+AFC denied doing so.

Madam Jordan’s confession was a timely revelation that exposed the PPP’s crude account of results, which varied from those that supported GECOM’s official declarations obtained from original SOPs. If intelligence received after the close of polls on March 2, 2020 are anything to go by, spreadsheet results similar to those given to the PRP were also supplied to the plethora of other small parties that contested ‘in only some regions’ of the GE, and persons associated with leading foreign Heads of Mission stationed in Guyana.

There have been numerous complaints, allegations and reports that the PPP and their surrogates have systematically reproduced conflicting SOPs and summary of total votes, in their attempt to create doubt, confusion, and besmirch the official SOPs and final declarations for each administrative region by GECOM. It is therefore not surprising that the unified attack against GECOM

flowed from all those who were provided with unofficial results from PPP- manufactured spreadsheets.

GECOM is the only authorised body that can declare election results.

GECOM needs to be wary of the much-embraced post-declaration recounting of votes, which although made in good faith and not expected to change the winner, has already seen signs of reneging by the main opposition from what was originally agreed. GECOM should seek to untangle itself from a well-orchestrated ploy by the PPP as it constantly keeps shifting the goal posts, thereby creating deeper constitutional confusion.

Apart from the APNU+AFC, the PPP was the only other significant contestant of the March 2 General and Regional elections; elections that were duly won by the APNU+AFC coalition based on declared results.

It is understood that the Chairperson of GECOM may be operating under intense duress, as there have been a barrage of threats from the gang of PPP-aligned entities and foreign delegations here. The insinuation that international sanctions may be forthcoming against individuals, and the Guyanese nation as a whole, if GECOM adopts the officially declared results is a direct usurpation and attempt to destabilise a legitimate government.

GECOM ought not to be coerced nor intimidated by innuendos, but must recognise the rights of the majority of Guyanese who evidently voted to re-elect the APNU+AFC government based on the officially declared results. More disastrous may be the outcome should GECOM not do so by allowing itself to be hoodwinked by those who seek to undermine the integrity of that august body and our electoral processes. GECOM must comply with all legal provisions, which are pellucid under the Representation of the People Act. Our laws unequivocal regarding challenges to declared election results by aggrieved parties – Laws of Guyana, Cap. 1:03 Sec 61 (2)(b) b. There is also a precedentas by which GECOM may be guided, as exemplified by the December 1997 GE election petition. Those laws must be respected and upheld by GECOM, since vitiating already declared results is a premise of illegality and may lead to a total breakdown of law and order.

If the threat of international sanctions is to be activated because we followed our electoral laws, we will be vindicated for saving Guyana from far greater internal disaster in years to come!

Yours faithfully, Orette Cutting

9

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 20, 2020

‘Safeguard your mental –– stakeholders urge Guyanese as COVID-19, wellness’ post-election politics cause ‘double trouble’

By Vishani Ragobeer PICTURE this: You wake up early in the morning and the first thing you do is reach for your cell phone, which has been charging at your bedside all night.

The first thing you do is open one of your various social media platforms, and immediately you may be bombarded by news or information (including pseudo-remedies!) about the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. Further, coronaviruses are a family of viruses, of which several are known to cause respiratory infections and illnesses in humans and animals.

Subsequent to the outbreak of COVID-19, in Wuhan, China, around December 2019, it has spread across the globe, becoming a pandemic.

The threat of illness and even death are associated with the coronavirus. Many stakeholders, however, contend that there is much more to contend with.

“With the current pandemic, I don’t view it as just a global health crisis, but I view it as a global mental health crisis as well,” says Shinelle Bayrd, Founder and President of The Wellness Center (TWC), a local mental health support organisation.

Similarly, Trinidadian Clinical Therapist and Traumatologist, Hanif Benjamin, underscored that the pandemic and the ensuing ramifications may have an ill effect on one’s mental health.

Let’s revisit the picture we began painting: In light of the pandemic. The WHO has advised that ‘social distancing’ becomes the new norm, as less physical human contact helps to reduce the spread of the virus. This has led to the reduction in operations or the outright shutdown of many places, including schools, places of employment and ‘hang out’ spots. So naturally, social interactions have become heavily dependent on social media.

“We are dealing with a range of emotions that we’re not accustomed to dealing with because persons usually keep themselves busy, whether through work, school or their social life and because of the fact that we can’t get to do these things, it’s taking a significant toll on us like we haven’t seen before,” Bayrd said. This mental “toll” is not

only exacted on persons with pre-existing mental health conditions but according to her, it may also be affecting persons who may now be developing anxiety due to the pandemic.

Hanif, like Bayrd, highlighted that the pandemic has led to many persons becoming more anxious, fearing the various unknowns of the virus, including when it will end, what devastation will be caused next and simply, whether persons’ loved ones will be harmed. Bayrd noted, too, that with the reduction in operations, many people may be stressed over finances. The resulting isolation, though necessary, adds to the mental strain already ensuing.

Overall, she said, “it is taking a significant toll on us mentally, physically and emotionally.”

DOUBLE TROUBLE In Guyana, however, the pandemic is exacerbated by the political climate.

Guyana’s politics has been marred by tension for decades, and this tension becomes amplified whenever political elections are held within the country.

On March 2, Guyana held its most recent Regional and General elections. Leading up to those elections, local psychologist, Balogun Osunbiyi, told this newspaper that an election season is a “highly charged” or “heightened” period of time, and this period may adversely affect persons if their expectations are not managed, or it might make them anxious.

The psychologist’s sentiments were illustrated when, in the days following the completion of the elections, there was much tension and even strife as emotional supporters took to social media and in some cases, the streets.

To date, more than one month later, a new government has not been installed or reinstalled. And, barely two weeks after March 2, Guyana recorded its first case of COVID-19, which in itself became a politicised matter.

“We went from dealing with that political situation which created a lot of tension and a lot of anxiety amongst a lot of Guyanese, and, before we even got a chance to take a breather, we went straight into this pandemic,” Bayrd said. “Taking us from that political climate into this (pandemic), it is too much for any one person or any one population to deal with.”

Let’s complete the picture we began painting in

this pandemic,” Bayrd said.

Furthermore, she said that while the TWC can give tips on how to safeguard one’s mental wellness during the pandemic, the reality is that people cannot completely block out the “information overload” being disseminated that may cause anxiety or stress.

President and Founder of the Wellness CenterGuyana, Shinelle Bayrd the two previous instances.

While scrolling through social media, inundated with COVID-19 updates, Guyanese can also expect to see constant post-election updates. Whether it’s about the national recount of votes or the latest local statistics on COVID-19, naturally, persons are inclined to stay informed. Thus, Guyanese contend with this political epidemic within the global pandemic. It is a test of anyone’s mental wellness.

“We are not sure when either of the two will end, and I think that is what will create more frustration because we’re not seeing an end to this political situation and we’re not seeing an end to

WHAT TO DO? How then do persons attempt to navigate the double trouble in Guyana?

Well, according to Bayrd, it is going to be a challenge to surmount, but the solutions must all begin with persons making the conscious effort to not become stuck in this quagmire.

“Life still goes on after this, we don’t know when it will end but it must end at some time… and what we should do is to think about the after and not be too consumed by the now,” she related.

Bayrd and Hanif, and even Balogun all emphasised the importance of ‘unplugging’ from social media and the constant updates, whether for COVID-19, Guyana’s politics, or both. In doing so, persons can try to reduce their intake of the information, and, if possible, schedule certain times of the day when they would look at the news or actively look for updates.

Social distancing has been outlined as one of the mechanisms to stop the spread

of COVID-19, but Bayrd underscored that this social distancing means physical distancing and not a complete disconnection from human interaction. For persons with pre-existing mental health conditions, and even those who may now be developing anxiety, staying social is imperative.

“Stay social and find new ways of connecting virtually,” Bayrd advised, noting that in light of the pandemic online platforms have found their popularity for family meetings, games nights, devotional sessions and even music parties.

She noted that though it is not her cup of tea, she was pleasantly surprised to see virtual parties such as the ‘Stag in yuh bedroom’ parties which cater to people who enjoy that social vibe. On social media platforms, these parties have found favour and essentially features a live stream of a DJ playing music where persons can tune in to watch and to enjoy themselves as though they were in an actual party She also suggested that persons remember to take care of their physical body by eating well and exercising, despite being at home.

Meditation, through which persons can practise mindfulness and navigate through their feelings; listening to music; painting, drawing or doing anything creative; and

Trinidadian Clinical Therapist and Traumatologist, Hanif Benjamin even, cooking were other suggestions.

“Whatever works for you, tailor it to suit the situation and just take some time to unwind,” she said.

Adding to this, Hanif advised that persons try to create some sort of routine amidst them having to work from home, care for the family or even attend school. According to him, this helps persons to feel as though they have some control over the situation, and, in so doing, keeps some of the anxiety at bay.

“As we continue to understand anxiety, you need to understand what you can and cannot control,” Benjamin said.

Minibus driver, passenger arrested for possession of cocaine, cannabis POLICE, acting on information received, on Saturday, April18, 2020, intercepted a minibus at Mabura Hill, Region 10, with several parcels of cocaine and cannabis.

According to a police report, ranks at the Mabura Hill Police Outpost intercepted the minibus at around 09:00hrs.

A search was conducted on the minibus and three

The 89 grams of cocaine seized by the Guyana Police Force

parcels of suspected cocaine were found. The police also found three parcels of cannabis which were wrapped in plastic.

The minibus driver, along with another man, was arrest-

ed. The drug was weighted in their presence and it amounted to 89 grams of cocaine and 6,818 grams of cannabis.

The men are currently in custody awaiting charges for drug trafficking.

The 6,818 grams of cannabis seized by the police

Safeguarding children during this difficult time IF you spot anything suspicious concerning a child, don’t just ignore it.

It is your civil duty to report your suspicions to the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA). If you care about children and want to give them a chance to grow up healthy and reach their fullest potential, you would do what you can to protect them. Even if it means calling the CPA anonymously, and giving information about a family member or a good friend.

When you call the CPA hotline to report child abuse or your suspicions, your call is held in the strictest confidence; you don’t have to give your name. A CPA officer will

take the details and a report will be logged into the system for investigation.

This system is in place because there needs to be an establishment that advocates for children and enforces children’s rights.

Children are solely reliant on the adults in their lives to guide and protect them, to nurture, encourage and love them and, even during trying times, safeguarding our children must still be a number one priority.

The current pandemic means that desperate parents will have next to no income, as their work may be on lockdown. However, parents and adults please do not become complacent where children are concerned.

Though you may struggle to make ends meet on a daily basis, keep a look out for children.

Remember that the majority of child sexual abuse cases occur in the home and usually involves someone the child knows.

Let us not be frivolous with our children’s lives and sense of well-being during this time of crisis. Nor should we overlook areas or concerns which would have raised alarm bells before this present state of affairs. If you have to go out to find work, make arrangements for childcare that brings you peace of mind. Make sure you can reach your children whenever you need to and continue to check on them during the day.

Think of ways to ensure they are safe like teaching them a ‘safety word’ to alert you during a phone call if they are feeling unsafe or something is wrong. Child sex offenders are in our midst, and once they have offended they are likely to do so again. Child sexual abuse is a patterned predatory behaviour. Safeguard your children, do not take anything for granted. Talk to them, ask them questions, let them tell you about their day without interruption.

Only parents with no immediate income, due to the lockdown, will know the stress and anxiety they endure at this present time; and to cope with their frustration they might lash out and say cruel things to their children. Words said in a passion cannot be unsaid. They can negatively affect a child’s personality and development. Try to exercise a level of tolerance towards your children, without abusing them.

Children need to know facts appropriate to their age and understanding. This calls for parents to find a healthy balance when dealing with the present crisis; maintaining livelihood

and managing the welfare of their children.

It is good to build resilience in children at times like these. Opening their eyes to facts and probabilities so they can think about their place in their family unit, their communities, in society and the wider world. Adults can teach children how to survive against all odds and how to adapt to situations as they arise, rather than panicking and taking out their frustration on others.

It is possible to channel negative energy into positive thinking and devise ways and means to help you and your family get through this present time. Children have good ideas and if they are old enough to contribute, include them in your decision-making, your rationing, and the balancing of your budget.

Under no circumstances must children be used in any negative activity to earn money for their parents or families. This includes sending children to beg, sell or to work for someone privately, either on a farm or in a house. This will put a child at risk. It is a parental responsibility to provide for children, not the other way around. There are laws in Guyana that prohibit children from being used and abused; adults can be fined and imprisoned.

If you spot anything suspicious concerning a child don’t just ignore it. It is your civil duty to report your suspicions to the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA).

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child call the CPA hotline on 227 0979 or write to us at childcaregy@gmail.com A MESSAGE FROM THE CHILDCARE AND PROTECTION AGENCY, MINISTRY OF SOCIAL PROTECTION

‘Sancho’ wanted for allegedly threatening CANU ranks RANKS of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) are still on the hunt for Ryan Pemberton known as ‘Sancho, a businessman, who is wanted for using threatening language.

Pemberton allegedly threatened to kill CANU ranks after they intercepted a fibre glass vessel at the Parika backlands, East Bank Essequibo, in February, 2020.

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Pemberton of Alberttown, Georgetown, is asked to make contact with the unit on 226-0431.

CANU has issued a warrant for his arrest.

On February 22, 2020, CANU intercepted a US$1M go-fast boat with more than 60 pounds of suspected co-

Ryan Pemberton known as ‘Sancho’ caine.

Latchman Sankar called ‘Jack,’ a 35-year-old mechanic, along with Muneshwar Dusraj called ‘Bonny’ – a 49-year-old boat captain – were arrested during the

operation and are currently on remand.

According to reports, Sankar was the alleged mastermind behind the crime while Dusraj was the captain of the boat which was carrying the narcotic.

CANU, after over a twoweek period, was able to arrest the duo whilst they were on board the go-fast boat at Parika backlands.

The narcotic, which was found in the bow of the boat along with a go-fast boat with two 250 horsepower engines, was seized.

Pemberton, who has ties to the narcotics, had threatened to kill the CANU ranks and also to shoot up CANU headquarters during the alleged interception.

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 20, 2020

A single domestic space possible HEADS of agencies and businesses in Caribbean are in support of CARICOM’s vision for a “single domestic space” to escape the negative effects of COVID-19 and have put forward their own recommendations for collaboration.

On Saturday, the Guyanese American Chamber of Commerce (GACC) hosted a virtual town hall where it invited the likes of Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) Managing Director, Dr. Richard VanWest Charles; Executive Chairman of the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Association (WIRSPA) and Demerara Distillers Limited, Komal Samaroo and Assistant Secretary-General of CARICOM, Dr. Douglas Slater to discuss the topic.

Moderator, Wesley Kirton, had put forward the focal point, stating: “This crisis cannot be left to just the individual member states, but there must be some level of collective and collaborative action on the part of the Region, as a single domestic space.”

UNDERSTANDING DISTRIBUTION Putting forward his take, Dr. Van-West Charles said that, for the Region to open up a single domestic space and for this to be sustainable, there must first be a common understanding held by the private and public sector of all countries individually.

Within each country, these sectors ought to both comprehend and commit to working towards common strategies to mitigate the virus and its effects.

On the collective regional level, Dr. Van-West Charles said that the regional health system must also be equipped to control transmission of the virus, which means the ability to detect, test, isolate and treat the virus or its symptoms.

“If we attempt to reopen without an understanding of the distribution of the virus in our societies, we’ll make a serious mistake,” he advised.

“If the space were to open up then you must have the capacity to detect and test and the test results be able to return within 24 hours or less, because this

– experts say in support of CARICOM vision

Assistant Secretary-General of CARICOM, Dr. Douglas Slater would impact us economically and create problems for the system.”

He does not believe that the Region has yet optimally utilised all of its resources with respect to testing and understanding the distribution of the virus.

The former PAHO/ WHO representative also noted that mainland countries, like Guyana, will have to take, very seriously, the monitoring of their borders while islands must monitor their ports, both to guard against unauthorized entry.

A REGIONAL SUPPLY CHAIN Assessing the possibilities for regional collaboration with regards to food security was Executive Chairman of the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Association (WIRSPA) and Demerara Distillers Limited, Komal Samaroo.

He said that he believes that there is a lot of work to be done in the Region with regards to the creation of a regional food supply chain that is more internally integrated.

He observed that while the sugar sector has contracted, other agriculture sectors in the Region have not grown which represents a dilemma.

“The Caribbean now is a major importer of the food that it consumes and one of the big challenges before us is how do we reduce the food import bill which our fragile economies cannot afford,” he said.

“When our foreign exchange earnings like tourism and other exports decline, how are we going to afford to

import food and to maintain the food import bill that we’re importing at the moment?”

While this is a major challenge, he said that it does present an opportunity for the Region, to come together, for the creation of a regional agriculture industry which sees a supply chain that runs within the Region.

And, learning from such a collective approach, he said that the Region can work to better advertise its own food brands, to the point where its goods are in high demand throughout the world.

Some of the measures the recommended were differentiating labelling for agriculture grown in the Region; developing the Caribbean as a location of good-quality, organic food, not genetically modified and greater ease for the development and expansion of entrepreneurial business.

“I believe that the time has come now for us to really get down --- governments and private sector --- and come up with time-bound plans that one can work with, so as to reduce, immediately, the food import bill which I believe our shattered economics will find very difficult in the coming months,” he said.

Meanwhile, Retired General Manager of the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, Eldon Bremner, said that the survival of the Caribbean region will be two-fold ----surviving the pandemic and returning to normalcy.

He said that the tourism sector, which the Caribbean depends highly on, has been one of the hardest-hit sectors and various governments are now struggling to find means to survive the impact.

A COLLECTIVE APPROACH In presenting CARICOM’s approach, Assistant Secretary-General of CARICOM, Dr. Douglas Slater, first agreed with Van-West Charles that the need for more testing is a major challenge for the Region, even as there is a global shortage of same.

At the Ninth Special Emergency Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Gov-

ernment of CARICOM via video conference, on April 15, one of the strategic decisions made was that more efficient means must be found for procurement.

Dr. Slater said that CARICOM is working closely with the PAHO/WHO Procurement Service which has a wider reach. He said that the body is also seeking to develop a Public Health Policy which will guide the Region upon re-opening. The Council on Human and Social Development (COHSOD) and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) will be working closely to achieve this.

“If we are to open up our ports --- airports, seaports --- we will need to be guided by science,” the Assistant Secretary-General said.

This likely re-opening up of travel in the Region will also encompass food secu-

Managing Director of GWI, Dr. Richard Van-West Charles rity as he noted that CARICOM is examining how the Region can become more self-sufficient. The Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) has already submitted a proposal on same.

Meanwhile, with regards to tourism, Dr. Slater said that the Ninth Special Emer-

gency Meeting examined the possibility of CARICOM region, when re-opened, to use the opportunity to encourage intra-regional tourism, as early as summer.

“If we can achieve that, we can encourage our citizens, who will otherwise be travelling out of the Region, to travel within the Region to generate that level of economic activity that will help to address the hotel industry and the tourism industry,” he said.

Altogether, the said that the idea of the Region as a single domestic space, runs parallel to that of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) regime, but the current crisis will require a common border policy to determine movement.

He said that the hope for the Region is to remain proactive so that it can come out of one of the world’s worst pandemics, even stronger, collectively, than before.

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Eureka lab offers testing for COVID-19

- says patients can expect results in 4-5 days EUREKA Medical Laboratory has joined the fight against the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) by offering testing for the deadly disease.

The company made the announcement on Saturday, just about a week after head of the National COVID-19 Task Force, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, said government gave private medical institutions the “green light” to conduct testing for COVID-19.

Initially, the National Reference Lab was the only institution which was authorised to conduct tests.

“We have given the ‘green-light’ for private hospitals to import testing kits, so they could supplement and do rapid testing,” said Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo during a recent virtual press briefing.

With the new system in place, testing for the dreaded disease will be done by both state and private institutions in the near future.

With the way cleared for private institutions to join the fight, Eureka has announced that persons can make appointments for testing at their laboratory in Georgetown.

According to the company, in a Facebook post, persons will go through a short telephone interview before being booked for the sample-taking.

On arrival at the lab, persons will have to present a form of identification before a nasopharyngeal swab is taken.

A nasopharyngeal swab is defined as a method for collecting a clinical test sample of nasal secretions from the back of the nose

and throat. The sample is then analyzed for the presence of organisms or other clinical markers for disease.

Samples taken by technicians at Eureka lab will be sent abroad for testing using PCR technology-- the gold standard for COVID-19 testing.

Results will be issued to patients within 4-5 days via their choice of communication (delivery, email and pick-up). Person can contact the lab on telephone numbers 227-0622 or 226-8979.

Laboratories and other private institutions, which decide to do testing and treatment, will not be left without guidance, as the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) has expressed its willingness to assist private institutions in preparing themselves to test for the disease.

The international health organisation had “brought in” an expert to train technicians at the national reference lab to test for the COVID-19 disease.

“We are prepared to train other ‘labs’ and private hospitals to have the same quality assurance as the reference ‘lab’; they will have to go by the standards we have set up for the government,” said Resident PAHO/ World Health Organization (WHO) Representative, Dr. William Adu-Krow during a recent press briefing.

He said that PAHO normally supports Guyana by supporting the Public Health Ministry, and they will continue to do so by giving them testing kits and, now, by supporting private institutions, which will have

to follow WHO guidelines.

According to WHO, COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the newly-discovered coronavirus.

The WHO said most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illnesses and recover without requiring special treatment. Older persons and those with underlying medical problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer, are more likely to develop serious illness.

The WHO believes that the best way to prevent and

slow down transmission is to be well informed about the virus, the disease it causes and how it is spread.

“Protect yourself and others from infection by washing your hands or using an alcohol-based rub frequently and not touching your face. The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so it’s important that you also practise respiratory etiquette (for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow),” the WHO has advised.

Stimulus packages for vulnerable after ‘current hurdle’ -- finance minister

FINANCE Ministem Winston Jordan has stated that the government will turn its attention to stimulus packages for vulnerable Guyanese affected

by COVID-19 after the country moves past hurdles such as the current electoral stalemate.

In an interview via Zoom last Friday, the minister said that, in the meantime, the government is working to establish a database of all persons whose lives have been severely affected by the ongoing outbreak.

These persons include those who have lost employment, those who have lost significant parts of their incomes, the self-employed, school vendors and iterant vendors, among others.

“A lot of those people have now become vulnerable. You have the shut-ins who really didn’t look to the government for anything because they might have had a family who might have supported them along with the regular vulnerable, including the aged and children,” Minister Jordan said.

He explained that from those names, a strategy which examines the short, medium and long term will be developed.

“Having put all of that on the table, the issue of stimulus packages will be on our minds. I would say to you that once we can get past this hurdle, the issue of a real stimulus package, looking at the economy post-COVID

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

will occupy our attention in a more studied manner,” he noted.

The current electoral impasse has affected the reconvening of Parliament where crucial decisions are made and laws are passed for funding and more.

Even with the impasse, the government has still been able to focus on the immediate priority of fighting the outbreak.

“Very few countries in the world have seen the flattening of their curve. Unfortunately, in Guyana, we have not experienced that as yet,” Jordan said.

“Some people have suggested, based on the rapidity with which the numbers have climbed, the worse is yet to come…more and more our resources will have to be prioritised to fighting the virus frontally, so that our attention is turned to that.” (DPI)

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COVID-19 measures impacting fisheries sector

THE measures put in place by the Ministry of Public Health in its bid to stem the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) from spreading has also impacted the fisheries sector, particularly artisanal fisherfolk and fish vendors.

Essentially, there has been a reduction in overall fishing activity; however, there is need for a post COVID-19 study in order to more accurately determine the impact of the deadly coronavirus and the measures to eliminate same have had on fisherfolk, according to Mikhail Amsterdam, Fisheries Officer attached to the Fisheries Department in the Ministry of Agriculture, during a recent informal discourse with this publication.

In several of the country’s

communities, small-scale fishing dominates the fishing sector and the sector is still a significant contributor to employment and food security by providing a cheap and nutritious source of protein in diets.

Fish and other aquatic foods are a key part of the country’s food system. On any given day, but particularly at weekends, there is a congregation of large numbers of people seeking to purchase fish at the Fisheries Wharf at Meadow Bank.

Whether the social-distancing measure is practised there is not known. However, at the municipal markets, namely Stabroek, Bourda, Albouystown and East La Penitence, the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) which has overall responsibility for

Fresh and rotting Saragassum or seaweed along the Kitty foreshore

the operations, has put in place restrictions to govern the day-to-day activities at those outlets where fish is also offered for sale by vendors. To some extent, the measures have been extended to roadside vending, where sometimes fish and poultry products are offered for sale.

The Guyana Chronicle learnt during the discussion that in the semi--industrial sub sector, the Fisheries Department has, since the advent of COVID-19 here, placed a restriction on new foreign fishing crews entering Guyana to work under contract with local companies.

Additionally, the department has placed a hold on the processing of registrations or applications for artisanal or industrial fishing licences.

However, export and import documents are still being processed on pre-determined days during the work week.

Touching on the issue of sargassum, known locally as seaweed, Amsterdam pointed out that in recent years the Caribbean has seen an influx of the sargassum. Guyana has been no exception, with considerable deposits washing ashore in 2014, 2015, 2019 and again this year.

The impact varies as it affects multiple sectors ecologically, economically and socially.

Just recently, the seaweed

has again been washing up in the vicinity of the Kitty foreshore and the foul smell as it rots is unbearable.

Amsterdam explained that the stranded sargassum near landing sites and channels as it rots produces the foul-smelling hydrogen sulphide gas and environmental anoxia. Also, numerous studies have purported that fishermen who frequent the affected areas may suffer from disturbed sleep, nausea, eye irritations and headaches, as a result of the gas.

A typical saragassum ‘invasion’ affects brackish (estuarine), marine and coastal waters. Large clusters of this floating algae end up along Guyana’s mudflats, mangrove areas and beaches, having the potential to impede maritime navigation, artisanal and industrial fishermen who depend on our marine environment for their livelihoods, Amsterdam explained.

The sargassum is a genus that consists of several algae, usually dark brown or golden green in colour, from the Sargasso Sea, from whence the species derived its name.

However, sargassum natans (common Gulfweed) and S. fluitans (broad-toothed Gulfweed) which are most common in the Caribbean are endemic, free-floating and abundant in the warm, tem-

Seaweed floating in the ocean (Photos courtesy of Mikhail Amsterdam) perate and subtropical areas of the north Atlantic Ocean.

Amsterdam noted that for a traditional sector such as fisheries which provides direct and indirect employment for thousands of Guyanese and having significant social and cultural importance, there is need to address this re-emerging threat. He considers it as a contributing factor for Guyana’s reduced fish production in 2014-2015, when production dropped by approximately 10,000 metric tonnes.

The management of sargassum will create several economic challenges for Guyana, as it often requires extended heavy-equipment operations and Infrastructural adding modifications to enable its collection, transport

and disposal.

Intersectoral coordination of communication, research and management will be the most effective tools to combat this fairly novel challenge.

Several Caribbean nations have explored opportunities in adding value as a means of sustainable management.

Ultimately, the development of research and business opportunities related to sargassum will allow Guyana to sustainably redress some of the socio-economic issues brought about by its presence.

Also, regional collaboration will also ensure more informed decision-making and policy creation by relevant agencies, Amsterdam proffered.

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‘Stay the course’

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 20, 2020

–– Sharma Solomon urges Guyanese do whatever it takes to survive COVID-19

By Tamica Garnett

NOTING that Guyana has suddenly found itself at the mercy of changing times, former Region Ten Chairman Sharma Solomon has, in not so

many words, urged Guyanese to do whatever it takes necessary to survive this dreaded scourge that has been visited upon us called COVID-19.

Speaking via a video recording aired on his

social media page, Solomon implored his fellow Lindeners, and the nation by extension, to regularly practise physical and social distancing, and adapt good personal hygiene habits so that the country can better

pull through safely. “It will be tough to have to stay home; to stay disengaged and not socialise, but this we must do. It helps the authorities to have better control over the management of this deadly virus.

I can assure you that these challenging times will be passing times, and we will be able to socialise again,” Solomon said, adding: “These small indicators, though insignificant before, are very significant things now. Pay keen attention to our personal hygiene.

Wash those hands; wear protective gear; use hand sanitisers; avoid touching your face; take care when engaging with people.”

Of the overall 63 confirmed novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases that Guyana has recorded to date, two are from Region 10(Upper Demerara-Berbice), more specifically from Linden. The two persons at reference would’ve contracted the virus via community spread, as only four were imported incidents.

“What is before us is grave,” Sharma said.

“We’ve seen powerful nations being brought to their knees by COVID-19; powerful leaders hospitalised

by COVID-19; modern societies grind to a halt by COVID 19. In Guyana; in Linden, we will not be spared. We do not expect that we would not have our own incidents.

“This all the more underlines the need for persons to take extra precaution if they live in Regions where cases of the virus have been recorded.

THE NEW NORMAL “Lindeners, it now becomes our personal responsibility to practise proper hygiene.

What may seem a simple task, now becomes a lifesaving endeavour to ensure we wash our hands; not merely going under the pipe and putting water, but ensuring that we follow those guidelines that will provide for us good hygienic mannerisms, as this is the new normal on how we practice good hygiene.”

Solomon commended the health officials, and the sacrifices they have been making.

“Those on the frontline must be acknowledged. Our healthcare professionals who have diligently performed above the call of duty; our nurses and doctors who continue to ensure

Former Region 10 Chairman, Sharma Solomon that, notwithstanding the challenges, they are going out there to ensure we are all provided for,” Solomon said.

He also commended regional and government officials who have been putting measures in place, as the country valiantly fights to contain the spread of the virus.

“The Mayor, Regional Chairman, Police Commander, all those who have taken bold steps to ensure that we are safe, I want to say, ‘Thank You’. To our Ministry of Public Health: Your performance is one that we commend; recognise. We understand, and are willing to work to support, but we acknowledge that more must be done,” Solomon said, adding: “Let me recognise the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), which has taken on the herculean task to ensure that Guyanese that are less fortunate are provided for.

That is commendable, and must be recognised. We will get a few things wrong, but we must ensure every effort is made to get them right.”

Solomon noted, however, that in just the same way the Region has overcome trials in the past, so will it overcome the current crisis.

“We’ve been here before; we have inspired how in times of need and despair, we come together; we are our brother’s keeper.

We look over our fence and ask how our neighbours are doing; we pull closer to one another to ensure we are provided for,” he said.

Use time at home to master the art of cooking –– it promotes healthy eating, strengthens relationships, says Chef Edghill

By Gabriella Chapman THEY say a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, similarly, women fancy men who can cook too. And for various reasons, many people were not able to master the art

of cooking, time being the most common reason.

Young Guyanese chef Sarafina Edghill, says that now is the time for persons to fall in love with homecooked meals, and improve their skill in cooking foods that are appealing to appe-

tites.

Now with ample free time, given the ongoing living conditions of the entire world, both males and females, she said, can master the art of cooking. In fact, with the advancement of technology, recipes for any

dish possibly thought of are just a click away.

The young woman said that she has been a chef for the past 10 years, and the love for the art, sprung from her introduction to Food and Nutrition classes during her high school years. She grew

to master the art, and is now a chef attached to the Marriott Hotel.

Edghill said in her opinion, prior to COVID-19 causing a lockdown system to be implemented, many persons had a habit of eating out, in fact, even though a lockdown has been instituted, many persons are still eating out, as is evident in the long lines seen at fast food places.

“Getting into the habit of cooking your own foods, helps you to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

And now, more than ever, people should feel more compelled to be healthy people, given the fact that to withstand the deterioration of the human system from the virus, a person must be strong and healthy. I believe now we have no excuse for eating out, because persons have the time now, it is more affordable, and it is healthier,” the young woman said.

There is also the point of persons not knowing how to cook certain dishes because they never tried it; and there are also persons who do not know how to cook altogether. To this end, Edghill said that there is no better time than now for persons to challenge themselves to widen their skillsets in the kitchen.

“It will bring so much satisfaction to a person to know that he/she is great cook. It brings you personal joy when people speak well of your cooking. Cooking was actually therapeutic for me because whenever I’m feeling down and out I would try a new recipe, and continue bettering my skills. And I love cooking for my families and friends, because it brings joy to me when I see their happy faces while eating delicacies that were products of my hand.

In the same way, persons can capitalise on this free time, and prepare amazing meals for their families.

Learn new food/dishes and methods of cooking, don’t have your family become tired of eating one thing over and over, because you don’t know how to cook anything else. Learn how to prepare more than one courses and exotic dishes,” she said.

In addition to this being a healthier course of action, the young woman

Young Guyanese chef Sarafina Edghill said that it can be a way of strengthening relationships and families.

“Everybody loves a delicious meal. And when you can appeal to a person’s appetite, they’re fonder of you, as the famous saying goes. But on a serious note, nothing brings a family closer than a night or day with a good home- cooked meal, sitting and enjoying it with each other, while enjoying other fun family entertainment. So bring your family closer with a special treat tomorrow, with a proper breakfast, lunch and dinner,” Edghill said.

In her tips to persons reading, she said “I would suggest you start with cakes or pastries since once you learn the basic method, you can create many types of pastries. And you’ll be able to make healthy snacks for yourself, also the kids. And for foods try to cook a little of everything from all of the food groups and at the end of it all, you would get a complete meal, and a healthy one too with all the required nutrients and vitamins that you need for the day.

After that step, you can graduate to challenging yourself with the exotic dishes and treat yourself and family.”

‘Massive investment’ now needed to reclaim Caribbean rum industry –– Samaroo

THE Caribbean rum industry has been moving higher up the global value chain in years past; however, the effects on the entertainment and hospitality industries, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, has hit the regional rum industry hard.

Executive Chairman of the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Association (WIRSPA) and Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), Komal Samaroo, has stated that the only way Caribbean rum and spirits will now return to noteworthy recognition is through “massive re-investment” in marketing.

Since the emergence of COVID-19 in the Caribbean Region, almost simultaneously through imported cases, Caribbean rum producers, in many countries, have taken on the role of supplying alcohol for sanitation purposes.

On the local front, DDL has donated over 12,000 litres of alcohol-based sanitizing cleaners to senior citizens’ homes, orphanages, night shelters, prisons and other facilities.

“If ever there was a need to make a

case for the rum industry, COIVD has done that, because, within days of the outbreak of COVID, rum producers across the Caribbean, re-oriented their production to produce high-strength alcohol to be used as sanitisers in an effort to meet an urgent need that arose in society,” Samaroo said on Saturday, while a guest on a virtual town hall meeting of the Guyanese American Chamber of Commerce (GACC).

WIRSPA member producers have been reaching out to health ministries and other government agencies to support their alcohol requirements for sanitation, the best protection against the virus.

Samaroo said that if the Region did not have a distilleries industry, he believes that it would have been much worse off. Even so, the rum industry is still being largely affected at the moment as its main export markets --- entertainment and hospitality --- have collapsed.

In global terms, he explained that Caribbean brands are relatively small, and, when markets crash, retailers begin to

rationalize the type of brands they stock on their shelves.

He explained: “Generally, in a contracting market situation, it is the mainstay brands that get the attention. The small, the niche brands, the high-value brands are the ones that suffer.”

The Executive Chairman put forward that rum is probably the highest-valued product that comes out of the agriculture sector in the Caribbean Region. WIRSPA has been working to build the reputation of rums produced in the Region so that all members can benefit from an expanded market.

Post-COVID-19, Samaroo expects that much effort will have to be invested in regaining the strides made and finding new solutions to such unexpected challenges.

“So, I do believe that, at the end of this entire experience, there will be the need to be a massive re-investment in marketing activity by the Caribbean rum industry to reclaim some of the space that is presently occupied. This is a major challenge, because our in-

Executive Chairman of the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Association (WIRSPA) and Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), Komal Samaroo dustry, historically, has been one of supplying bulk, and it is in the last 1015 years that we’ve been pioneering brands, moving higher up the value chain,” he said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 20, 2020

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Olympics and Paralympics in 2021 without vaccine is ‘very unrealistic’ IT is “very unrealistic” the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will take place next year unless a coronavirus vaccine has been found by then, says a leading global health scientist.

Professor Devi Sridhar said the development of effective and affordable treatment would be a “game-changer” in whether the postponed Games take place.

The International Olympic Committee and Tokyo 2020 organisers held an executive board meeting this week at which they reiterated their hope the Games can be the “light at the end of the tunnel”.

However, IOC coordination commission chair John Coates acknowledged Covid-19 could still affect the rescheduled Olympics, which are due to take place from 23 July-8 August 2021.

Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, he said it could have an impact in terms of “mass gatherings or testing of athletes” and that the IOC would be guided by the World Health Organization.

Professor Sridhar, who is chair of global health at the University of Edinburgh, said the chances of Tokyo 2020 going ahead as planned “all depends on a vaccine”.

“We’re hearing from the scientists that this could be possible. I had thought it would be a year or a year and a half away but we’re hearing possibly this could come sooner,” she said.

“If we do get a vaccine within the next year then actually I think that (Olympics) is realistic. The vaccine will be the game-changer

- an effective, affordable, available vaccine.

“If we don’t get a scientific breakthrough then I think that looks very unrealistic.

“I think they’ve made the right decision in saying ‘we are going to put it back a year and re-evaluate’.

“And I think that is the only way you can deal with this situation - to take stock, to be hopeful, to support our scientific community and our NHS community to do what they can, because science in the long-term is going to be the way we get out of this.”

A nationwide state of emergency has been declared in Japan until 6 May because of the country’s worsening coronavirus outbreak.

The IOC and Tokyo 2020 local organising committee announced on Thursday they have set up a joint steering committee to deliver the postponed Olympics, led

by Coates and Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori.

Mori said: “Soon after the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Games on 24 March, Tokyo 2020 established a ‘New Launch’ taskforce and we have been working since then to create a structure capable of overcoming these unprecedented challenges.

“We believe that today’s new step is an important achievement in advancing over the coming year what we have prepared over the past five to six years. We will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to ensure the success of the Games.”

BBC Sport has contacted the IOC for comment. ( )

Taylor, Gilchrist predict big pay cuts for Australia players SYDNEY (Reuters) - Former Australia captain Mark Taylor and wicket-keeping great Adam Gilchrist believe pay cuts are inevitable for the country’s cricketers as the sport gears up to deal with the expected financial crisis posed by the novel coronavirus.

Cricket Australia (CA), the governing body of the sport, on Thursday announced plans to lay off almost 80% of its staff, putting them on 20% pay until June 30.

Media reported on Saturday that CA Chief Executive Kevin Roberts has told staff a financial crisis was coming and the organisation would not have been able to pay its bills at the end of August without layoffs.

Gilchrist, who retired in 2008 after a glittering career spanning almost 12 years, said the players were next.

“Without being aware of any numbers and the financial side of it, I wouldn’t be surprised if we go back a decade or two to the level of payment that players get.

Even maybe further for a while,” Gilchrist told ABC Grandstand on Sunday.

“It’s going to get stripped back, right back. Support staff numbers have to get dragged back.

“The revenue is going to go down significantly, 50% they are banking on at the moment and that’s an optimistic position, I believe. The players will take a whack.”

The spread of the coronavirus has forced countries to close their borders and impose lockdowns. It has halted professional cricket, leaving most boards bracing for significant revenue falls.

This year’s lucrative Indian Premier League, which offers big pay cheques for the players, has also been postponed indefinitely.

“There will be haircuts, as we’ve seen from CA staff. Players will be next,” Taylor, a former member of the CA board, said on the Nine Network.

“I also suspect that Cricket Australia and the ACA (Australian Cricketers’ Association) have been working together on this. I hope they get their heads together and sort out a good solution for the near future.”

Cricket Australia would hope to earn significant revenue later this year when the country hosts the men’s Twenty20 World Cup in October and November before India’s tour for a widely anticipated four-test series around the New Year.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 20, 2020

‘I’m going home’: How Langer almost abandoned the Ashes …Former Test opener discusses how close he came to retirement during rollercoaster Ashes tour of England in 2001

JUSTIN Langer has opened up on one of the lowest points of his playing career, detailing how he confided in family members that he wanted to abandon Australia’s 2001 Ashes tour in order to fly home and retire.

Langer has often referred to the campaign in England 19 years ago as a turning point of his career, which provided valuable lessons for him as both a player and now a coach.

Having been dropped from Australia’s side on the eve of the first Test, the left-hander was handed a shock recall for the series finale at The Oval, where he scored the first of his 16 centuries as an opener alongside long-time batting partner, Matthew Hayden.

But having lost both form and confidence following his axing early in the campaign – he hit his lowest ebb when he yelled at long-time teammate Adam Gilchrist after his dismissal during a tour match – Langer said he had been preparing to give up on international

cricket altogether.

Before the shock recall came at the age of 30, and his career changed forever.

“Literally, the week before I opened for the first time with Haydos (at The Oval), I told all my family I’m getting on a plane and leaving (and) I’m going home,” the current Australia men’s team’s coach told the ABC’s One Plus One program this week.

“I couldn’t make a run, I thought I’d failed (and) I’d never play for Australia again.

I’d been dropped at the start of the series when I thought I was going to play.

“My wife had flown over because I was going to retire the week before.

“I was so down in the dumps ... and out of nowhere, Steve Waugh rings me and says; ‘you’re going to open the batting tomorrow’.”

Langer had averaged just 20 from 11 innings on that tour before the final Test – he says he “couldn’t have been batting worse” – but he turned

his career around with a score of 102no at The Oval, starting a run of 65 Tests as an opener where he would average more than 48 with the bat.

And he says the wisdom he gained from that roller-coaster tour has been invaluable his coaching career.

“It was another great lesson,” he said. “If you just hang in there, you never know what’s around the corner.”

In 2006, Langer detailed the lowest point of the 2001 tour in the book The Ashes Match of My Life, describing the moment he took

out his frustration on Gilchrist, his national and state teammate.

“I hit rock-bottom when I was out for two against Sussex a t Justin Langer celebrates his hundred at The Oval // Getty Images

Hove,” h e wrote. “ I walked off the ground and shouted at our stand-in captain Adam Gilchrist, ‘Look what you guys have done to me!’.

I really spat the dummy.

I was sick of being

‘Big Three’ discussing ways to help lower-level players, says Djokovic

(REUTERS) - Novak Djokovic has been in touch with fellow ATP Player Council members Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal to discuss ways to assist lower-ranked players facing financial struggles amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, the world number one said on Saturday.

Answering a fan’s question during his Instagram live chat with Stan Wawrinka, Player Council chief Djokovic said steps would be taken to ensure that only those players who are most deserving will benefit from any relief plans.

“I spoke to Roger and Rafa a few days ago and we had a conversation about the near future of tennis. How we can contribute to help lower ranked guys who are obviously struggling the most, Djokovic said.

“A majority of players ranked between 250 to 700 or 1,000 don’t have feder-

ation support or sponsors and are independent and left alone.”

The tennis season was suspended in early March due to the pandemic, leaving players in the lower tiers who depend solely on tournament winnings without the chance to earn a living.

the organisers of the four Grand Slams — to devise plans to provide some assistance.

“Players hopefully will (also) contribute collectively to the relief fund that the ATP (and others) will distribute using models and criteria,” Djokovic added.

FILE PHOTO: Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland (L) hugs Novak Djokovic of Serbia after winning the French Open men’s final in Paris, France, June 7, 2015 (REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier/File Photo)

The plight of players ranked outside the top 100 in singles has prompted the game’s stakeholders — the ATP, WTA, ITF and

“You want to avoid giving money to player who fits into this category (low ranking) but does not need the money compared to

someone else... hopefully between $3-4.5 million will be distributed to lower-ranked players.”

Djokovic, a 17-times Grand Slam champion, said other short-term solutions could include diverting bonus money meant for top players from season-ending events like the ATP Finals into the relief fund.

“If we don’t have any events (in 2020), maybe next year’s Australian Open prize money can be contributed to the fund,” the Serb added.

“I’m glad the tennis eco-system is coming together. Everyone realises the base of tennis. These guys ranked 250 onwards are the ones making the future of tennis.

“We have to show them they’re not forgotten. We also have to send a message to young players that they can live out of tennis when there’s a financial crisis.”

the easy guy to drop.

“That night I sat in the bar of the Grand Hotel on the Brighton seafront with Gilly and our coach John Buchanan. I don’t normally drink much, but for four hours I knocked back the Budweisers as I spewed out all the emotions that had been simmering away since I was dropped. I told them exactly how I felt.

“Anger had been stopping me make runs, so I had to change. “(After reaching a century at The Oval) I remember looking up at our balcony with clenched teeth and an expression of ‘I told you so’ all over my face. I had proven to the guys who had dropped me and to myself, I could still play.” (Cricket.com.au)

Spit-and-polish ball-shining practice under the microscope BALL maintenance could be on the agenda of administrators and captains whenever cricket resumes, w i t h pace

“I don’t think anything is off the table. It could be a point where at the end of each over, the umpires allow the players to shine t h e Austraila pacer great ball Mitchell Starc Jason in front of them Gillespie suggesting the but you can only do it then. use of saliva will have to “I don’t know. Is it just be examined amid the sweat? Can you only use COVID-19 pandemic. sweat?

T h e C a p e To w n “I don’t have an anball-tampering scandal of swer to that but it cerMarch 2018, in which Aus- tainly will be a conversatralia attempted to scuff tion that will be had. the ball with sandpaper, “If you think about it, it prompted an International is pretty gross.”

Cricket Council crackdown Australia spearhead on ball-tampering.

Pat Cummins revealed T h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l the topic was discussed Cricket Council ( ICC) prior to last month’s instituted harsher penal- trans-Tasman ODI at the ties, wanting to clean up SCG. an element of the game That game, Australia’s that had prompted an ugly final hit-out before the arms race between teams health crisis brought a halt wanting to push the en- to all international cricket, velope and generate re- was played behind closed verse-swing. doors.

Shining the ball with “It’s a tough one,” sweat and saliva remains Cummins said earlier this commonplace and entirely month. legal, provided mints ar“If it’s at that stage en’t used to gain an illicit where we’re that worried advantage. about spread ... I’m not T h e c o ro n a v i r u s , sure we’d be playing sport thought to be spread and bringing ourselves out via respiratory droplets, of isolation. could complicate matters.

“The one-dayer, we As cricket boards made it clear we’re obviedge closer to staging ously really keen to play, games, the issue shapes as but ... the way we shined a likely conundrum. the ball didn’t change.

“I don’t think it’s a “Obviously different quirky question. It’s an with red ball. As a bowlactual genuine thing to er I think it would be be considered,” Gillespie, pretty tough going if we who snared 259 Test wick- couldn’t shine the ball in ets, told ABC Grandstand. a Test.” (AAP)

22

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 20, 2020

He makes it so easy - Rooney believes Messi is better than Ronaldo

WAYNE Rooney believes Lionel Messi is a cut above the “incredible” Cristiano Ronaldo because the Barcelona superstar “will torture you before he kills you.”

Rooney and Ronaldo tormented defences during time as team-mates in an outstanding Manchester United side before the Portugal forward joined Real Madrid in 2009.

Ronaldo and Messi have won the Ballon d’Or an astonishing 11 times between them, with Luka Modric the only other player to land the award since 2007.

Former England captain Rooney considers Messi, winner of the Ballon d’Or on six occasions, to be the best on the planet.

The Derby County skip-

per wrote in his Sunday Times column: “Ronaldo wasn’t as focused on goals when we started playing to-

tised and began to produce.

Cristiano has become an incredible scorer and he and Messi are arguably the

He makes it so easy - Rooney believes Lionel Messi (left) is better than Cristiano Ronaldo

gether but you could see that all he wanted was to be the best player in the world.

“He practised and prac-

best two players the game has seen.

“But despite my friendship with Cristiano, I’d go

for Messi. It’s for the same reason I loved watching Xavi and [Paul] Scholes: it’s the different things in Messi’s game.

“I’ve talked about composure and I can’t remember seeing Messi score when he has hit the ball as hard as he could. He just rolls them in, makes it so easy.

“Ronaldo is ruthless in the box, a killer. But Messi will torture you before he kills you. With Messi you just get the impression he is having more fun.

“Those two have completely changed the game in terms of goalscoring numbers and I don’t think they’ll ever be matched.”

(Omnisport)

Jofra Archer: I don’t know what losing a World Cup final would have done to me JOFRA Archer has revealed he would have needed time off had England failed to win the 2019 Cricket World Cup final, admitting: “I take losses really, really hard”.

Hosts England edged out New Zealand in last year’s showpiece at Lord’s, claiming the trophy for the first time having hit more boundaries than their opponents after the two teams could not even be split by a Super Over.

It was Archer who held his nerve with the ball in a tense finish to proceedings, conceding just a single from the final delivery as Martin Guptill was run out trying to complete the second run that would have sealed victory for the Black Caps.

The pace bowler had needed to recover from a difficult start to the Super Over, however. His first attempted delivery was called a wide, while Jimmy Neesham then hit him for six as the Kiwis lowered their initial target of 16 down to three from the last two balls.

Yet Archer restricted Neesham and then Guptill at the death, much to his relief.

The 25-year-old was born in Barbados and had only qualified to represent England earlier in 2019, making him a late addition to captain Eoin Morgan’s one-day squad prior to the

tournament on home soil.

Joining Sky Sports’ coverage as they showed a full repeat of the final, Archer said: “To be honest, the most relieving thing is that we won.

stages of the game, with the wicketkeeper witnessing again the moment he broke the stumps to dismiss Guptill.

Asked to remember how he felt at the time, Buttler

as England matched New Zealand’s total of 241, managed to take 15 off Trent Boult.

“When Morgs told me [I would be batting again], I said, ‘I reckon Jos and J-Roy

Jofra Archer and Jos Buttler celebrate

“There was a lot of controversy before I started - if I was the reason we lost, I don’t think it would have gone down too well. I would probably have asked to take a month or two off from cricket, I don’t know.

“I take losses really, really hard, so I don’t know what losing a World Cup final would have done to me.”

Jos Buttler also joined Archer and Sky pundits Rob Key and Nasser Hussain to view the closing

recalled: “The 30 seconds or a minute from taking the bails off to all of us running around, that is the most incredible feeling. It’s pure elation really.”

Ben Stokes also made an appearance during the rerun - and explained how he initially tried to talk Morgan out of the plan to send him back out alongside Buttler to bat in the Super Over.

The duo, who had shared a 110-run partnership earlier in proceedings

(Jason Roy)’, because of how well Jason had played during the whole World Cup,” Stokes – who was named man of the match after making a pivotal 84 not out in England’s innings – said.

“But as soon as he said, ‘We want a right-hand, lefthand combination’, I was like, ‘Right, I have to get out of my emotions right now, go clear my head and get my head back on starting all over again.”

(Omnisport)

World Rugby chief says current crisis may lead to calendar consensus (REUTERS) - World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont believes the unity shown in the global game during the coronavirus pandemic will finally lead to a new international competition along the lines of last year’s Nations Championship proposal.

Beaumont, who faces a challenge for his job from Argentine vice-chairman Agustin Pichot in an election later this month, said securing agreement over a global season was one of his main ambi-

tween the north and the south. Look, what we can do with our playing windows?

What can we do in the international windows that can generate more funds from another competition.”

Beaumont and Pichot were both drivers of the original Nations Championship initiative, which had attracted the offer of major financial backing from venture capitalists.

Securing a proper global season has always previously foundered on

World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont

tions for a second four-year term.

A proposal for a 12-team competition bringing together the Six Nations and the Rugby Championship with the addition of two other nations was scuppered last year because of a relegation element feared by weaker European nations.

Beaumont thinks that many around the rugby world may have reconsidered their positions in the light of the financial hardship unions are suffering in the wake of the shutdown of the sport during the pandemic.

“I’m pretty confident that there will be a variant of a sort of Nations (Championship),” the former England captain told the BBC. “I think there’s a real spirit of collaboration be-

the competing demands of test rugby, the World Cup, the British and Irish Lions tours as well as the powerful European club leagues.

“It’s a balancing act that you have to do to fit everything into this jigsaw but I think in the past people have been quite protective about what they have got, what we are looking at now this is probably a reality check in the sport,” Beaumont said.

“And you are pretty foolish if you don’t learn lessons.”

World Rugby on Thursday announced that it had created a $100 million relief fund to help unions through the lockdown period and Beaumont said securing the future of the game remained his immediate priority.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Monday, April 20, 2020)

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ANSWERS TO YESTERDAY’S QUIZ:

(1) Kamran Akmal & Moin Khan (25 dismissals each) (2) Jerry Alexander (29 dismissals: 25 catches; 4 stumpings)

TODAY’S QUIZ:

(1) Who are the Pakistani Test triple-centurions to date?

(2) Who are the WI players that have recorded Test triple-centuries to date?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

23

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, April 20, 2020

Fury’s achievements make him comparable to Muhammad Ali - Davison

TYSON Fury’s achievements, both inside and outside the ring, put him in the same bracket as the great Muhammad Ali, according to trainer Ben Davison.

Earlier this year, Fury outclassed Deontay Wilder in their Las Vegas rematch to become the new WBC world heavyweight champion.

It marked the culmination of a stunning turnaround for Fury, who dethroned the great Wladimir Klitschko to win the WBA, WBO and IBF belts back in November 2015.

Following that sensational triumph, Fury spent two and a half years away from the sport, during which time he battled well-documented issues with his mental health.

Davison used to work

with Fury and says the way he has fought through his problems will leave a lasting legacy.

his dominant run – away.

“He then went and beat Wilder, he then went and dominated and stopped Wild-

Tyson Fury’s achievements make him comparable to Muhammad Ali – Davison

He told talkSPORT: “Tyson has gone away and he has beaten Wladimir Klitschko while he was on

er the second time.

“I know some people will say Tyson didn’t win that first fight, difference of opinions

whatever, that is my opinion.

“And he went away and stopped Wilder and I don’t think there is anybody that has got a resume close to Tyson Fury’s.

“I had a good chat with Tyson [on Saturday] just to say to him: ‘Look, for what he has achieved in the ring, you have got to think about what he has achieved outside of the ring’.

“He has inspired thousands of people along the way and people won’t like comparing him – while he is current – to the likes of Muhammad Ali. “Tyson Fury will be spoken about for many, many, many years to come - and probably in eras when we are long gone.” (Omnisport)

KKR would’ve won more titles if Russell had played under my captaincy ― Gambhir

THE Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was always a team filled with the star players ever since the inception of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

But the team didn’t perform to its potential in the first few editions of the tournament.

However, Gautam Gambhir became the captain of the team in 2012 and it changed everything.

KKR won the IPL twice, in 2012 and 2014, courtesy of his leadership skills and the team did well when he was at the helm.

proved their decision right with his scintillating performances in IPL 2018 and 2019. After missing playing cricket for a year in 2017, he came stronger and fitter than ever and ripped apart the opposition bowling line-ups for fun. Rather he won a few games for the team single-handedly. But then, the franchise had released Gautam Gambhir in the mega auction and he wasn’t able to lead the team when Russell was at his best.

Speaking at the Star

‘I should have scored more goals’ - Rooney London (AFP) - Wayne Rooney may be Manchester United and England’s record goalscorer but he still believes he should have found the back of the net more often during his

pile up the trophies.

Rooney surpassed 1966 World Cup-winner Bobby Charlton as United’s all-time leading scorer, just as he did for England with a tally of 53 goals from 120 caps.

Derby County, added: “I was never a Gary Lineker or a Ruud van Nistelrooy; I never looked at myself that way.

“I hold the goal records for Manchester United and

Wayne Rooney broke Sir Bobby Charlton’s Manchester United and England goalscoring records

career, even though he was not a natural finisher.

Rooney, a teenage sensation at Everton, joined United in 2004 and went on to score 253 goals in 559 appearances during a 13-year spell for the Old Trafford club that saw the Red Devils

Despite those figures Rooney, writing in his Sunday Times column, insisted: “I’m going to be honest -- and this might surprise you -- but I’m not a natural goalscorer.”

The 34-year-old, now a player-coach at second-tier

England and am very proud about that -- yet there have been better No 9s than me.

“How did I become a record-breaker if I wasn’t a natural scorer? Time,” Rooney explained. “I played for United for 13 years, England for 15 years. I had

time to break those records -- and looking back I should have scored more.”

Rooney backed Harry Kane to break his England record, although he would like the Tottenham Hotspur striker “to stay high as that No 9” after seeing him drop deeper in during the past two seasons.

“I don’t think it will take long for Harry Kane to claim my England record and it would be a proud moment for me,” Rooney said.

“I’ve never been a selfish player and it would be great for England for Harry to get there. Bobby Charlton had to wait 50 years (for Rooney to break his England record) -- I hope it’s not so long for me.

“The United record might last longer simply because players don’t stay at clubs as long as they used to.

“Mind you, if (Lionel) Messi or (Cristiano) Ronaldo came to Old Trafford for a swansong they’d probably break it in three or four years.”

West Indies hard-hitting T20 all-rounder Andre Russell

But Gambhir feels that the franchise would’ve won more IPL trophies if Andre Russell had played when the former was with the KKR. Interestingly, the strongly built Caribbean player was picked by the franchise ahead of the 2014 edition in the auction for just Rs 60 lakh.

While he played only a couple of matches during their title-winning run in the same season, Russell scored 326 runs at a strike-rate of 192.89 in 11 innings in IPL 2015.

Though he didn’t dominate much in the following season Russell smashed 188 runs in 8 outings at a strike rate of close to 165.

But then 2017 proved to be a tough year for him as he was banned for a year in the doping case and had miss the IPL that year. However, the KKR kept faith in him and retained him ahead of the mega auctions.

And Andre Russell

Sports’ Cricket Connected show, the former India cricketer and current BJP MP wished that the Caribbean swashbuckler should’ve played when he was with the KKR during his seven-year stint with the franchise and they would’ve won a couple of titles definitely. He also recalled that in the same auction when KKR bought Russell for a meagre amount, Pawan Negi was sold for a huge amount of Rs 8 crore to the Delhi franchise.

“Imagine Russell going for 50 Lakhs to KKR and Pawan Negi for 8 cr to Daredevils. I probably wished that he would have been there for seven years when I was playing we would have certainly won one or two more,” Gambhir said. Interestingly, despite Russell being at his best, the KKR hasn’t performed well in the last two seasons.

(CricTracker)

PAGE 20

The Tokyo Olympics are no scheduled to take place from 23 July-8 August 2021

Olympics and Paralympics in 2021 without vaccine is ‘very unrealistic’ Taylor, Gilchrist

Nations League has provided belief, opportunity-Grenada coach MIAMI, Florida, (CMC) When the tournament – Grenada coach and for- was officially announced mer national star, Shalrie two years ago, CONCACAF Joseph, has hailed the pos- president Victor Montagliitive impact of the recently ani said it was aimed at givimplemented CONCACAF ing teams “the opportunity Nations League on the to play more and compete development of small Ca- more, which in turn will ribbean nations. propel greater development He said the tournament, of the sport at every level”. which began in SeptemJoseph, who made a ber 2018, had instilled name for himself as a demuch-needed confidence in fensive midfielder at MLS the smaller teams and pro- franchise New England vided a better opportunity Revolution with 37 goals for them to qualify for the in 261 appearances during confederation’s showpiece, a 10-year spell, said teams the CONCACAF Gold Cup. w e r e already “I think us in Grenada, beginone of the many islands in ning to the Caribbean, absolutely see the benefitted from the new beneformat, which is the CNL, fits. which has revolutionized football in the region,” the 41-year-old told continental governing body’s website.

“Now countries and FAs are going into competitions with a stronger belief that their countries can now qualify Grenada coach and former for tournanational star Shalrie Joseph ments, like the Gold Cup and the World “I think the dreams of Cup because of the way the fans and players are being CNL is structured.” realized in this tournament, The Nations League and if the CNL did not have serves as a qualifier for this format, a small country the GOLD CUP, which is like Grenada would not be staged biennially. It is di- able to play these different vided into three tiers with teams and would not be able League A comprising 12 to get this far,” he explained. teams, League B consisting “I think it is important of 16 teams and League C that CONCACAF continboasting another 12 teams. ues to do things like that, Teams are subject to pro- especially for a small island motion and relegation based like Grenada, where we got on results in group play. to play different countries

and visit different places, got to meet new people and have new experiences. We wouldn’t be able to do that if the competition was formatted differently.

“I also think it’s ideal that these games are scheduled during the international window, which allows the overseas-based players to come back and play for their country.”

Grenada enjoyed an excellent run in the current edition of the Nations League, topping Group A in League B with 14 points with four wins and two draws from six outings, to earn promotion to League A and a spot in next year’s Gold Cup. The winners of the other three League B groups – El Salvador, Jamaica and Suriname – also qualified for the Gold Cup. “We won our group and were undefeated in the competition, so I absolutely loved the outcome of my team in the competition,” Shalrie said.

“I thought we were very outstanding in every aspect of the games.

I believe the team was extremely hard-working and did everything right from the perspective of following what the coaching staff expected of them.”

PAGE 20

predict big pay cuts for Australia players

Black coaches not being given the chances – Yorke FORMER Aston Villa and Manchester United star Dwight Yorke has a struggle on his hands.

Just as he did when he tried to break into Premier League football in England, so it is today, where the Trinidad and Tobago native, the most successful footballer in the countries history, is finding it today.

Based in Dubai, Yorke is now trying his hand at managing but has found that the colour of his skin provides barriers just as it did during his playing days.

“I’m actually trying to get into coaching here, which is another challenging part of my career. It’s a different challenge now,” said Yorke during an interview with T&T radio

station i95FM. “The challenge was to break in as a black player in the UK,” said Yorke speaking of his 10 years with Aston Villa where he scored 97 goals before becoming a household name with Manchester United in a famous partnership with Andy Cole.

“I managed to do that, and now I have to fight extremely hard and ... it’s the same thing coming to management. You have to fight extremely hard to get a look-in to it,” S a i d Yorke.

“You just have to look around the world; it’s very challenging. I’m not ashamed to say it - the black aspiring managers are not getting a lookin. You look in the Premier League and you l o o k around globally.”

(Sportsmax)

Former T&T, Aston Villa and Man.United star Dwight Yorke

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MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020