Guyana Chronicle 01-31-2021

31st January, 2021

, No.106258

‘We will not bend to threats’

-- says President, GDF actively monitoring Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone SEE PAGE 03

These folk from the deep riverine communities of Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) returning home from a visit to the mining town of Linden (Delano Williams photo)

China donating 20,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines 02 PAGE

Charrandass Persaud tipped to be High Commissioner to India 04 PAGE

SEE inside

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 31, 2021

China donating 20,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines –– to add to govt’s ‘aggressive’ efforts to secure vaccines

By Vishani Ragobeer CHINA has already agreed to donate 20,000 doses of its COVID-19 vaccines to Guyana, amid aggressive efforts by the government to engage its international partners so that enough vaccines can be secured to immunise the population in the shortest possible time, according to President Dr Irfaan Ali. On Saturday, during an address to the nation, Dr Ali assured that the government is “aggressively” pursuing all avenues to secure vaccines.

This includes engaging many of Guyana’s international partners, such as India, China and Russia, who have been developing and manufacturing vaccines.

Already, he highlighted, “The Government of China has confirmed that it will be donating 20,000 doses of vaccines to Guyana.

Discussions are ongoing and arrangements to acquire vaccines from these countries will be finalised shortly.”

While it is unclear which Chinese vaccine Guyana will be receiving, international reports highlighted that Beijing-based biopharmaceutical company Sinovac has developed the CoronaVac, an inactivated vaccine which is able to expose the body's immune system to the dreaded coronavirus without risking a serious disease response.

This allows the body to become immunised by ‘fighting off’ the virus injected.

Meanwhile, Sinopharm,

a Chinese state-owned company, is developing two COVID-19 vaccines, which, like Sinovac are also inactivated vaccines that work in a similar way and are reportedly 79 per cent effective.

Though this level of vaccine efficacy is lower than that of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which have been used in the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK), the BBC reported that the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which approved a Sinopharm vaccine earlier this month, said the vaccine was 86 per cent effective.

This greater efficacy rate was garnered from interim results of the UAE’s phase three trial.

President Ali also indicated that the government has been in talks with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the European Union (EU) for a quota of vaccines. He further highlighted that the government is also engaging major vaccine manufacturers including Pfizer, BioNTec, Moderna and AstraZeneca to finalise a supply of vaccines from them. These governmental efforts to secure vaccines are conducted in addition to Guyana’s engagement with the COVAX facility, through which the country has already submitted the requisite documentation and is expecting vaccines as early as the month of February.

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President Dr Irfaan Ali

A COVID-19 vaccine

A vaccine distribution timeline, as projected by the Economist

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 31, 2021

‘We will not bend to threats to our national security’ –– says President; GDF actively monitoring Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone

By Navendra Seoraj A PEACEFUL conclusion to its border controversy with Venezuela remains Guyana’s aim, but with the opposing state insisting on aggression, Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and President of Guyana Dr. Irfaan Ali, has affirmed that his nation will not cower in the face of threats against national security.

“As President of our beloved country, my single most important responsibility is to keep the Guyanese people safe.

It is the first thing I think about when I wake [up] in the morning. It is the last thing on my mind at night. And my working day is consumed by it.

“But, I want no mistake about it: my government is doing all in its power to vigorously protect our people’s health and our country’s territorial integrity. Just as we will not relent in the battle against COVID-19, so will we not bend to threats to our national security…we may be a small country, but we are a proud people. We have no military might, but we have moral and legal right. We pick fights with no one, but we will resist threats from anyone,” President Ali said during a passionate address to the nation on Saturday at State House.

In resisting threats, Guyana, the President said, will seek the protection of international law and the support of the international community. The ongoing Guyana-Venezuela border controversy relates to a more than century-old disagreement, which arose as a result of Venezuela’s contention that the Arbitral Award of 1899, which outlines and settles the boundary between the two nations, was null and void.

In March 2018, Guyana filed its application in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) seeking an affirmation of the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award and the international boundary that it established.

The ICJ ruled on December 18, 2020, that it has jurisdiction to hear the border controversy case.

Guyana is seeking to obtain a final and binding judgment that the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the location of the land boundary between then British Guiana and Venezuela, remains valid, and that the Essequibo region belongs to Guyana and not Venezuela.

Venezuela has said, for the longest while, that it is not interested in having this matter resolved by the court. And,

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali

from all indications, Venezuela remains seemingly bent on arbitrarily laying claim to Guyana’s territory, with that country’s naval forces increasingly intruding on Guyana’s maritime space.

Increased activity by Venezuelan naval vessels and other forces in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) started after Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, issued a decree claiming Venezuela’s sovereignty and exclusive sovereign rights in the waters and seabed adjacent to Guyana’s coast, west of the Essequibo River.

Despite outright condemnation of Venezuela’s latest claims and global recognition of Guyana’s sovereign rights over the contested area, a naval vessel attached to the Bolivarian Republic, just days after the issuance of the decree, entered Guyana’s territory and abducted 12 fishermen, who remain detained in Venezuela.

Guyana has so far informed its sister states in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the international community, including the Organization of American States (OAS), the Commonwealth and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, of the recent acts by Venezuela.

A majority of those stakeholders have since announced their support for Guyana, called for the release of the detained fishermen and for a peaceful conclusion to the controversy by means of the ICJ. Guyana’s immediate concern, however, remains the safe recovery of citizens who, along with their vessel--the Lady Nayera and Sea World--are being detained by Venezuela’s military at Port Guiria in Venezuela.

This remains the case despite Guyana’s formal protest

to the Venezuelan authorities through diplomatic channels.

Guyana has registered to the Government of Venezuela its protest in the strongest possible terms, at this unlawful and aggressive action against the state and people of Guyana and has insisted upon the immediate release and return of the two Guyanese vessels and their crews.

Both President Ali and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd, have affirmed that everything is being done to secure the early release of the men and their vessels. In the interim, the government, according to the President, has been engaging the families to ensure that tangible and psychosocial support is provided. The Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, will be meeting soon with the families to outline a more formal course of action.

“We indicated to the family that the executive is concerned and will do everything to ensure that their loved ones and vessels are retuned to Guyana,” President Ali said.

An arm of comfort was also extended by the President to the entire nation when he said that the government remains committed to protecting Guyana amid the increasing presence of Venezuelan forces in local waters.

ACTIVELY MONITORING “The GDF [Guyana Defence Force] has been actively monitoring and informing me as to the various developments in relation to the EEZ,” President Ali said, noting that monitoring has increased.

Chief-of-Staff of the GDF, Brigadier Godfrey Bess, who was also present at the briefing with President Ali, said that

Adviser on Borders at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge

Venezuelan ships were first spotted in Guyana’s EEZ on January 14, 2021.

The specific coordinates of this intrusion, as outlined by Brigadier Bess, are 60 nautical miles east of the median line and 25 nautical miles from the coast of Guyana. This intrusion continued and was last noted by the GDF on January 27, 2021.

“We continue to log their operations and inform the Foreign Ministry of their operations…we are patrolling the EEZ to ensure our presence is felt,” the Chief-of-Staff said.

Based on what was said

by Adviser on Borders at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Carl Greenidge, this approach by the army seems ideal because, in his view, Guyana has to maintain its presence in the EEZ. In providing an explanation, Greenidge, who is also the former Foreign Affairs Minister, said: “Venezuela would be happy if all Guyanese get up and leave… you have to avoid this and be aware of the risks… what Venezuela would like to see is the abandonment of our marine resources.”

WELL-POSITIONED While not responding directly to Greenidge’s advice, Brigadier Bess said Guyana’s soldiers are strategically positioned to ensure that Guyana’s patrimony is upheld and that the defence objectives continue to be a main objective.

He affirmed that the GDF is committed to protecting Guyana from any threat. But, as it is now, the order of the day remains the use of defence diplomacy to settle the matter peacefully.

“We continue to work with regional partners and we continue to monitor the sea

space…we are there by air and we will also continue to ensure that we have information sharing with fisher folks and other stakeholders,” the Chief-ofStaff said.

President Ali said too that the government has informed its territorial neighbours about the increased presence by Venezuelan vessels in Guyana’s waters.

“What the Venezuelans are pursuing also has implications for immediate neighbours… we have been engaging them.

The engagement has been responsible and active,” the President said.

Ideally, in international relations, the first response of allies and of the international community is to use diplomatic means. As explained by Greenidge, the first reaction to aggression, as is the case with Venezuela, is not to meet breaches with forces, but to bring the pressure diplomatically and then escalate when it is deemed necessary.

The most recent international stakeholder to add its

voice to this matter has been the United Nations (UN) through Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres. According to President Ali, Guterres in a letter made reference to January 30, 2018, when he chose the ICJ as the means to be used for solution of the controversy.

The secretary-general acknowledged that the court is proceeding to adjudicate the merits of the case.

“Guyana is fully committed to the ICJ process. We believe international law and independent international jurists of the highest calibre offer the most credible and definitive way in which to put an end to the Venezuelan contention. Therefore, we will continue to pursue that course,” President Ali said.

At the same time, however, Guyana, he said, is not averse to engaging Venezuela on bilateral matters in which we have a common interest.

However, such discussions while welcome, especially if the UN Secretary-General wishes to play a good offices role, will have to be preceded by a clear demonstration by Venezuela that it will desist from any further acts of aggression against Guyana, starting with the release of the Guyanese fishermen and their vessels.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 31, 2021

Charrandass tipped to be new High Commissioner to India –– An Yin Choo to be named Ambassador to China FORMER Member of Parliament, Charrandass Persaud, who voted in favour of the then opposition-sponsored No-Confidence Motion, that essentially evicted his party from government, is likely to become the next Guyanese High Commissioner to India.

Well-placed sources have confirmed that the attorney-at-law is poised to replace Dr. David Pollard.

In May 2015, after months of intense campaigning, the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), of which Persaud was a member, dethroned the People’s Progressive Party/Civic

(PPP/C) and assumed office.

As a Government Member of Parliament (MP), Persaud represented the people of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

On December 21, 2018, Persaud’s unprecedented, jaw-dropping vote in favour of a No-Confidence Motion brought against his party made history, and paved the way for 2020 General and Regional Elections which was won by the PPP/C. Following threats from his former comrades, Persaud fled the country to Canada, only to return in 2020, when the PPP/C was solidly in place. Persaud had told reporters that when the historic motion was tabled,

Attorney-at-law, Charrandass Persaud

he was forced to side with his ‘conscience’ in voting against his party.

Meanwhile, An Yin Choo, who is presently the Consulate General to Toron-

to, is also expected to take up a new diplomatic post.

She is tipped to be named Guyana’s Ambassador to China, having once served as the First Secretary of the

An Yin Choo, current Consulate General to Toronto

Guyana Embassy in Beijing.

Choo has been the Consulate General in Toronto since February 2018, and has served in several other high-level capacities within

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Director of Foreign Trade, Head of the Diaspora Unit and the Director of International Cooperation.

Attorney-General reaches out to Essequibo residents

SCORES of residents on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), on Saturday, met with Attorney-General and

Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, during which they had their concerns addressed.

Nandlall, who is currently

in the region on a two-day outreach, started to meet with residents at 09:00h at the regional State House Immediately after meeting with Minister Nandlall, Sarojanie Persaud, a teacher at the Essequibo Technical Institute, expressed her satisfaction with his intervention.

Persaud told this newspaper that for years she had been victimised at her workplace and she tried reaching out to local representatives but it was futile.

Persaud said she felt relieved after speaking with the minister. Another resident, Lancelot Boston, who had

a land issue, said he applied for his land, but was getting a difficult time with the officers from the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission. He too was advised what to do by the minister.

Bertram Joaquin from Lima Sands told the minister that he had issues acquiring ownership of his house lot which he squatted on over 20 years. Joaquin said that he applied for a house lot but to date, he had not received a response.

Residents commended Minister Nandlall for his outreach, noting that they have saved money finan-

Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall meets with residents on the Essequibo Coast

cially by not travelling to Georgetown to have their issues addressed. Others at the meeting with Nandlall included Regional Chair-

person, Vilma De Silva; Regional Executive Officer, Devanand Ramdatt, and Regional Vice Chairman, Humace Oodit.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 31, 2021

Attorney Dyal Singh honoured at special memorial sitting THE late attorney-at-law, Dyal Singh, was, on Friday, remembered at a special memorial sitting of the Full Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature in Suddie Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

Singh, 80, died on May 27, 2020 from cancer.

Tribute was paid to the late Singh by Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, who said that Singh was not one of the lawyers who had records internationally, but rather, he stayed on the Essequibo Coast - his place of birth - and rendered his legal services to thousands.

The Attorney-General told the court that the late Singh served the Essequibo population for over five decades.

“The problem facing every legal system in the world is that the persons who are most in need of justice are the poor and the indigent, yet

cially when he opened his own Guava Factory. The court room was also told that “the product and success of his familial life are with us here in the form of Justice Navindra Singh (son).”

Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards; Chief Justice (ag), Roxane George; Justice Navindra Singh, and Justice Gino Persaud presided over the special sitting.

The late Dyal Singh

they have the least access to justice. Mr. Singh helped in bridging that tragic divide by providing legal services to the poor and indigent of the Essequibo Coast,” the Attorney-General emphasised.

In reflecting, Minister Nandlall recalled Singh’s love for agriculture, espe-

HUMANITARIAN WORK His son, Justice Singh, recalled that he was a true philanthropist to the Essequibo community. Justice Singh reminisced his father used to take him to many cricket matches, noting that his love for sports led him to donating a portion of land to the Zorg community for a sport ground.

Justice Singh said he is happy today that the residents are maintaining the

community ground. Justice Singh further noted that his father also assisted with the construction of the Zorg Shiva Mandir, a toilet facility. and a waiting area for the children coming from Capoey community.

“I have many fond memories of my father, especially when I was a small boy he

used to take me to a lot of cricket matches, and also take me to sit in the court room; my father did everything to support his children and we miss him dearly,” Justice Singh told this newspaper.

The late Singh was the father of four children - three boys and a girl. He studied law in London and after

completing his studies, he returned to Guyana in 1966.

He was admitted to the bar in 1967 and then ventured to open his own office at Zorg village and then later at Little Alliance.

His favourite quote was, “Early to bed, early to rise make a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

The special memorial sitting held at the Suddie High Court

China donating 20,000 doses...

Months ago, Guyana signed up with the COVAX facility, a global initiative geared at accelerating the development and manufacture of the COVID-19 vaccines, and then providing them in a guaranteed rapid, fair and equitable manner. And, under this mechanism, Guyana is expected to receive its first set of vaccines to cover about 20 per cent of the population for free.

The first three per cent will be used for the frontline health workers and the next tranche, about 17 per cent, will be used for older persons and persons with higher risks, such as those with comorbidities. Guyana is not yet aware which of the vaccines it will receive.

‘SPEEDY COVERAGE’ Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, recently lamented the unequal and inequitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Subsequently, the Economist reported that advanced global economies will achieve widespread vaccination coverage exponentially faster than 84 poorer countries, which are projected to achieve that widespread coverage only until 2023. Guyana was listed as one of those 84 countries.

But, President Ali posited that his government wants to accelerate the rate of securing and distributing vaccines.

“We are pursuing all avenues to get as much vaccines to cover the population as quickly as possible,” he emphasised, explaining that the government is deploying enough of its human and financial resources to ensure this. Similarly, Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, assured that efforts are underway to accelerate the

procurement and distribution of vaccines. This, he reasoned, is why Guyana has been engaging other partners, aside from the COVAX facility, to secure those vaccines.

He also reminded that widespread vaccination is the “exit strategy” for the pandemic; this means that only when about 80 per cent of the population is immunised through vaccination or through recovering after contracting the virus, would there be some sort of ‘normalcy’.

To cater for the deployment of vaccines, Guyana’s vaccination capacity has been bolstered. Since Guyana is not yet sure which of the

COVID-19 vaccines it will receive, the country has secured the necessary cold chain infrastructure to ensure that it is equipped to store the vaccines at temperatures that are cold enough.

Additionally, healthcare workers are being trained to administer the vaccines to adults, since a majority of Guyana’s vaccination regime deals with immunising children. Also, since COVID-19 vaccines require two doses over a period of time, copious record-keeping must be done.

Health workers must also be trained to spot and treat potential side-effects of the vaccine, though these are not common.

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Importantly, Dr. Anthony highlighted that the local health authorities should have the capacity to administer about 7,000 vaccines per day once the rollout process begins. President Ali, on Saturday, noted that some 3,800 vaccines will be available by February and March.

As the government prepares to immunise the population against the novel coronavirus, President Ali emphasised that public acceptance of the vaccine is necessary. While noting that getting vaccinated is not mandatory, he assured that the government would

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only distribute vaccines that have been deemed safe by the WHO, and those he himself will be vaccinated to show that the vaccine is indeed safe. He also assured that both doses of the vaccine will be made available to the population.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 31, 2021

More to Guyana than just oil GUYANA over the years was known to be agriculture-based as its main economic crops were sugar and rice and as such, was once referred to as the “Bread basket of the Caribbean.”

With the recent discovery of oil however, many may have felt that the government is focusing solely on the oil-and-gas industry and neglecting the agriculture and other traditional sectors. However, this is not the case.

The agriculture sector has been the main vein of the economy for years, as many initiatives were put in place to advance the sector, such as having Agriculture Science as part of secondary schools curriculum and offering courses at the University of Guyana, along with having a niche school, the Guyana School of Agriculture. Many Guyanese have grown up with some knowledge of either nurturing a plant or an animal.

Therefore, they had this wisdom within them.

What was lacking over the years was the ability of the previous government to push agro-processing where raw agri products can become value-added products. For Guyana to have a successful agro processing venture, it needs to overcome its high energy costs. The PPP/C government was in pursuit of this by initiating the Amaila Falls Hydro Project, which was discontinued by the APNU+AFC government. If this project were

in operation, Guyana would have been far ahead in the process. However, to continue the process, the government is working to implement the gas-to-shore project, which will allow persons access to an affordable source of energy.

The oil-and-gas sector is new to the economy. Therefore, much focus must be placed on this industry to have the benefits as soon as possible. Guyana is seeking to further develop itself to become one of the richest countries in the hemisphere. If it were to maintain its agricultural basis alone, that objective would not be met.

Nevertheless, the oil-and-gas industry will not be enough to conquer Guyana’s unemployment rate. The other industries are also needed, especially the agriculture sector, as many semi-skilled to skilled persons are talented in this area. The Minister of Agriculture has over the weeks pointed out his plans for the agriculture sector and indicated what was done since he was awarded his post.

Since assuming office, there has been an increase in the number of extension officers for agencies such as NAREI, who have been hired to serve in the interior areas of the country such as Orealla and Siparuta, as these areas did not have such assistance ona regular basis. This will result in farmers being able to be better supported in whatever help they may need to have better produc-

tion capacity.

Three sugar estates were reopened with the intent to provide jobs for those who were left jobless since the closure. New markets are being sought for the industry and the Guyana Sugar Corporation is also looking at new strategies to provide value-added products and move away from bulk sugar and molasses being the sole products. The company also is attracting much interest from international investors such as Dubai.

Guyana has also had discussions with Trinidad and Tobago to have better trading relationships for their agricultural products, especially for poultry. With all the fruit and vegetable farmers in the country, Guyana has the potential for securing food security in the Region and since export taxes have been dropped, exports will be increased by the end of the year.

In 2021, six farm-to-market roads are expected to be built with three being constructed in Berbice. This would open opportunities for over 30,000 acres of new land to be planted with rice. Construction of one of the six roads was set to begin at Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice, at an estimated cost of $327 million. With the new roads, farmers will also be able to reach their farms without hindrance during rainy seasons, thereby drastically reducing their production costs and machinery-maintenance cost.

Guyana is also set to benefit from the

UK’s exit from the EU and will continue to enjoy duty-free, quota-free access for its sugar in the UK market. The EU will also continue to have smooth relations with Guyana separately and trade will not be affected. Many local and foreign investors have shown interest in Guyana’s development. One such investor is a team from Dubai, who have intentions of investing in the agriculture sector, especially sugar and livestock.

These are billion-dollar investments that would create thousands of jobs in the country. This would have spin-off effects on other industries also that would result in lower unemployment rates, increased Gross Domestic Product (GDP), increased domestic incomes, lower rates of poverty, along with increased economic activity. As the government seeks to find more regional and international markets for its exports, the foreign-exchange earnings of the country will increase.

Though emphasis is being placed also on the tourism industry, it should be noted that hotels also need fruits and vegetables to prepare their menus and foreigners will also want to support the local markets to take back home.

Therefore, every industry is linked, and the oil-and-gas industry will not be the only sector supporting Guyana’s economy.

His glory must be written in the annals of purity Dear Editor, THE month of January is synonymous with many demarcations on the calendar for the country of India. India celebrates the new year on the 1st and World Braille Day on the 4th, the birthday of Swami Vivekananda is applauded along with National Youth Day on the 12th.

The first cultural and religious holiday is observed on the 13th, being Lohri and on the 14th, that being Makar Sankranti, along with the first Purnima on the 28th.

India Army Day is highlighted on the 15th along with Pongal and Thiruvalluvar Day. Reverence is lauded to Guru Gobin Singh and respect is paid to Martin Luther King Jr. on the 18th. Hug Day is squeezed in on the 20th. Recognition is given to International Day of Education and National Girl Child Day on the 24th. India hails out to Australia Day on the 25th and National Voters Day is demarcated. Much pomp

and glory are entrenched with joy and jubilation as India’s patriotism becomes pronounced on the 26th for Republic Day. World Leprosy Eradication Day is remembered on the 31st. But, the month is incomplete because on the 30th, not only India but also the world at large pay obeisance to the birthright and India’s gift to the world, commemorating Marty’s Day, the Anniversary of the Assassination of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

The international icon for peace, non-violence and truth, remains humanly unparalleled to date and his name is daringly devoted to the institution of sanctity, embracing freedom and liberty without raising a finger, but striking with the power of persuasion. His sensible, dogmatic principles became practically pragmatic for many to escape or ignore. Ultimately, his persuasive influence was the root cause for the might of the British monarchy to surrender to the loin-clothed simplicity of a fragile man. His wit characterised his charm and his dedi-

cated beliefs charted the course of India’s history for generations to enjoy. Gandhi’s deep-seated concepts are rooted in the depth of the Bhagwat Gita, his most cherished weapon and his default modus operandi, when faced with the exigency of any unperceived challenge. His love for spiritual unification is shepherded in the flock of all religions and he made no exception for prejudice but rather, the distinction of impartiality. His recognition and acceptance for all caste and class of humanity, created a wave of educated edification and social upliftment. This unprecedented communication created a journey of cooperation and consolidation, consoling the hopes and aspirations to materialise in the conversion of dreams into reality. He remained indifferent to the treatment of preference but attributed the significance of each voice with an open mind. The Mahatma’s calm, quiet and easy effusiveness, diffused as destiny, decided the completion of his Karma on January 30, 1948, at the ripe and right age of 73. He re-

nounced his sharir (body), to the command of a targeted bullet as the serene ambience was placated for his atma (soul) to gain moksha (salvation), whispering the name of the Lord, “ Ram, Ram,” as he willingly departed this earthly abode, to seek refuge in the compassion of His benevolence, the infinite Master of creation. The Great One graced this planet on the blessed day of October 2nd, 1869 and was a British-trained lawyer but more so, a devotee of justice, championing the cause of fairness and upholding the mantle of right by submerging wrong. His teaching is the wick of light which prevails in the presence of darkness.

He may be gone but, never to be forgotten, leaving his footsteps ingrained on the delicate face of Dharti Ma (earth).

His glory must be written in the annals of purity and not desecrated in the indecency of impropriety.

Respectfully, Jai Lall

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 31, 2021

The charged, corrupt lot at GECOM should be permanently delinked from the organisation Dear Editor, LOCAL Government Elections (LGEs) are scheduled for this year and every effort must be advanced to ensure its conduct, fully within our constitutionally enshrined democracic framework.

Its welcome role in regulating, empowering, and supporting development at the municipal, community, and village levels cannot be understated. Consequently, the focus on its acceptable delivery must be prioritised.

The committed leadership of the President Dr. Irfaan-led Government in ensuring a supportive financial platform towards this end must be applauded. The Guyanese nation, therefore, demands that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) take all steps to deliver a transparent, free, fair, and credible process. Renewed efforts must be enhanced by acceptable oversight, procedure, and professionalism, which will far improve its badly damaged image realised throughout the March 2020 General and Regional Elections debacle.

Widespread condemnation of the lawlessness taking place at the Georgetown municipality needs no further justification and must be stopped now. Other serious levels of corruption have been exposed at several other local government councils. They serve as restrictions to the support and provision of essential services that are required to transform these communities. The acceptable remedial approach to removing these obstacles and easing the sufferings from poor LEADERSHIP at the local level is free, fair, and timely LGEs. Since earning the right to govern our nation as a consequence of the massive support by a wide majority of citizens, the central government has done and continues to do an excellent job. From the ongoing evidential work towards rapid development before us, it has become obvious to the Guyanese people that the ‘screened horizon webs’ of the five APNU+AFC budgets which obscured our vision of success, together with their failed promises, must now be obliterated from our thought process.

Notwithstanding the threatening COVID-19 environment, an incentivised construction ‘boom’ is off at a great pace.

Streets and roads in many areas are also being improved rapidly and thousands of houselots are being distributed under a genuine central government development programme. Given the extremely poor achievement in the areas of drainage and irrigation by the previous APNU+AFC regime, it has been identified that the required supportive infrastructural thrust must be tackled at all three levels.

Central government is now combining with the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils and the Regional Democratic Councils to advance the improvement of our communities.

Editor, elections at the municipalities, the NDCs, and village councils will bring fresh and better leadership where this is lacking.

The likely impact points to improved synergies from this combined effort. It is critical, therefore, that the local government elections are not unnecessarily pushed back in keeping with the delaying tactics that some PNC and APNU forces are reportedly trying to effect.

It is public knowledge that GECOM is paying millions of dollars to the permanent staff members who are expected to deliver. Aside from the charged, corrupt lot who should be permanently delinked from the organisation, there are no acceptable reasons why the organisation should not be ready to hold LGEs on schedule.

There ought to be no dependency on any sole staff of the secretariat such as the Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, whose abominable behaviour has held the organisation in a vice of untrustworthy regressiveness.

Further, the nation is asking where did Keith Lowenfield secure or hide the Statements of Polls, (SOPs) of March 02, 2020, General and Regional Elections. No one reported seeing him extract the documents from the auspices of the normally secured and controlled areas of the organisation.

Suddenly, he turned up to deliver documents following the instructive ruling of the Chief Justice, which obviously, forced the SoPs from his unworthy closet.

Under the circumstances, it is imperative that those SoPs lodged with the court registry be carefully scrutinised to ensure sure compliance with the published, verifiable security features. One observer has suggested that through such necessary attention, our nation might be now be apprised of the true origin of still undetermined 2015 fake SoPs. In this election petition, no stone must be left unturned in exposing the rotten intent and actions of the key fraudulent officials who attempted to derail the true results of the elections held on March 02, 2020. It will be interesting for the public to see and hear why the chief elections officer did not produce the SoPs or the correct results, particularly in response to the request of Chairperson Claudette Singh of the commission. Keith Lowenfield must stand the consequences for his blatant disrespect to the commission, and publicly reprehensible disrespect for the Chairperson of GECOM. Naturally, it is implicit that once requested, there is an intent to forensically examine the evidence in these SoPs. It is anticipated that foolproof methods of authentication will be utilized, including the use of specialists, regardless of the costs, in exposing the culpable actors. A determination of culpability must ensure appropriate sanctions to deter similar future inclinations and also realise a surcharge to recover the millions of dollars that were unnecessarily expended by GECOM during the subsequent five months and recount activities.

In the meantime, the Chairperson and the commission MUST act to direct the necessary activation of the standard

Kudos to Councillor Denroy Tudor Dear Editor, PERMIT me space in your paper to publicly commend a City Councillor.

I have followed his young political career thus far and it is one of the bright spots at City Hall.

Recently, I noticed a circulation on social media of how he was able to engage the Ministry of Public Works and get a dilapidated

road rehabilitated.

His actions gave me hope that not only the central government is willing to work with local leaders, but there is leadership potential within our young people.

Keep on serving your community, Councillor Denroy Tudor.

Best regards, Rohan Jagnarine

operating procedures of the organisation, to ensure that the welcome and due local government elections are delivered in a free and fair manner, and with efficiency,

this year.

Yours sincerely, Neil Kumar

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 31, 2021

One more death, WWF deeply concerned over Exxon’s flaring of gas 53 new COVID cases The flaring of gas offshore Guyana by ExxonMobil has become a matter of deep and growing concern for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Guianas, since this contradicts Guyana’s efforts at being a low-carbon space.

On Friday, ExxonMobil said it was forced to increase the amount of gas that it is flaring from the Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, the Liza Destiny. This vessel is operating in Guyana’s Stabroek bloc, offshore. The company explained that this move to increase flaring is due to a technical problem with the seal on the gas compressor aboard the vessel anchored more than 100 miles off the coast of Guyana. On Saturday, WWF Guianas registered its strong displeasure via a statement issued to the media.

The body lamented that recommencement of flaring

Director of WWF Guianas, Dr David Singh

defied the company’s global commitment to reduce flaring by about 20 per cent in 2020.

Further, WWF stated, “EEPGL (Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil) is undercutting Guyana’s “green image” making it more difficult for the country to promote and build a sustainable, low carbon

economy.”

The organisation also lamented the lack of or limited disclosure of information from ExxonMobil. In a brief statement, President of ExxonMobil Guyana Alistair Routledge had said, “we are disappointed that this unexpected issue has occurred and we’re working diligently with the vessel’s owner and the equipment vendor to understand and fix the issue as quickly as possible.”

Meanwhile, Director of WWF Guianas, Dr David Singh said pointedly, “The burden of responsibility falls squarely on ExxonMobil. We look forward to the company being held accountable for this development.”

WWF Guianas advocated for a review of future developments of the company’s oil expansion programme, in light of this recent gas flaring development and the way it was disclosed.

GUYANA has recorded one new COVID-19 death within the past 24 hours, taking the country’s death toll to 176.

The latest fatality is a 53-year-old female from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) who died while receiving care at a medical facility. Additionally, 53 more persons have tested positive, bringing the country’s total confirmed cases to 7,581 since recording the first case in March 2020, according to the Health Ministry’s COVID-19 dashboard for January 30, 2021.

The new cases were recorded from a total of 262 tests; women accounted for 27 of the newly confirmed cases, while the remaining 26 were men. Region Four recorded 36 of the newly

confirmed cases; Region Two recorded two new cases; Region Three recorded four new cases while Regions Five and Six recorded one new case each. Region Seven recorded six new cases and Region 10 recorded three new cases.

Following the recovery of 29 additional persons, the total number of persons who have recovered since March is now 6,570. The country presently has 856 active cases. Currently, there are 50 persons in institutional isolation; 774 are in home isolation and 19 are in institutional quarantine. Many of the persons infected with the virus are said to be asymptomatic, that is, they are not exhibiting symptoms.

Additionally, five persons are being kept at the COVID-19 Intensive Care

Unit (ICU) at the National Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

The updated COVID–19 Emergency Measures are in force from February 1, 2021, until February 28, 2021. As per the current measures, however, all persons are required to wear face masks when leaving their homes. Physical distancing and adequate sanitisation are also important.

The current curfew time is 22:30 hours to 04:00 hours.

Persons with symptoms of COVID-19 are asked to call the COVID-19 hotline numbers: 231-1166; 226-7480; or 180/181 for assistance.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 31, 2021

Mental health promoter advocates for telemedicine policy

By Jeune Bailey Van Keric PUBLIC Health Physician, Dr Colleen BovellWhitney’s love affair with mental health commenced, oddly, with expressions of gratitude from a mother, who had just lost her daughter to suicide.

It was during 2016 when the medical practitioner was on duty at the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital, where a female was hospitalised, after ingesting a poisonous liquid.

“I had realised that persons were not giving enough attention to mental health.

I observed too that persons with chronic diseases on medical wards would also have associated mental health issues but it would be overlooked. So after the young lady was discharged, her mother came looking for me. Initially, I was scared, as I wondered what I may have done wrong. But there was a measure of relief after she said, ‘My daughter died. But, you are the only doctor who treated my daughter with dignity. If it was not for your words, I would have ended my life after we left the hospital’. That’s where my journey with mental health started,” said Dr BovellWhitney as she beamed with pride while seated in her black padded office chair at the National Psychiatric Hos-

Dr Colleen Bovell- Whitney

pital, where she has an office.

Dr Bovell, as she is familiarly known, confessed that she is able to empathise, and express words of advice, as she too battled with suicidal thoughts.

“I had my own experience... had suicidal thoughts around age 10, because of growing up in poverty.… I have always asked myself why… so it’s important that mothers teach their children good coping skills and stress management, more so, in this COVID-19 pandemic, as children do suffer from mental illness,” said the doctor who incidentally is the eldest of six children.

She advised that, during the pandemic, there is a need

for routine to help develop good coping skills.

“Maintain sleep patterns.

Do not allow the child to sleep all day and then wake up to watch television late into the night. Eating schedules must be maintained.

Children must be allowed to do some school work daily,” she said.

Further, the mental health practitioner warned parents to be careful of social media as the content cannot be controlled but ought to be managed to avoid children being exposed to negative information.

Additionally, parents are encouraged to have daily conversations with their minors, instead of assuming that they know what to do, especially if they are away from home.

Born in New Amsterdam, Bovell’s education started at the St Mary’s Nursery.

From there, she attended St Therese’s Primary, then President’s College before enrolling at the Latin American School of Medicine (Cuba), University of the West Indies (Barbados) and Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine (Israel), where she completed her Masters of Public Health.

Meanwhile, the married mother of three, continues to advocate for mental health, but is currently promoting

telemedicine policy, to complement existing consultation.

Telemedicine is now evolving locally. It is defined as the use of technology (phones, video, computers

messages) by a medical professional to diagnose and treat patients in a remote area.

According to Dr BovellWhitney, the new health

software is for follow up visits, for patients and their care givers. It is not only efficient but reduces missed appointments and improves patient outcomes.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 31, 2021

Balancing health & economy central to managing pandemic well

- President Ali says

By Vishani Ragobeer THOUGH allowing indoor dining at bars and restaurants may be seen as incompatible with national efforts to mitigate the spread and impact of COVID-19, President Dr Irfaan Ali emphasised that balancing the health considerations with the economic impact prolonged closures might have on

businesses is key to managing the pandemic well.

Since March 2020, a number of local businesses have reduced the services offered or have been forced to close their doors, and send home their employees, entirely. Now, it is almost one year since those restrictions to business activities first began.

“As policy makers and as the government, work-

ing with the medical practitioners and the specialists, we have to come up with the right balance,” President Ali related on Saturday, during an address to the nation at State House.

According to the COVID-19 Emergency Measures (no. 14), which will take effect from Monday and will last for the entire month of February, indoor dining is now permitted at bars and restaurants. Indoor dining and the opening of bars were prohibited over the past few

months.

Dining will only be permitted, however, between the hours of 04:00 am to 9:30 pm. It was further noted that indoor dining at a restaurant and bar is restricted to 40 per cent capacity of the building, tables must be spaced six feet apart and no more than four persons are to be seated at one table, and each person must be three feet apart.

President Ali explained that while the government is cognisant of the health implications the reopening

of these businesses could potentially result in, a safe and well-policed reopening would help to provide some redress to businesses and their employees.

Indoor dining at bars and restaurants are being monitored by the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA); businesses are required to organise their premises in compliance with the adequate spacing and sanitisation guidelines.

Importantly, President Ali related that generally accepted industry standards indicate that businesses require at least 35 per cent occupancy to meet overhead costs. And, to prevent bankruptcy and to reduce the risk local businesses are exposed to, these measures have been introduced to provide some relief to them.

He highlighted that this

decision was made after consulting with the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF), the GTA, the Tourism Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) and the Private Sector Commission (PSC).

Meanwhile, Head of the COVID-19 Task Force, Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips appealed to Guyanese to play their part in protecting themselves and their loved ones.

“While we are curbing the spread of COVID-19, the citizens are the ones who took a responsible role in adhering to the measures and ensuring that their families and communities adhere to those measures,” he said.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 31, 2021

Only 30% of Guyanese girls receiving HPV vaccine …this and more to be addressed in MoH’s ‘cancer control’ plan

By Rehana Ahamad EVEN though cervical cancer continues to be one of the leading causes of death among Guyanese women, not many parents seem to be aggressive in ensuring that their young daughters are vaccinated to prevent the sexually transmitted, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which often leads to cancers of the cervix.

In an interview with the Sunday Chronicle, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony confirmed that the current uptake rate of the HPV vaccine is very low.

“It is about 30 per cent for the first dose, and 13 per cent for the second dose, so obviously we have to increase the uptake of the vaccine,” Dr. Anthony said, reiterating the importance of vaccination for girls between the ages of nine to 14.

In wrapping up Cervical Cancer Awareness Month (January) 2021, Dr. Anthony has committed to the nation’s fight against all forms of cancers, with specific emphasis being placed on those cancers of the breast, cervix and prostate.

“We want to develop a comprehensive plan for cancer control; that is something that the ministry is working on right now,” the minister indicated.

With cervical cancer being somewhat easier to prevent, Dr. Anthony said a specific programme is currently underway to promote a series of preventative measures to tackle this silent

killer of women. “[As part of] this programme, we want to increase the vaccination rate for HPV. So you’ll see us rolling out, during this year, and the following years, a programme to have a larger uptake of the HPV vaccine, because if girls are immunised, it prevents them from cervical cancer,” the Health Minister posited.

He said that the “next level” of prevention would Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony

be to ensure that women and girls have adequate access to health screenings, including pap smears and Visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA).

“We are also going to be pushing for HPV testing for the papilloma virus…that is another level of screening that we will be doing for women between the ages of 35-45. We are looking at how we can increase the [existing] clinics that we have and be able to offer the service across the country, and get more women to come in for such screenings,” Dr. Anthony said.

Additionally, a notable component of the ‘cancer control’ programme would be the advancement of treatment options for those who have not benefited from the previous “prevention levels.”

“We must have the ability to do the types of surgeries when we detect these types of cancers,” Dr. Anthony asserted. He also

emphasised the need for improvements in relation to post-detection care and follow-up treatments. “In terms of radiation and chemotherapy and so on,” Dr. Anthony specified.

The minister is optimistic that once vaccination increases, the instances of cervical cancer would see drastic reductions.

“Over the next couple of

years, if we have good uptake of the vaccine, we can actually eliminate cervical cancer from Guyana, because these cancers are caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), and with the vaccine we can prevent it,” a hopeful Dr. Anthony related.

Currently, 22 public clinics across Guyana possess the capacity to conduct free VIA screenings and pap

smears, “and we are looking to expand that, and we want to get more people to get these screenings,” Minister Anthony added.

Cervical cancer has grown to become quite common among women globally, affecting mostly women between the ages of 30 and 65 years. However, younger women continue to be victims of this silent

killer. In a local context, Guyana continues to rank among the most affected countries in the Americas, with an age-standardised incidence rate of 32.7 per 100,000, as at 2018. Cervical cancer is said to be the second most frequently-diagnosed cancer in Guyana, with mostly Indo and Afro-Guyanese being affected.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 31, 2021

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 31, 2021

With Dr. Shivani Samlall, MBBS, Gynecologist Oncologist

CERVICAL CANCER PREVENTION AND TREATMENT: PART 4

Dr. Shivani Samlall, MBBS, is a specialist in Obstetrics and Gynaecology with a sub-specialty in Gynaecology Oncology, and with over 10 years of medical practice. Dr Samlall can be contacted at drshivanisamlall26@gmail.com.

This week’s column concludes my series of articles on Cervical Cancer. While this article highlights information regarding Cervical Cancer (risk factors, symptoms), its primary focus is exploring the WHO’s ultimate pillar - the 90/70/90 target which states, “90 per cent women should have access to Cervical Precancer and Cancer and Palliative Care”.

RISK FACTORS FOR CERVICAL CANCER - early initiation of sexual activity - multiple sexual partners or a high-risk sexual partner (e.g., a partner with multiple sexual partners or known HPV infection) - history of sexually transmitted infections (e.g., gonorrhea, herpes) - young age at the time of first delivery and multiple deliveries (three or more) - low socioeconomic status - prolonged use of oral contraceptives (greater than or equal to five years) - multiple births.

Other risks include: an immune-suppressed state such as being HIV positive, treatment with immune-suppressants and smoking.

SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS OF CERVICAL CANCER Unfortunately, Cervical Cancer presents with symptoms in advanced/late stages which is why screening is important. Early detection means a higher survival chance. Signs include: - abnormal menstrual bleeding: spotting between periods, heavy bleeding, bleeding after sexual intercourse, bleeding in post-meno-

pausal women.

- vaginal discharge with strong odour - pain or discomfort during sexual intercourse.

- unexplained, persistent pelvic and/or back pain.

NINETY PER CENT (90 PER CENT) ACCESS TO TREATMENT OF PRECANCEROUS LESIONS The goal here is reducing the number of Cervical Cancer cases and deaths. To achieve WHO’s 90 percent treatment of precancerous lesions, there must be an increase in screening that matches treatment, as screening women without access to treatment is unethical. To facilitate this, we can adopt a screen-andtreat approach and must ensure that there is adequate assessment of biopsies.

Various treatment options exist to manage Cervical precancerous lesions, including cryotherapy (freezing of the cells of the cervix), ablation or LEEP, conisation, etc.

NINETY PER CENT (90 PER CENT) ACCESS TO TREATMENT OR INVASIVE CANCER Women suspected of Cervical Cancer should have timely assessment and referral to save lives and prevent disability. According to WHO, comprehensive management of Invasive Cervical Cancer requires well-equipped, appropriately qualified health providers and access to surgical, radiotherapy and chemotherapy services. Management of cases depends on the stage of the disease. Therefore, adequate management is crucial.

IMPROVED ACCESS TO SURGERIES

Cervical Cancer can often be cured by surgery alone, if diagnosed and treated early.

However, in Lower Middle-Income Countries (LMCs) the healthcare providers performing oncologic procedures are general doctors / practitioners without formal, certified subspecialty training, who provide cancer care out of necessity. According to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, survival of Cervical Cancer patients improve and relapses decrease when surgeries are performed by Gynaecologists Oncologists.

In Guyana, while we are fortunate to have person(s) with this type of training, the sad reality is that Cervical Cancers are still being managed by generalists and the human resources are either underutilised and/or inadequately compensated.

Improve access to Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy Most cancers in LMICs present at stages that require radiation, so sustainable capacity for curative radiation therapy (external beam and brachytherapy) is critical. In Guyana, while we have access to both Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy, there are still limitations in accessing timely and effective treatment.

For treatments to be effective, they must be administered concurrently; however, patients struggle to afford their radiation treatment although it is subsidised.

NINETY PER CENT (90 PER CENT) ACCESS TO PALLIATIVE CARE Symptom-control is the essence of palliative care and is integral in maintaining dignity and quality of life. As the disease progresses, patients may present with a wide range of

symptoms associated with the disease, or with the treatments that were employed.

It becomes critical that palliative care is integrated into the treatment plan and provided throughout the course of the disease. Currently, very few LMICs have palliative programmes in place, including Guyana. WHO encourages expansion of the availability of palliative services, which could readily be extended to other forms of advanced cancers and to non-malignant, debilitating diseases.

Common treatment-related effects experienced by long-term cervical cancer survivors that affect quality of life include bladder dysfunction, bowel dysfunction, sexual dysfunction, lymphedema, and psychosocial problems.

Therefore, in addition to managing pain and other distressing symptoms, supportive care must be given to address patients’ and their families psychosocial and spiritual needs.

CONCLUSION If we are to achieve WHO’s third pillar, we must understand the barriers to accessing services. Government must work closely with NGOs, private and civil society.

Local communities, must also be engaged and empowered to lead the development of these critical programmes, serve as allies, counter misinformation and support those needing more complex treatment.

Increasing health literacy, knowledge of rights and Cervical Cancer prevention and control will help to mobilise, empower and engage communities and civil society, and ultimately women.

Understanding Energy

Supplier development forum key to building capacity THERE must be a deliberate effort on the part of international oil-and-gas companies to engage local businesses and help build capacity if this notion of true local content is to be achieved. Equally, Guyanese businesses need to position themselves to take advantage of available opportunities.

In a previous column, Harnessing Guyana’s Greatest Resource, ongoing efforts by companies such as Exxon through investments such as the Centre for Local Business Development (CLBD), were commended.

The CLBD is promoted as having the objective to assist “Guyanese companies to better understand and access opportunities, primarily in the oil-and-gas sector, by improv-

ing their overall competitiveness.”

It offers training, mentorship, professional networking and facilitating smart partnerships between local and international companies.

One of the events that supported this lofty goal was the “Supplier Development Forum,” which was first held in 2018 and was attended by 300 local companies.

So, it is pleasing to learn that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the CLBD has managed to pull together a virtual supplier forum from February 1-5. The idea, according to media reports, is to provide a “platform for Guyanese suppliers to receive up-to-date information on the procurement process, key contacts, upcoming tenders and longer term directly from ExxonMobil Guyana

and its leading prime contractors.”

ExxonMobil and its partners seemed to have recognised their responsibility to build capacity by sponsoring such an important event, especially with so many big projects on the horizon— Liza Phase 2, Payara, a potential fourth offshore project in Yellowtail and the gas-toshore project. And of course, these future projects do not diminish the demands of existing projects such as the office complex in Ogle and the already producing Liza Phase 1.

More than 2,700 Guyanese have been invited to attend this event which has an interactive question-and-answer component.

This means companies will have opportunities to engage Exxon and its prime contractors.

This type of exchange is crucial for local businesses. The head of the Private Sector Commission, Nicholas Boyer, told the Guyana Chronicle that Guyanese companies “need to learn what products and services they [ExxonMobil and its prime contractors] need and they need to learn what products and services we can provide. When we learn what they need, we can add capacity; when they learn what we can supply, we can talk about pricing, and timing of getting those services to them.”

But beyond this, businesses can recognise the gaps and learn exactly the kinds of steps needed to position themselves to make the right investment decisions. Perhaps, they will learn that they need more focus

on Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) or ISO certification; or that they lack a certain capacity, so a strategic partnership might be the right step.

This can only be determined with the kind of engagement that the supplier forum facilitates or through broader engagement with the CLBD. And already companies are taking advantage of these services as indicated recently by the Director, Natasha Gaskin Peters.

The supplier forum, whether virtually or in person, is undeniably an important event that will contribute to a steady development of Guyanese and should be sustained.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 31, 2021

First Lady grants 15 scholarships to vulnerable women FIRST LADY, Arya Ali, on Friday, granted 15 fully-funded scholarships to vulnerable women drawn from two local non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

At a simple ceremony held at State House, the First Lady granted eight scholarships to women from ChildLink and seven scholarships to women from Help and Shelter. The scholarships will afford these women the opportunity to pursue studies and training at the Carnegie School of Home Economics (CSHE) for one and in some cases, two years, a press release from Mrs. Ali’s office noted.

The idea of providing training opportunities to vulnerable women was birthed out of a meeting the First Lady had with the Principal and Vice Principal of CSHE in November of last year. The beneficiaries of the scholarships are women who are considered to be highly vulnerable because of the conditions under which they lived or still live, and the fact that none of them was able to complete the formal school system.

While the Office of the First Lady will fund the tuition in full, Mrs. Ali solicited the support of the Ministry of Public Service to provide a monthly allowance to cover

transportation cost, meals, and uniform.

To this end, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was inked between the Office of the First Lady and the Ministry of Public Service to ensure that this commitment is fulfilled, and that over the next four years, the ministry provides similar opportunities for women in need.

“Guyana will begin to develop rapidly and if opportunities are not provided equitably, it can result in a widening of the gender gap,” the First Lady told the small group of representatives from the NGOs and CSHE, according to the release.

She said that Guyanese must be cognisant of the fact that women are already disproportionately affected and that efforts must be redoubled to ensure that they are provided with the tools and resources necessary to improve their marketability and better integrate them into the labour force.

“I am very happy to be able to provide these women with a window of opportunity to empower themselves and positively impact those around them," the First Lady added.

Offering brief remarks too was Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag, who expressed her willingness

First Lady, Arya Ali, (seated center) and Soyinka Grogan (seated left), Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Public Service, signing the MOU as Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag (seated right) and representatives of the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and Carnegie School of Home Economics (CSHE) look on

to support initiatives of this nature.

“I jumped on this opportunity to facilitate this activity specifically for the fact that these women will be empowered to the point of becoming independent.

This is what we want to see in society; women being given opportunities and being treated equally,” the minister was quoted as saying.

In addition to providing the monthly allowance for this year’s recipients, the minister pledged to ensure that each year, provisions are made for this category of women to benefit from similar opportunities through the Public Service Ministry.

First Lady, Arya Ali meeting with representatives from the Carnegie School of Home Economics (CSHE) in November of last year to discuss future collaborations

Bids invited for Mandela to Eccles four-lane access road ––tenders divided into six lots with separate contractors

THE government, through the Central Housing & Planning Authority (CH&PA), is now inviting bids for the construction of a fourlane road from Mandela Avenue in Georgetown to Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

The access road will be a 2.8-kilometer carriageway with 12 bridges along the corridor.

“We are expecting to commence work after the evaluation is completed, post-budget approval; we are expecting works to commence in April 2021, we have tendered contracts in six lots, this will allow a spread of quick implementation,” Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal told the Sunday Chronicle.

The tender was made public following the recent visit to the site by President Dr. Irfan Ali. The road will provide a link from the road that is being constructed at Diamond Housing scheme to Eccles, EBD, which has a large

Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal

housing area and an industrial site. President Ali has said he wants the project completed by the end of the year.

The construction of the road from Eccles to Mandela Avenue will be allocated in six lots and contracts will be awarded to the lowest evaluated qualified bidder and only one lot will be awarded to a bidder. If one bidder is adjudged the lowest qualified bidder for more than one lot,

the Evaluation Committee will recommend which lot the bidder is recommended for. The delivery/construction period for the project is 210 days per lot. Bids are open until February 25, 2021.

Minister Croal said the portion from Diamond to Mocha should be completed by the end of February 2021 and will be commissioned by President Ali. TURN TO PAGE

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 31, 2021

Edghill requests probe into pedestrian overpasses MINISTER of Public Works, Juan Edghill, has written to Guyana’s Auditor-General (AG), Deodat Sharma, requesting that a forensic audit be conducted into the construction of pedestrian overpasses along the East Bank of Demerara corridor.

Citing several defects, Edghill does not believe that Guyana got “value for money”, especially since millions have been expended and various aspects of the project remain incomplete. The minister, in his request to the AG, made specific reference to the inoperable elevators attached to the overpasses.

Following the construction of the overpasses, a decision was taken to outsource the installation of the accompanying elevators to a Trinidadian company called RBP lifts. The lifts were manufactured by Cibes

Lifts GP, with funding for the overall project coming from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

In his letter to the AG, Edghill explained that the elevators, which were purchased from RBP Lifts by the contractors, arrived in Guyana in February 2018.

The installation commenced in June 11, 2018. Later, on October 12, 2018, the elevators were commissioned by the supplier, RPB Lifts, with the maintenance period commencing on November 1, 2018 for the period of one year.

“Personnel identified by the DHBC (Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation) were trained in the operation and maintenance of the elevators, by the local representative for the elevator supplier, Mr. Thaddeus De Freitas,” Edghill noted in the letter.

The minister said that the four quarterly maintenances were undertaken by Mr. De Freitas, in collaboration with the aforementioned trained personnel. During the period from October 12, 2018 to August 17, 2019, the DHBC did not operate any of the elevators in accordance with prior agreements, leaving the elevators closed and unused.

“Also, during this period, several incidents of vandalism occurred including the cutting and damaging of cables, theft of lights, broken side glasses and an elevator door. In all of these incidents the ministry carried out the repairs and replacement of the damaged items as DHBC could not provide any video footage of these incidents,” the correspondence highlighted.

The pedestrian overpass elevators at Peter’s Hall were subsequently commissioned

One of the five defective overpasses along the East Bank of Demerara

Speeding motorcyclist dies in accident AN accident on the Foulis, East Coast Demerara (ECD) public road, on Friday, resulted in the death of 28-year-old Travis Wickham, of Bachelors Adventure, ECD. Police noted that Wickham was proDead: ceeding east on the Travis Wickham road at a fast rate on his motorcycle when he lost control and crashed into a motor van and then a minibus. The accident occurred at around 09:05 hours.

Police said Wickham fell onto the road and received injuries to his head and body; he was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where he was pronounced dead.

The drivers of the van and minibus are in police custody assisting with investigations. The van was being driven by 49-year-old Anne Bristol of Hope Low Land, ECD, while the minibus was being driven by 41-year-old Balwant Persaud of Supply Mahaica, ECD.

Police seeking Nigerian in $13M fraud probe A NIGERIAN man, identified as Chiama Victor Chukwunonso, is wanted by the Guyana Police for questioning in relation to falsely obtaining $13 million between January 3, 2020, and November 6, 2020, from Bhagwaindai Azimulah.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the 41-year-old is asked to contact the police on telephone numbers; 226-6978, 2258196, 226-2870, 2267065, 227-1149, 2267065, 225-6940, 911 or the nearest police station.

His last known addresses are Lot 3538 Stevedore

Wanted: Chiama Victor Chukwunonso

Housing Scheme, North Ruimveldt and Lot 143 Campbellville Avenue, Georgetown.

in August 2019, but would soon develop a series of technical problems, which resulted in persons being stranded in the structure. The news of this attracted much attention of social media.

With the defects liability period still intact, the then Public Infrastructure Minister had reached out to technician, De Freitas, who was only able to rectify a few of the problems plaguing the elevators. Soon after the incident of persons stranded in the elevator, manufacturers of the structure Cibes Lifts GP dispatched a technical team to inspect and repair the defunct equipment, but the repairs did not hold and after a short period, the problems resurfaced. De Freitas of the Trinidadian company attempted to fix the problems once more, but failed.

Edghill said that in February 2020, the DHBC had

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill

completely halted operations of the Peter’s Hall elevator.

To date, the other overpass elevators at Houston, Eccles,

Providence and Diamond, remain defective.

“It is in light of the foregoing, that Minister Edghill requested the forensic audit, since he believes that the government did not get value for money in relation to the installation and operation of these five elevators,” the minister concluded.

The construction of the overpasses was intended to provide safe crossing for pedestrians along the traffic-riddled thoroughfare. The decision to install elevators was taken as a means of catering for those who may be differently-abled, or have other challenges climbing stairs of the overpasses. The project was undertaken with the supervision of former Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, January 31, 2021

GECOM became a sanctuary for APNU+AFC Coalition after CCJ upheld No-Confidence Motion

AFTER the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) declared that the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) was valid, the APNU/AFC Coalition crumbled. Groping in the dark and bandying around issues to survive became the defining features of the Coalition.

What emerged was a classic case of the idiom that the ship has sailed, an index of backwardness. The following would have had benefited the Coalition before March 2019. First, the reputation of the Coalition before the CCJ ruling had not been obliterated which

the Coalition could have used on the campaign trail to redeem itself. Second, the arguments in courts to defeat the NCM should have been argued on the campaign trail. They would have been more believable.

Third, the credibility of the Coalition before March

31, 2019, was still viable.

The supporters had still pinned their hopes on the thought that the Coalition would get through a rough patch of governance. After that date, the Coalition was simply a living dead.

Fourth, the suspect shenanigans that occurred in the 2015 general elections, with the same people at the helm in Guyana Election Commission (GECOM), would have been easier to repeat before March 2019, handing the Coalition a slim victory.

That said, the valid NCM led to events of survival never seen before in Guyana.

David Granger used delaying tactics to break through Bharrat Jagdeo’s resistance to have Claudette Singh as the Chairperson of GECOM, ushering a perception that the now caretaker Coalition had a numerical advantage of 4-3 in GECOM. After this, the Coalition purported that the voting list used in the 2015 general elections and 2018 local elections was bloated by 200,000 names. The Coalition called for a new voter list through a house-to-house registration exercise, but the High Court ruled that the existing national register of registrants could not be changed or dismissed. In contrast, [the]PPP maintained that the voter list was reliable and credible because of security, vigilance, and political party representatives in GECOM. These events, along with silence from the elected Chairperson, cascaded the nation in noisome waters. The endless guessing game began about what was going on at GECOM. The echoes ranged from a conflict-habituated to a race-divided to a dysfunctional institution. But one concern remained constant: would the 2020 general elections be free and fair?

I argue that, from when

the CCJ ruled that the NCM was valid, to the certification of the official list of electors (voting list), the seeds of rigging the March 2, 2020 general elections were planted.

The Coalition woke up from bureaucratic inertia after the CCJ ruling and embarked on a journey of survival based on half-baked arguments.

The Coalition’s initial position that the voting list used in the 2015 general elections and in 2018 local elections was undisputed, but the same list had become controversial after the NCM, exposed a double standard. The difference of using the same voting list, which is updated regularly, was that it brought the Coalition to power in 2015 but in 2018, it showed that the Coalition was losing power. Here was a situation where the Coalition was advocating for the citizenry to accept that it was easier for a blind man to thread a needle than to feed himself. It was not the credibility of the voting list that was in question, but rather the credibility of the Coalition’s claims, lacking au fiat.

Cumulatively, the arguments about a flawed voting list and suchlike from the Coalition had lost favour with public opinion. The arguments expanded our understanding of how frozen the inner sanctum of the Coalition was. First, the Coalition did not demonstrate that it possessed the right mechanisms for reading and understanding the mood of voters for the prospects of continued electoral success.

By mid-2019, the Coalition had lost the once popular connection and confidence with its supporting base because of shabby governance.

The Coalition, therefore, turned to GECOM to fill this loophole to retain power by unleashing a barrage of criticisms on the voting list.

Viewed simply, the Coali-

tion was asking GECOM to amass and secure the needed votes to remain in power.

This move reminds me of someone in the US that fits the onomatopoeia, Eew. Second, the Coalition refused or failed to understand the sociology of change among the citizenry, which interestingly, aided it to electoral “victory” in 2015. The citizenry had, for the most part, moved on from the days of ethnic loyalty and electoral rigging, bestowing them with greater freedom of expression. Guyana had turned the corner in conducting elections and joined the third wave of democracy in the developing world. The word rigging was hardly mentioned leading up to the 2015 general elections.

Remarkably, we witnessed how politicians and citizenry had adopted to the social forces of electoral change that moved Guyana from the feelings of anxiety to electoral balm. Guyana had earned a comfortable place in the compound and citadel of democracy. This forward-looking position has been shaken up since March 2, 2020 because the Coalition opted for a closed proscriptive world of electoral practice by relying on planted sidekicks in GECOM rather than the will of voters to achieve victory (lomarsh.roopnarine@ jsums.edu).

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Bids invited for Mandela to ...

“The projects show the capacity of the CHPA, along with its technical team and we have a number of exercises along with the communities with the construction of the roads and upgrades in housing areas as part of our housing development,” Minister Croal said.

Noting that huge opportunities will be created with the opening of housing areas,

Minister Croal commended the President for leading the effort in developing the housing drive for the benefit of all Guyanese.

Meanwhile, President Ali, whose Ph.D. is in urban and regional planning, had noted that this is all a part of the government’s drive to transform Guyana’s infrastructure and link communities, while taking into

consideration the security for these newly expanded road networks.

“This is part of the infrastructure transformation and integration of communities. Because, now Diamond, Prospect, Eccles, Herstelling, Grove, [Covent] Garden, Mocha, all these communities will be integrated,” the President had explained.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 31, 2021 5 th Edition January 31, 2021

BUSINESS Valentine’s is coming!

NEWSLETTER

T

HE closure of borders might constrain your ability to travel to Paris, the world renowned French City of Love, if of course a near-empty wallet didn’t prevent that first, but, Movietowne Guyana is bringing Paris to you from February 1 to 14.

For two weeks, love birds could ‘flutter’ by the Turkeyen mall, where an edifice of the Eiffel Tower is the first sight you are greeted with, just as you enter into the office. As you and your significant other walk around the

The miniature Eiffel Tower at Movietowne Guyana (Delano Williams photo)

Paris in Guyana!

international monument of love, at least, a miniature version of it, you will observe cute things to do together including caricature portraits, personal portraits, couple’s hand casting and temporary tattoos.

But, all those couples’ activities wouldn’t be complete without something to eat, of course,

since it is well-known that the way to someone’s heart is through their ‘stomach.’

There will also be special wine and cheesecake on sale, and special violin performances to provide the right ambience.

So, there’s no reason not to take that trip to Paris this year around.

You might as well do it while it’s this affordable.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 31, 2021

Transforming agri-food systems will shape the future –– FAO chief told World Economic Forum

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HE Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, QU Dongyu has called for coordinated joint responses and global synergistic action to transform the world’s agri-food systems before it is too late.

Holistic changes are needed to address issues such as climate change, agricultural production, demographics, consumer demands, biodiversity, nutrition, pests and food technology, among others, Qu said at a high-profile panel discussion at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual Davos get together, held virtually this year.

The forum brings together more than 1, 500 business, government and civil society leaders from more than 70 countries to discuss the economic,

environmental, social and technological challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s week-long WEF has been organised under the aegis of 2021 being “a crucial year to rebuild trust.” The agenda this year included a focus on food systems, the subject of an important United Nations summit later this year.

Qu spoke in a panel on the importance of transforming food systems and land use alongside President Carlos Alvarado Quesada of Costa Rica; United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed; Agnes Kalibata, Special Envoy for the UN Food Systems Summit; Wiebe Draijer, Chairman of Rabobank Group’s Managing Board; and Ramon Laguarta, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of

PepsiCo. Land is foundational for human life and biodiversity serves as “the basis for economy, society and environment” and is “vital for productivity and sustainability of agri-food systems,” said the FAO director-general, according to whom effective land use and sustainable management of land are urgently needed to maximise agricultural productivity, while minimising the negative environmental impacts.

Such factors are part of why agri-food systems, which is FAO’s focus, are more complex than food systems, the director-general emphasised.

“Solidarity, urgency, accountability, innovation, and action are required” to ensure sustainable food supply for the roughly 10 billion people expected to live on the planet in

Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, QU Dongyu 2050, Qu added, noting that FAO’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Programme harnesses science, technology, data, human

enterprise and creativity to build back better.

“We know that the resources -- intellectual, financial and material -- to unlock innovation and transform agri-food systems are not lacking,” he said.

INNOVATION IS KEY Innovation, especially digital innovation, has boomed during the pandemic restrictions, ushering in changes that are likely to stick with society and become structural features in all industries in the long term, the director-general noted.

The FAO has rolled out a growing suite of innovative tools, including the hand-in-hand geospatial data platform, the data lab for statistical innovation and earth map, developed with Google, which provides valuable real-time data to support strategic decision-making.

A digital FAO has been established at an unprecedented pace, Qu said, noting that the goal is on-the-ground

livelihood improvement for rural and small-scale food producers, which can be fostered by initiatives such as online platforms for e-commerce, delivery services and marketing, and block chain for better traceability and food safety.

The director-general has often noted that the digital gap remains too large, as too often rural family farmers suffer from poor connectivity, risk aversion and lack of information, money, digital skills and poor literacy. He called for concerted efforts to help countries and regions leapfrog beyond their digital divides. “Let’s make a digital world,” he said.

Noting how other panelists had discussed the role of trade and subsidies, he said that innovation is needed across the board.

“We need innovation of policy, innovation of business models, innovation of financing and technology - with these four we will transform the agri-food systems,” Qu reasoned.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 31, 2021

‘Agri’ infrastructure being upgraded –– as Guyana moves towards being agriculture powerhouse of the Caribbean

GUYANA’S potential to become the breadbasket of the Caribbean and a powerhouse in the regional agriculture sector has always existed but was never realised, a reality that the new government is looking to change by upgrading the local agricultural infrastructure and balancing sectoral allocations.

Despite the emergence of the petroleum sector, which offers tremendous prospects for Guyana’s economic development, the government plans to invest in all sectors to ensure the country has a diversified economic base.

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh was vivid about the government’s intention at a sod-turning ceremony for the construction of a $327 million, five-kilometer all-purpose road at Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice.

Dr. Singh said construction of the road is part of a wider government agenda to accelerate development.

“Our intention is that Guyana must take its rightful place as an agricultural powerhouse in this region. That is our plan for Guyana. We must not only be famous and well known for the fact that we are a large oil and gas producer, we must also be well known for the fact that we are finally realising our potential that has been spoken of for generations.

“We are finally realising our potential to be the breadbasket of the Caribbean and a major supplier of food products throughout the hemisphere and beyond,” Dr. Singh said.

The minister said there are many oil-producing countries worldwide that were not able to translate oil production into broad-based prosperity, but the Government of Guyana will do everything to

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh avoid this. One way of doing this is by ensuring that all sectors are developed to avoid a total dependence on oil revenues.

“If you look across the global landscape you will see many countries where oil is produced and where you have a booming oil sector but where the rest of the economy or uncompetitive or in a state of complete collapse.

“I want to say definitively that President Irfaan Ali’s Government, the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government has always, long before we became an oil producing country, we have always emphasised the paramount importance of ensuring that we have a widely diversified economy that is not vulnerable and that is not ex-

Agriculture produces on sale

posed to any one sector,” Dr. Singh said.

The minister said this position is not new to the PPP/C, as it has embraced this direction during its previous terms in office.

“On the basis of the commitment we give to the people of this country, in our manifesto we will ensure that the Guyanese economy is widely diversified and never finds itself in a situation where it is solely dependent on or solely exposed to oil and gas,” he said.

Dr. Singh noted that President Ali has mandated the ministers of government to ensure that every productive sector of the economy realises a dramatic and rapid transformation so that there is a booming non-oil economy.

Other aspects of the economy would also be modernised and the provision of cheaper electricity, through the gas-toshore project, would drive major initiatives which are geared at benefiting the people, industries and the nation as a whole.

Important too, he said, is the establishment of Phase II of the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary-Agriculture Development Scheme (MMA-ADA Scheme).

“Ultimately, this is going to see another 200,000 acres of prime agricultural land open. When that acreage is open you will see hundreds of farmers being able to access large acreage for primary cultivation, and at the same time, right about the same time, you are going to see electricity cost coming down and industrial development to promote agro-processing.

“The commitment of the Peoples Progressive Party Government to the people of Guyana is that we will realise, in this term of office, we will realise demonstrated progress in transformation in all of our sectors, foremost amongst which will be agriculture; that is our commitment,” Dr. Singh said.

UPGRADE INFRASTRUCTURE Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, said too that the government, particularly his ministry, would upgrade infrastructure. The minister noted that when he assumed office, the first challenge he faced was fixing dilapidated structures, clogged canals and impassable dams.

He said that the MMA/ADA Scheme was one of the areas that benefitted from his intervention and emergency works to the value of $98 million.

Minister Mustapha said agriculture is often overlooked, but it is one of the most important sectors in Guyana as it creates jobs, wealth and food security.

“We believe investments in infrastructure are required to make the agriculture sector viable and sustainable. Without key investment in infrastructure, service delivery may not be able to take place. If

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha we want to improve production and productivity, then as a facilitator, as a government, we have to put the necessary infrastructure in place to ensure that we complement the farmers so that they can produce,” he said.

Agriculture is also major contributor to Guyana’s gross domestic product and the renewed interest in this sector is likely to increase revenues.

“As a government, we recognise the importance of the agriculture sector that is why we are putting that kind of resources to develop the sector…

“We are having a lot of international investors knocking on our doors to invest in the agriculture sector because they also, like us in the government, they also see agriculture as a very, very important sector in our country, which can create jobs, which can create wealth, and more importantly, food security,” he said.

With rice production, the fisheries sector and investments in sugar, the government expects that the sector would experience tremendous growth in the near future.

Since taking office, Minister Mustapha has been visiting various farming communities across the country to identify needs and to get a first-hand look at existing conditions in agriculture. As a result, significant infrastructure works were done, particularly to enhance drainage and irrigation and to upgrade other agriculture infrastructure.

“Farmers are going back to the land.

We have seen that farmers are eager to start back work in the agriculture sector, start back production because of the infrastructure that we are putting in place,” Minister Mustapha said.

The minister noted that with the passage of the upcoming budget, more projects will come on stream that will further develop the sector. (DPI)

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COVID-19 and Treatment of Adults Contributed by: Moti Ramgopal, MD, FACP, FIDSA Medical Director, Midway Immunology and Research Center Founder, Midway Specialty

Care Associate Professor, Florida State University SINCE March this year, I have treated hundreds of

cases of patients infected with COVID-19, but three cases in particular have aroused my curiosity about the genetic relationship of COVID-19. Do genes play a role in how severe symp-

toms will be?

Take the case of JT, age 61, I saw over a month ago with a history of COPD, hypertension and diabetes, who developed fatigue, body aches, coughs, shortness of

Dr. Moti Ramgopal, the Guyanese doctor who led the clinical trial for COVID-19 treatment

breath, and a temperature of 101.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

His COVID test was positive. His oxygen saturation was 94percent on 3.5 L. Indicators of severe disease are marked tachypnea (respiratory rate, ?30 breaths per minute), hypoxemia (oxygen saturation, ?93percent; ratio of partial pressure of arterial oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen, 50percent of the lung field involved within 24 to 48 hours).

Once admitted, he started treatment with decadron, remdesivir, convalescent plasma, vitamin C, zinc and anticoagulants. With a history of diabetes and obesity, iron deteriorated, and he was enrolled into clinical trials and received several investigational drugs, as well as Actemra, an immunomodulator.

Thirty days later, he is currently hospitalised with a tracheostomy tube and a feeding tube.

His brother PT, with diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, as well as bladder cancer, was admitted two days prior to his brother’s admission with cough and a positive COVID-19 test.

PT was hospitalised for four days and discharged on oxygen after he had clinically improved. PT was readmitted five days later with worsening shortness of breath and he was started on Remdesivir, Decadron, heparin and plasma. PT’s condition improved over the next three days, but then went into cardiac arrest with ventricular arrhythmia and died.

Their 82-year-old mother was infected with COVID as well, but was asymptomatic until she presented three weeks later for a thromboembolic event, or a blood clot, involving her right leg. She developed ischemia, an inade-

quate blood supply, requiring amputation. The family decided on hospice care.

GENETIC COMPOSITION These three cases question the genetic component of COVID-19. A UK group studying more than 2,200 COVID-19 patients has pinned down common gene variants that are linked to the most severe cases of the disease.

In June, one such genome-wide association study in “The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)” found two “hits” linked to respiratory failure in 1,600 Italian and Spanish COVID-19 patients: a marker within the ABO gene, which determines a person’s blood type, and a stretch of chromosome three that holds a half-dozen genes.

A gene called IFNAR2 codes for a cell receptor for interferon. A variant of this gene raises the risk of severe COVID-19 by 30 per cent.

There are genes which code proteins, that can activate an enzyme that breaks down viral RNA changes in this gene, and this activation allows the virus to flourish.

Also, genes can code for proteins to ramp up the inflammatory response to lung damage triggered by COVID-19. Genes DPP9 and TYK2 are involved in inflammation and blocking these enzymes may be beneficial. CCR2 is a gene that encodes a receptor for cytokine proteins that play a role in inflammation. But other data points to SLC6Z20, which codes for a protein that interacts with the main cell receptor used by COVID-19 to enter cells.

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COVID-19 and ...

The importance of recognising the genetic impact may influence treatment strategies.

It still unknown why African-American or Hispanic patients had such a higher risk of infection, but this can be related back to pre-existing conditions. However, I would not be surprised if there is a genetic relationship that can be found.

Blood type A is associated with a higher risk of respiratory failure. COVID-19 is primarily spread from person to person through respiratory particles, probably of varying sizes, which are released when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks. Because both smaller particles (aerosols) and larger particles (droplets) are concentrated within a few metres, the likelihood of transmission decreases with physical distancing and increased ventilation.

Aerosols can be generated under circumstances, such as talking, singing, or shouting indoors in poorly ventilated environments. In these situations, transmission over longer distances may occur.

Respiratory transmission is probably the main mode of transmission, hence masking and physical distancing markedly decrease the chance of transmission. Under laboratory conditions, COVID-19 may persist on cardboard, plastic and stainless steel for days.

Patients can be infectious one to three days before symptom onset, and up to 40-to-50 percent of cases may be attributable to transmission from asymptomatic or presymptomatic people. Just before and soon after symptom onset, patients have high nasopharyngeal viral levels, which then fall over a period of one to two weeks.

A patient may be positive for weeks to months, but viable virus and contact-tracing assessments suggest that the duration of infectivity is much shorter and isolation can be lifted in most patients, 10 days after symptom onset if fever has been absent for at least 24 hours and other symptoms have decreased.

CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS The clinical spectrum of COVID-19 infection ranges from asymptomatic infection to critical illness. Among patients who are symptomatic, the median incubation period is approximately four to five days, and 97.5percent have symptoms within 11.5 days after infection. Symptoms may include fever, coughs, sore throat, malaise and myalgias. Some patients have gastrointestinal symptoms, including anorexia, nausea

and diarrhoea. Anosmia (loss of smell) and ageusia (loss of taste) have been reported in up to 68 percent of patients and are more common in women than in men Risk factors for complications of COVID-19 include older age, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, smoking, pregnancy, diabetes, and obesity. It is unclear whether other conditions (example, uncontrolled HIV infection or use of immune-suppressive medications) confer an increased risk of complications, but these conditions may be associated with worse outcomes after infection with other viruses.

Laboratory findings in hospitalised patients may include lymphopenia and elevated levels of d-dimer, lactate dehydrogenase, C-reactive protein and ferritin. These inflammatory markers are important to trend during the clinical course.

Evaluation of COVID-19 is guided by the severity of illness. According to data from China, 81 percent of people with COVID-19 had mild or moderate disease (including people without pneumonia and people with mild pneumonia), 14 percent had severe disease, and five percent had critical illness. Patients who have mild signs and symptoms generally do not need additional evaluation.

However, some patients who have mild symptoms initially will subsequently have precipitous clinical deterioration that occurs approximately one week after symptom onset. In patients who have risk factors for severe disease, close monitoring for clinical progression is warranted, with a low threshold for additional evaluation. If new or worsening symptoms (example, dyspnea) develop in patients with initially mild illness, additional evaluation is warranted.

Physical examination should be performed to assess for tachypnea, hypoxemia, and abnormal lung findings.

In addition, testing for other pathogens (example, influenza virus, depending on the season, and other respiratory viruses) should be performed, if available, and chest imaging should be done. Typical findings are ground-glass opacifications or consolidation.

Hallmarks of moderate disease are the presence of clinical or radiographic evidence of lower respiratory tract disease, but with a blood-oxygen saturation of 94 percent or higher while the patient is breathing ambient air.

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COVID-19 and ...

Indicators of severe disease are marked tachypnea (respiratory rate, ?30 breaths per minute), hypoxemia (oxygen saturation, ?93 percent; ratio of partial pressure of arterial oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen, 50 percent of the lung field involved within 24 to 48 hours).

sone, methylprednisolone, and prednisone. Dexamethasone did not improve outcomes, and may have caused harm, among patients who did not receive supplemental oxygen, and thus it is not recommended for the treatment of mild or moderate COVID-19.

TREATMENTS Remdesivir, an inhibitor of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, has activity against COVID-19 in vitro and in animals.

In the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial 1 (ACTT-1), which involved hospitalised patients with evidence of lower respiratory tract infection, those randomly assigned to receive 10 days of intravenous remdesivir recovered more rapidly than those assigned to receive placebo (median recovery time, 10 vs. 15 days); mortality estimates by day 29 were 11.4 percent and 15.2 percent, respectively. In another trial, clinical outcomes with five days of remdesivir were similar to those with 10 days of remdesivir.

Currently, remdesivir is recommended for the treatment of hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19, but consider data to be insufficient to recommend for or against the routine use of this drug for moderate disease – studies are ongoing.

Data from patients with COVID-19 who were enrolled in a large, expanded-access programme for convalescent plasma in the United States suggested that mortality might be lower with receipt of plasma with a high titer of antibody than with receipt of plasma with a low titer of antibody; the data also suggested that mortality might be lower when plasma is given within three days after diagnosis, than when plasma is given more than three days after diagnosis.

Ongoing randomised trials must be completed to determine the role of convalescent plasma. Monoclonal antibodies directed against the COVID-19 spike protein are being evaluated in randomised trials as treatment for people with mild or moderate COVID-19 and as prophylaxis for household contacts of persons with COVID-19.

In the recovery trial, dexamethasone reduced mortality among hospitalised patients with COVID-19, but the benefit was limited to patients who received supplemental oxygen and was greatest among patients who underwent mechanical ventilation. Clinical studies have shown that in 1,703 critically able patients, glucocorticoid reduced mortality versus standard-of-care passivity of 32 percent versus 40 percent.

Dexamethasone can be given at dose of six mg a day for 10 days or until discharge.

Other steroids may be similarly effective, such as hydrocorti-

USE OF CONCOMITANT MEDICATIONS IN PEOPLE WITH COVID-19 Because COVID-19 enters human cells through the ACE2 receptor, questions were raised regarding whether the use of ACE inhibitors or angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) – which may increase ACE2 levels – might affect the course of COVID-19. However, large observational studies have not shown an association with increased risk.

Patients who are receiving ACE inhibitors or ARBs for another indication should not stop taking these agents, even if they have COVID-19. Regeneron cov 2 antibody cocktail has shown to rapidly reduce viral load and associated symptoms and cause an antibody to spike protein that neutralises the virus. Broadly direct acting antivirals are now in clinical trials. They have been shown to inhibit replication of viral pathogens from multiple RNA virus family including SARS influenza RSV, filovirus, flavivirus to name a few.

The mechanism of antiviral activities viral error catastrophe is a concept that’s predicated on increasing the viral mutation rate beyond a biologically tolerable threshold, resulting in impairment of viral fitness and activity leading to viral extinction. There are multiple other strategies for antiviral work. Another mechanism in treatment is the role of light cytokine which belongs to the TNF family, which is secreted in high-level general viral infection by reducing the cytokine. This is associated with related lung fibrosis and cytokine storm.

Infection Control and Prevention health care workers must be protected from acquiring COVID-19 when they are providing clinical care. Using telehealth when possible; reducing the number of health care workers who interact with infected patients; ensuring appropriate ventilation and performing assiduous environmental cleaning are critical.

PPEs used while caring for patients with known or suspected COVID-19 should include, at a minimum, an isolation gown, gloves, a face mask, and eye protection (goggles or a face shield).

This article is submitted as part of the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 public information and education programme

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 31, 2021

Guyana Jaguars wing out in search of Regional Super50 glory

THE Guyana Jaguars winged out yesterday morning from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport en route to Antigua and Barbuda where they will vie for the 2021 CG Insurance Super50 Cup. After getting back into their groove with some team training followed by three well-played practice games at the LBI Ground, the team conducted their COVID-19 tests prior to their departure.

The 15-man squad, led

by Leon Johnson, will play their first match on February 8 against Barbados Pride with the first ball set to bowl off from 13:30hrs.

Winning their first championship back in 1980, Guyana again won the title in 1983 and 1985. Then without a victory for a few years, 1993, 1995, 1998 saw the former champs return to winning ways.

Jaguars won again in 2001 and 2003. This the 4th edition of the Super50 event

presents the Jaguars with the chance to break the near two decades-long jinx.

Esaun Crandon is the head coach, with Shivnarine Chanderpaul as manager, and Ernesto Campo, the physiotherapist.

Meanwhile, the executives and staff of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) extend their well-wishes as our team venture off to undertake their first Regional tournament since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The Guyana Jaguars squad: Chandrapaul Hemraj, Kemol Savory, Christopher Barnwell, Leon Johnson (captain), Shimron Hetmyer (vice-captain), Assad Fudadin, Keon Joseph, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair, Ramaal Lewis, Nial Smith, Gudakesh Motie, Anthony Bramble, Akshaya Persaud and Tevin Imlach. Esaun Crandon is head coach, Shivnarine Chanderpaul the manager/assistant coach with Ernesto Campo Gonzalez the physiotherapist. (Clifton Ross)

Guyanese officials get ...

Classic tournament at the turn of the year, said he couldn’t wait “to

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get back to the pitch to referee and represent Guyana.”

Last year, GFF launched a referee recruitment campaign – ‘Get involved’ – to encourage more young people to train to become match officials.

According to Innis, “For the game to progress and to develop as we want to see it, the importance of high-class officiating cannot be overstated. We are on a path of upward trajectory. We have a plan in place to put refereeing back where it deserves to be.”

“The systems that have been put in place for training and development have quadrupled. I would invite any young girl and boy from the length and breadth of Guyana to show an interest in officiating. We look forward one day to seeing our match officials at a World Cup or Olympic match,” said Innis, who was also a former FIFA referee.

South Africa Racing Tips Scottsville 07:55 hrs H Two O 08:30 hrs Alado’s Pride 09:05 hrs Mary O 09:40 hrs Maussane 10:15 hrs Double Expresso 10:50 hrs Gimethepurplelight Irish Racing Tips Naas 08:45 hrs Zoffanien 09:15 hrs Beacon Edge 09:45 hrs Limestone Rock 10:15 hrs Mr Incredible 10:45 hrs Baltimore Bucko 11:15 hrs Pencilfuloflead 11:45 hrs Lean Araig 12:15 hrs Billaway English Racing Tips Wolverhampton 08:40 hrs Onebana 09:10 hrs Everkyllachy 09:40 hrs Universal Effect 10:10 hrs Liva 10:40 hrs Tatmeen 11:10 hrs Mutarabes 11:40 hrs Jungle Boogaloo 12:10 hrs Comeatchoo Catterick 09:00 hrs Manwell 09:30 hrs Pay The Piper 10:00 hrs Jack Valentine 10:30 hrs Captain Moirette 11:00 hrs Event Of Sivola 11:30 hrs Miss Amelia 12:00 hrs Nothin To Ask

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 31, 2021

Cornwall, Bonner, Campbell stake claim for first Test

CHATTOGRAM, Bangladesh (CMC) – Off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall snatched a five-wicket haul and Nkrumah Bonner and John Campbell struck half-centuries, as West Indies dominated the second day of their threeday tour match against the Bangladesh Cricket Board XI here yesterday.

The 27-year-old Cornwall finished with five for 47 as the hosts, resuming from their overnight 24 without loss, were dismissed cheaply for 160, about an hour after lunch at the MA Aziz Stadium.

Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican also signalled tour selectors by claiming three for 25, as spin took prominence for

West Indies.

Armed with a healthy lead of 97, West Indies finished the day on 179 for five in their second innings, thanks to an unbeaten 80 from Bonner and Campbell’s 68.

Cruising at 130 for one at one stage courtesy of a 129-run, second-wicket stand between Bonner and Campbell, West

Indies lost three quick wickets for 14 runs in the space of 31 balls, to lose momentum in the final session.

They enter today’s final day with an overall lead of 276 runs, with a win likely to boost their confidence ahead of Wednesday’s start of the opening Test.

West Indies started the morning strongly when seamer Kemar Roach hit Saif Hassan in front for 15 with the day’s fifth ball, before the hosts had added to their overnight score.

However, 21-year-old Mohammad Naim arrived at the crease to play a counter-attacking 45 off 48 deliveries with nine fours, in a 74-run, second-wicket partnership with Shadman Islam (22).

Off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall celebrates his five-wicket haul yesterday

Once Cornwall bowled Naim with lunch approaching, BCB XI stumbled to lose a further two wickets with just two runs added, to reach the interval on 115 for four.

After the break, Nurul Hasan (30) and Shahadat Hossain (13) extended their fifth-wicket stand to 30 before Warrican got the breakthrough with his first wicket, removing Shahadat.

That dismissal opened the floodgates and Warrican and Cornwall ran through the BCB XI lower order, with the last six wickets going down

for just 30 runs.

In their second turn at the crease, West Indies lost Shayne Moseley without scoring to the fourth ball of the innings with a single run on the board, lbw to seamer Khaled Ahmed.

But Bonner joined Campbell in a solid century-partnership to stabilise the innings and carry the Windies safely to tea on 67 for one.

Unbeaten on 39 at tea, Bonner has so far faced 131 deliveries and struck 12 fours while the left-handed Campbell hit nine fours off 98 balls in just shy of 3-¼ hours at the crease.

Off-spinner Saif Hassan (2-32) triggered the slide when he claimed Campbell and fol-

lowed up in his next over by ensuring a second failure for Test vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood (4).

And when Kyle Mayers was lbw to 20-year-old off-spinner Towhid Hridoy for eight, West Indies were stumbling on 144 for four.

Bonner, who reached his half-century in the third over after tea, combined with Kavem Hodge (19) in a 33-run, fifth-wicket partnership to temporarily halt the slide.

But with the close beckoning, West Indies relinquished some of their advantage when Hodge perished to an lbw decision off 20-year-old seamer Mukidul Islam in the day’s penultimate over.

SCOREBOARD WEST INDIES 1st innings 257 Bangladesh Cricket Board XI 1st innings (overnight 24 without loss) Saif Hassan lbw b Roach 15 Shadman Islam c Brathwaite b Joseph 22 Mohammad Naim b Cornwall 45 Yasir Ali c Hodge b Cornwall 1 Shahadat Hossain c Cornwall b Warrican 13 Nurul Hasan c Hodge b Warrican 30 Towhid Hridoy c wkp. Da Silva b Warrican 7 Akbar Ali b Cornwall 5 Mahmudul Hasan Joy c Hodge b Cornwall 4 Rishad Hossain not out 1 Khaled Ahmed lbw b Cornwall 0 EXTRAS: (b-4, lb-4, w-5, nb-4) 17 TOTAL: (all out, 47.4 overs) 160 Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-98, 3-100, 4-100, 5-130, 6-138, 7-143, 8-159, 9-159.

Bowling: Roach 7-4-13-1, Gabriel 8-2-30-0, Cornwall 16.43-47-5, Joseph 7-0-31-1, Mayers 2-0-6-0, Warrican 7-1-25-3.

WEST INDIES 2nd innings J. Campbell c Rishad Hossain b Saif Hassan 68 S. Moseley lbw b Khaled Ahmed 0 N. Bonner not out 80 J. Blackwood c Towhid Hridoy b Saif Hassan 4 K. Mayers lbw b Towhid Hridoy 8 K. Hodge b Mukidul Islam 19 J. Da Silva not out 0 TOTAL: (5 wkts, 48 overs) 179 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-130, 3-135, 4-144, 5-177.

Bowling: Khaled Ahmed 6-0-16-1, Mukidul Islam 7-2-32-1, Saif Hassan 9-1-32-2, Rishad Hossain 13-3-61-0, Shahin Alam 7-1-22-0, Towhid Hridoy 6-0-16-1.

POSITION: WEST INDIES LEAD BY 276 RUNS.

Jesus earns Man City a Club-record 12th successive victory PEP Guardiola said his Manchester City players were “fighting like animals” after the Premier League leaders beat bottom club Sheffield United to record a club-record 12th successive victory.

Aside from Gabriel Jesus’ close-range strike from a Ferran Torres cross, an instinctive header from Bernardo Silva - created by a stray Oliver Norwood header - was City’s only effort on target until Aaron Ramsdale denied Oleksandr Zinchenko and then Aymeric Laporte from the corner that followed.

But the Blues’ defen-

sive strength was again on show. Guardiola’s side have now kept five clean sheets in a row in the Premier League, and an impressive 11 out of 13.

The last team in England’s top flight to register 12 consecutive wins in all competitions were Arsenal, who did so between August and October 2007.

“In December and January to show this consistency is amazing,” Guardiola told BBC Sport. “In this league every game is so difficult.

“It was an incredible performance. We played incredibly well in many areas.

We conceded few chances.

We didn’t create much, but enough to win the game.

“We will drop points; it’s about how we overcome it. Hopefully we react good in the bad moments, which for sure are coming.”

It was certainly far too strong for a visiting team. who never looked like emulating their victory at Manchester United three days ago. and remained rooted to the foot of the table, 10 points adrift of fourth-bottom Brighton.

For Guardiola, this was a staggering 500th win of a managerial career of 673 games. (BBC Sport)

33

SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 31, 2021

Cricket development at West Dem Secondary receives massive boost CRICKET development at the West Demerara Secondary School has been given a major boost following the presentation of a large quantity of equipment last Thursday.

Some students and teachers gathered at the school, located at Pouderoyen, a few miles north of the Demerara Harbour Bridge, on Thursday morning to receive the equipment from representatives of the Alumni.

Making the presentation on behalf of the Alumni was former Guyana and West Indies cricketer Shivnarine Chanderpaul, his son Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Guyana Jaguars Super50 selectee Akshaya Persaud and Naveed Ali, who is an ex-student of the school and local coordinator of the Alumni.

The donation included cricket bats, batting and wicket-keeping pads, stumps, balls, helmets, gear bags and

protective equipment.

Some computer supplies also formed part of what is an initial donation to the school from the Alumni, based in the United States and Canada.

A beaming Headmaster of the school, Harrinarine, was particularly pleased to receive the pieces of equipment, noting that the school not only has a vibrant cricket programme, but students are active in other disciplines.

The head also used the opportunity to boast of the students’ athletics prowess, highlighting boxer Mark Crawford and middle-distance athlete Joanna Archer.

While Crawford is a Caribbean gold medallist, Archer has also been on the podium at the National Schools Championship, the Inter-Guiana Games, CARIFTA Games and South American Championships.

Former Guyana and West Indies cricketer Shivnarine Chanderpaul (fifth from right) presents a bat to Headmaster of the West Demerara Secondary School, Harrinarine. Sharing the moment are teachers, students and cricketers Tagenarine Chanderpaul (third right), Akshaya Persaud (fourth right) and local Almuni representative Naveed Ali (third left)

She is currently on scholarship in the United States of America.

The Alumni will soon make a second donation to the school, in the form of a

Palmeiras score added-time winner to beat Santos in Copa Libertadores BRENO Lopes scored the winner nine minutes into added time as Palmeiras defeated fellow Brazilian club Santos in the final of the Copa Libertadores.

Substitute Lopes settled the contest with a superb header from Rony’s cross in a thrilling climax to the final.

Played in searing heat in the Maracana, a game of few chances sparked into life when Santos coach Cuca

was sent off four minutes earlier.

Palmeiras will now play in the Club World Cup in Qatar in February.

The Sao Paulo club’s only other triumph in the competition - South America’s equivalent of the Champions League - was in 1999.

While fans were not allowed at the game, around 5,000 people still attended having been invited by the

clubs, local authorities and South America’s governing body Conmebol.

The showpiece game was originally scheduled to be played on 21 November but was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Palmeiras won the Paulista state championship in August and play Gremio in the Copa do Brasil final in February.

(BBC Sport)

France Electrical Company to sponsor 40-over tourney for Berbice River Sub-Association THE Berbice River Sub-Association will host a 40-Overs tournament for teams across the Ancient County, with France Electrical Company hopping on board as the main sponsor.

Sub-Association.

Mr Uborn France, Managing Director of France Electrical and Construction Company has come on board to sponsor the tournament, which would be played using

Mr Uborn France hands over sponsorship to BCB president Hilbert Foster while Region 6 REO Navindra Persaud looks on

“When I became the president of the Berbice Cricket Board in 2018, I pledged that no sub-association would be left behind even if they didn’t vote for me. For, years, the Berbice River Sub-Association was just looked at as a provider of four votes for some people.

“That is no longer the case as they are now being treated equally as the other sub-areas in Berbice”. Those were the words of president of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) Hilbert Foster as he launched another cricket tournament for the teams in the Berbice River

the 40 overs format.

At least four teams are expected to play under the BCB COVID-19 regulations and the top two teams would then travel to a venue on the coast for the finals, possibly at the historic Albion Ground Sports Complex.

The teams expected to play in the tournament are Ebini, Wiruni, Sandhills and others.

Foster disclosed that over the last three years BCB has organised several tournaments for the sub-association and they have all been very successful while teams in the areas have benefitted from

numerous donations of items including cricket gear, cricket balls, stumps, educational materials, water pitchers, school bags, trophies and medals.

BCB also donated $120 000 worth of coloured uniforms to the sub-association under the Clayton Lambert Gear Project.

Foster also disclosed that for the first time ever a Berbice River cricket team would be participating in a BCB first division tournament, when they play in the historic semi-professional league, scheduled for August.

Great effort would also be made to send coaches in the area to host a mini cricket academy in the area. BCB expressed confidence that the standard of the game in the riverine area would result in players that would go on to play for the county and even higher.

He committed the BCB to organising at least two tournaments in 2021 but cautioned that the teams would have to follow all the COVID-19 guidelines.

He also reached out to Mr Navindra Persaud, Regional Executive Officer of Region 6 for his cooperation and support of Berbice cricket.

France, in brief remarks stated that he admired the outstanding work of the Foster-led BCB and was delighted to join the vast array of persons coming on board to assist.

gas-powered power washer, weeding machine, printers, computer supplies, footballs and volleyballs.

Meanwhile, the former Guyana and West Indies captain Chanderpaul addressed the students on the need for them to have a balance in terms of academic pursuits and sport excellence.

He urged the students to stay focussed on achieving their goals and setting high standards for themselves. The Caribbean’s most capped Test player proffered that with hard work, dedication and commitment, all goals can be achieved.

34

SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 31, 2021

Copa Airlines, GGA/Nexgen Golf Academy ink major deal … Hole-in-one tourney tees off on February 6

ONE of the region’s leading airlines, Copa Airlines, recently inked a major marketing and promotion deal with NexGen Golf Academy, as the Guyana Golf Association (GGA) looks to its upcoming endeavours.

This partnership will see the major airline’s flag flying over many of the upcoming golf events and programmes in Guyana.

Following the recent inking of the partnership, Copa’s General Manager Camille Hackett said “Our relationship with NexGen Global and Mr Hussain has seen tremendous positive impact in the areas of development of the sport, and the strides that have been made to include women and children in the game have given us the assurance that this is the right step for Copa Airlines to take to provide the necessary sup-

port he and the golf association requires.”

GGA/NexGen Golf Academy president Hussain was effusive in his praise for Commercial Coordinator Nadine Oudkerk and Sales Executive Christopher Ferrell whom he credited with the initiative to join forces to help develop the sport in Guyana.

“This forward-thinking team saw the niche for growth and without hesitation did everything possible to ensure that we could form a sustainable partnership that will see as many as 3 000 new persons exposed to the game in the next twelve months.”

This year, as a part of this exciting partnership, many activities and events for new players and schoolchildren will be run off by NexGen Golf Academy, Guyana Golf

Association, and Ministry of Education Allied Arts Unit, whereby participants will have the opportunity to play and learn and in so doing, win lots of prizes simply by taking part in a COVID-19 compliant activity.

According to Ms Oudkerk: “The grand event that will take place in the first quarter will be a fabulous Hole-in-One contest, whereby the winner will receive a round-trip ticket to any destination in the Americas where Copa Airlines fly (travel must be completed by certain dates and some restrictions do apply).

The activity will take place at the Academy on Woolford Avenue starting February 6 and all players have to do is hole the ball in one shot to win the incredible prize - a dream trip to the destination of their

choice.

“We expect that this will encourage many people to come out and get involved and Copa Airlines staff will be on hand at many of these activities to support NexGen Golf and Guyana Golf Association and to answer any questions persons may have about our services and destinations,” said Sales Executive Christopher Ferrell.

According to Hussain, 2021 will be a banner year for golf as the interest in the sport has risen to new levels and there are several major developments underway.

“With the construction of the 18-hole Championship golf course in Maraiko Bay underway and at least three other courses set for construction, Guyana will soon become a golf destination and that means great news for tourism, hotels,

Copa Airlines General Manager Camille Hackett

Copa Airlines Sales Executive Christopher Ferrell

airlines and other service providers.

Golfers are among the highest spenders in the tourism industry averaging approximately US$3 950 per golfer on a golf trip, and add to the fact that most golfers love to live near or on a golf course, value of properties tend to increase by 30% or more wherever courses are built.”

Hussain said the partnership with Copa Airlines and

the development of Maraiko Bay along with other golf communities is the path to new wealth for Guyanese investors and homeowners.

Guyana will be in a position to compete on an international and even an Olympic level in a short time.

To find out about the Hole-in-One tournament or any golf activity at the NexGen Golf Academy, check Facebook or call 645-0944.

Vince’s 98 not out helps Sydney Sixers reach Big Bash final ENGLAND batsman James Vince’s unbeaten 98 off 53 balls helped Sydney Sixers thrash Perth Scorchers to reach the Big Bash League final.

The opener hit 14 fours and one six as Sixers chased 168 with nine wickets in hand and three overs to spare.

But he was denied the chance of a century when Andrew Tye bowled a wide with the scores level in Canberra.

Asked if Tye had done it intentionally, Vince said: “I guess only he will know.”

He told BT Sport: “A hundred would’ve been nice but I’m just happy to be there at the end and be in the final.”

Scorchers, who finished second behind Sixers in the league stage, have another chance to

qualify for the final at the SCG on February 6.

They play the winners of today’s Knockout between Bris-

James Vince bane Heat or Sydney Thunder in the Challenger on Thursday to decide who will face Sixers.

Vince, dropped by Australia bowler Tye on 23, shared an opening stand of 92 in 8.1 overs with Josh Philippe, who made 45 off 25 balls.

Vince added a further 76 with Daniel Hughes, who hit Jyhe Richardson for four in the 17th over to tie the scores and prompt ironic boos from the Sixers fans at the Manuka Oval.

Hughes was cheered after choosing not to score off the final three balls of the over, but Tye’s bouncer down the leg side off the first ball of the next sealed Sixers’ victory.

The Scorchers’ total of 167-6 was built around Josh Inglis’ unbeaten 69 off 41 balls, while England’s Liam Livingstone and Jason Roy made 15 and three respectively at the top of the order. (BBC Sport)

WICUA expresses sadness at the passing of Keren Kissoon

THE West Indies Cricket Umpires Cricket Association (WICUA) has expressed sadness at the death of Keren Kissoon, daughter of Guyanese umpire Matthew Kissoon.

along with his lovely wife at all our biennial conventions and is always a vibrant contributor to our discussions. He is our perennial cricket commentator.

“I can attest to the fact that this is indeed a much difficult time for Matthew and his wife. This time of bereavement is not something a parent wants to go through, so it is indeed a trying time for the family.

“We know that Matthew is a spiritual man and understands that

God is at work and he will always be with him. On behalf of the WICUA, I want to extend condolence to Matthew and his wife on the passing of their daughter.

“It is not a comforting time but I hope the Lord will take you through this difficult time of grief. May the Lord continue to bless you and have mercy upon you. May the soul of Keren rest in peace and light perpetually shine on her soul.”

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER Sunday, January 31, 2021

The late Keren Kissoon The 23-year-old Keren Kissoon, who passed away recently following a brief illness, was buried yesterday.

Following is the release from WICUA Secretary Vivian Johnson: “It is with a sense of sadness that I inform you of the death of Keren Kezia Kissoon, beloved daughter of our dear friend and umpire colleague, Matthew Kissoon of Guyana.

“Umpire Kissoon is a fixture

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TODAY’S QUIZ:

(1) Who has the distinction of registering the first ODI century?

(2) Who bagged the first five-wicket haul in an ODI game?

ANSWERS ANSWER S IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

35

SUNDAY CHRONICLE January 31, 2021

Broadway Hotel roaring with Golden Jaguars in their quest to Qatar THE owner of Broadway Hotel has urged more private sector organisations and companies to support the Golden Jaguars’ FIFA World Cup campaign, as the hotel made a financial contribution to the squad’s preparations for their first qualification matches in March.

Broadway Hotel, situated on Broad Street in Georgetown, joins a growing number of private sector partners such as Banks DIH and Muneshwers coming on board to support the Golden Jaguars as they prepare for the start of their World Cup campaign.

“The Guyana Golden Jaguars are preparing for what will be a very difficult 2022 World Cup qualification cam-

paign. I believe we all have a responsibility to help them in every way that we can and I am personally pleased to support the nation’s team,” said Broadway Hotel Managing Director Alepemo Peters.

“I would like to encourage other corporate entities to support our Golden Jaguars in their quest to qualify for the FIFA 2022 World Cup.” The donation was made

by Broadway Hotel General Manager, Junica Pluck, and received by Guyana Football Federation (GFF) president Wayne Forde.

“On behalf of the players, staff and the GFF, I would like to say ‘thank you’ to Broadway Hotel for supporting our national team at this exciting time,” Forde said.

“The qualification process for the FIFA World Cup requires a huge allocation of resources and cannot be managed without the help, commitment and generosity of our private sector partners.”

“We are, therefore, grateful for thus timely contribution, which will help us prepare the team in the best way possible for their World Cup journey after such a long layoff due to the pandemic. We hope that many other partners will also come on board to join us on this amazing journey as the whole nation gets behind the Golden Jaguars this year.”

Domestic-based players are currently in training five days a week at the GFF National Training Centre, un-

der the supervision of head coach Marcio Maximo, as the squad seeks to build fitness and sharpness ahead of its first World Cup fixture against Trinidad and Tobago on March 25.

“If this contribution helps a young player to move one step closer to the realisation of his dream to represent the Golden Arrowhead - then this would be a tremendous source of satisfaction for the management of Broadway Hotel,” said Peters.

Banks DIH have offered water and energy drinks and Muneshwers have provided health and sanitisation equipment to support the Golden Jaguars’ preparations at the National Training Centre.

GFF president collects the timely support from Broadway Hotel General Manager Junica

Couchman and Gurcharran win Bravo hails Gayle, Pollard for U20 online chess competitions inspiring big-hitting new generation

SEASONED youth player Kyle Couchman made light work of the Guyana Chess Federation online competition for advanced youngsters, while Nathan Gurcharran surged ahead in the lower rated category battle.

The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) competitions,

mar and Mahir Rajkumar finished on 3.5 points.

Irshaad Nasir and Adia Alphonso rounded off the top 10 with three points each.

I n t h e 0 - 1 0 9 9 r a ting battle, nine-year-old Gurcharran finished with 5.5 points, while Matthew Singh and Sean Fraser fin-

Nathan Gurcharran won the 0-1099 competition

which were played yesterday afternoon, targeted advanced juniors and young players now learning the game and were held for U20 players with a rating of 1100 and above and for U20 players with a rating of 0-1099 respectively.

Couchman, with a 1544 rating, dominated his games for a full seven points. Second place went to Oluwadare Oyeyipo who finished with six points, while Omar Shariff, with five points, placed third.

Pooja Lam, Italy Ton Chung and Jacob McDonald followed with four points each, while Maliha Rajku-

ished on five points each.

Six other players finished on four points, including Noah Rahaman, Dante Persaud, Kaiden Ali, Jnae Singh, Micaiah Enoe, Adam Rahaman and Adeeb Zaman.

President of the GCF Frankie Farley thanked the players for their participation.

“Congratulations to all players and parents for participating in this tournament. Special congratulations to the winners.

For the losers, you have to create that path to winning by working on your mistakes in the games you have lost. Losing is an opportunity to learn and develop winning strategies to succeed. Best of luck in the next tournament.”

Kyle Couchman dominated the more advanced group

WEST Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has hailed the role of big-hitting teammates Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard in inspiring a new generation of exciting batsmen.

For decades the Caribbean has created some of the world’s most exciting stroke players, with the likes of Everton Weekes, Gary Sobers, and, later on, Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards and Brian Lara thrilling crowds with their incredible run-scoring ability.

The likes of Pollard, Gayle, and Andre Russell have fallen very much into that mould and a new generation that includes players like Nicholas Pooran, Evin Lewis, Shimron Hetmyer, and Brandon King have followed in their footsteps.

The 37-year-old all-rounder Bravo, one of the T20 cricket’s most devastating wicket-takers in his own right, was quick to commend Pollard and Gayle for passing the torch.

“I think these young guys look up to players like Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, what these guys

have done in white-ball cricket,” Bravo told Khaleej Times after leading Delhi Bulls to a win in the Abu Dhabi T10 league on Friday.

Chanderpaul, these players and the likes of Gayle and (Ramnaresh) Sarwan. The young players were looking up to those players,” he added.

Left-handers Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer

“The players from the younger generation now aspire to be like them (Gayle, Pollard) you know.

Before them, they had Sir Viv (Richards) or (Brian) Lara and (Shivnarine)

“But now because of Pollard, Andre Russell, Gayle, you know, you have seen the likes of Pooran, Hetmyer, Rutherford, and Brandon King.” (Sportsmax)

Guyanese officials get ‘FIFA badges’

Guyana Jaguars … GCB wishes team well ahead of tournament SEE PAGE

31

The Guyana Jaguars players and management team before departure yesterday morning

Guyanese officials Sherwin Johnson, Maurees Skeete and Kleon Lindey display their FIFA badges in the presence of GFF executive Dion Innis and president Wayne Forde SHERWIN Johnson, Maurees exceptionally well and make all of organisation proud.”

Skeete and Kleon Lindey are now Guyana proud.”

Johnson, in 2012 and Skeete in ready to officiate international Referees Johnson and Skeete 2016, were nominated for CONCAmatches this year, after the three and assistant referee Lindey were CAF’S Referee-of-the-Year award, Guyanese match officials received reappointed to FIFA’s list of in- while Lindey has featured in the their FIFA badges at a ceremony ternational referees in December, selection since 2015. at the Guyana Football Federa- giving them the right to wear the “I’m looking to reach the hightion (GFF) on Friday. coveted FIFA badge and to take est pinnacle possible,” said Lindey, President Wayne Forde. along- charge of international matches who last patrolled the touchline in side GFF Executive Committee in 2021.

CONCACAF U-20 Championship member and Interim Head of RefSkeete, a Staff Sergeant in the qualifiers in February 2020. “It’s ereeing Dion Inniss, made the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), currently very challenging, but I am presentation to the three officials. . called 2020 a difficult year, but just keeping my body fit because “I want to commend these lauded her army life which she fitness is one of the key elements three match officials that have said has kept her “focussed and in refereeing.” been placed on the FIFA list,” motivated and strong to continue Johnson, who officiated the Forde said, while noting that “they to push forward. I am excited to final of the GFF Bounce Back are a credit to Guyana football get back on the field – to get out and to all of Guyana. We know there and show my talents and TURN TO PAGE 31 they are going to go out there, do to make Guyana, myself and my

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, JANUARY 31, 2021