Keeping you updated on current events... ONLINE DAILY NEWSPAPER
Pg7
Tuesday March 16, 2021
Industrial action escalates over comments at Linden Hospital Complex
Pg6
Sleepin owner, 33 others arrested for breaching COVID guidelines
Pg7
GNBS OPENS SUB-OFFICE IN BARTICA
Guyana Post Tuesday March 16, 2021
Industrial action escalates over comments at Linden Hospital Complex
…Nurses take to the to defamation to their characters. streets of Georgetown Mr. Small has come With the Ministry of under criticism after “We have Health and the Guyana saying, Public Service Union at some nurses who are odds, in the firing and accustomed to reporting reinstating of the Linden for duty at night. They Hospital Complex CEO, sign in, then they get Rudy Small, the GPSU away and go and sleep is planning to go down with their sweet man.” The comment came the legal route. They want a legal during an interview outcome over Small’s which he said was off the labeling of nurses at the record. The CEO was fired one hospital in a negative manner that has led day by the Permanent
Secretary and the next day was reinstated by the Minister of Health. Small then offered a public apology. The GPSU is labelling the move by the Government as one that is political and as such, talks with the Ministry will only happen when Mr. Small steps down from his position. But that might not happen since the move is seen as very political given the reinstatement.
GPSU must use other alternatives to seek redress. GPSU First VicePresident, Dawn Gardener, at a press conference said that the union plans to use the court to file legal actions against the CEO for his remarks. “The derogatory remarks that he made towards the workers at the Linden Hospital Complex is defamation of character and it’s
enough for legal action to be made,” Ms. Gardener maintained. Patrick Yarde, the President of the GPSU, said that moves by the body will continue since there is that feeling that nothing will come out of the matter and the workers will have to continue working under the CEO knowing how deeply political it remained. But according to him the minister has
not responded to correspondence from the union. “There seems to be that negative response when you try to deal with the Minister of Health on human resource matter. “Why we try to contact him is because of this belief that we have…The Permanent Secretary would never have rescinded the CEO’s position. He would have removed him. He issued a letter to remove him. “That fact that he issued the letter and it was rescinded; we are convinced beyond doubt and it was political involvement and I will try to get the Minister,” Mr. Yard added The Ministry of Health has continued to urge the Nurses and the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) to end the industrial action at the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) and to continue to engage the Ministry in resolving the situation. The Ministry said that the situation has the potential to impact the welfare of the people of Linden and by extension the entire Region Ten.
Sleepin owner, 33 others arrested for breaching COVID guidelines
As Guyana continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, several bars continue to fail to comply with the
COVID-19 guidelines. As such several owners were arrested Saturday night, including the owner of Sleepin Hotel.
According to the police, it has been noted that with the coordinative action between the Guyana Police Force and Guyana
Defence Force the aim is to ensure people adhere to the guidelines. On Saturday night 34 people in Georgetown
were arrested at various locations. The police said that it was between 22:00 hrs and 03:30 hrs, that ranks from the National COVID Task Force, Guyana Defense Force and the Guyana Police Force conducted an Operation in Regional Division 4A. During this operation, several persons were detained for breaching the curfew at the locations including the Sleep-In Bar & Casino. Proprietor Clifton Bacchus and two bartenders along with ten Chinese nationals –eight males and two) females were at the Casino. Over at Club Altitude in
Sandy Babb Street, Kitty, Georgetown, proprietor Meer Rahaman was also arrested along with 10 males and eight females, who were patrons. Over at Kairos Bar in Charlotte Street Bourda, Georgetown, Manager Mark Alleyne was arrested. And at the Club Privilege on Main Street, Georgetown, Bartender Delon Moffett and his assistant Akeem Carmichael were both arrested. Those arrested were all placed on cash bail pending court, as no incident was recorded during the exercise.
Guyana Post Tuesday March 16, 2021
GNBS OPENS SUB-OFFICE IN BARTICA
Minister of Tourism, Industry, and Commerce Oneidge Walrond, Regional Chairman Kenneth Williams, and Executive Director (ag) of the GNBS Ramrattie
The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) opened its door to the people of Region #7, today, Monday, March 15, 2021, with a new suboffice located in the town of Bartica at the Regional Democratic Council’s (RDC) Administrative Office. This will result in the expansion of core services to the residents of Region Seven. Officers of the Bureau will now be stationed in the mining town to provide inspection services and testing of concrete hollow blocks along with the verification of scales and masses. The simple ceremony held at the office located in the compound of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) was attended by Minister of Tourism, Industry, and Commerce Oneidge Walrond, Regional Chairman Kenneth Williams, and Executive Director (ag) of the GNBS Ramrattie info@guyanapostonline.com
3
Karan. Minister Walrond noted that the establishment of the new office will eliminate the need to travel long distances to access core services offered by the National Standards Body. This, she added, will make doing business easier which is high on the Government’s agenda. With its firm mandate, the GNBS is the leading agency responsible for standards, quality, and measurements which today are necessary aspects of trade. The office will benefit a wide range of businesses. The Minister said the Government is keen on facilitating more active involvement of the small business sector. Further, she said this opening positions all businesses in Bartica access to national standards that have become obligatory if you want to compete with international companies.
Acting Executive Director of the Bureau, Ms. Ramrattie Karan, pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting restrictions on travelling have reinforced the importance of decentralizing the services of the Bureau. She said that in keeping with its strategic plan and vision, “the GNBS with support from the
Government of Guyana will be our country as the Bureau seeks to continuously develop the National Quality Infrastructure to foster sustainable socioeconomic development and consumer protection.” With this new office, the GNBS now has a total of six sub-offices across the country; the others are in Anna Regina (Region
Two), Vreed-EnHoop (Region Three), New Amsterdam, and Skeldon (Region Six), and Lethem (Region Nine). Ms. Karan also thanked the Regional Administration for the provision of the Office space and other amenities here at the RDC for this new office. According to the Head of the Legal Metrology Services at
the Bureau, Shailendra Rai, residents of Region Seven will now be able to access verification of scales used in markets, supermarkets clinics, shops and hospitals. Meanwhile, Regional Chairman Mr. Kenneth Williams, welcomed the GNBS to Bartica. “Bartica is on the rise, Region Seven is on the rise and it is because of that, offices like this are important to all stakeholders,” he noted. Also attending the event were Regional Vice-Chairman Nageshwarie Persaud, Mayor Gifford Marshall, Deputy Mayor Aretha Embelton, and Regional Commander Senior Superintendent Dion Moore.before, the now dead man visited the Georgetown Public Hospital complaining of chest pains and swollen feet. He was seen and examined by a doctor on duty and was subsequently diagnosed with leptospirosis and was thereafter admitted as a patient in the Male Surgical Ward. he was not discharged based on hospital records. The man reportedly has escaped the institution and might have fallen even more ill that led to his death.
4
Guyana Post Tuesday March 16, 2021
Antigua demands 100,000 doses from Britain as an apology
St John’s, 15 March… Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, has written to Britain’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, saying that “an appropriate response is necessary” for the damage done to his country’s small economy by a Public Health England (PHE) website posting. That posting wrongly claimed “an
Antigua variant” of the coronavirus had been discovered in the UK. Browne proposed that the British Government urgently consider recompensing Antigua and Barbuda by a donation of 100,000 doses of the AstraZenica vaccines. In his letter, Browne told Johnson that “Antigua and Barbuda are highly dependent
on tourism and has long been a favoured holiday destination for British tourists but the PHE notice, that went viral after it was picked up by international media, has caused hotel bookings to be cancelled”. The Antigua leader said his country was already “reeling from the almost complete shutdown of tourism caused by the pandemic”.
He asserted that the PHE posting has “eroded confidence in the gains Antigua and Barbuda made in its management of the virus”. “We now have to redouble our efforts at great expense”, he said. The Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister drew Johnson’s attention to the fact that “no British visitor to Antigua had contracted
COVID-19” in his country. He affirmed that his government has enforced strict protocols for managing the pandemic and has a comparatively low level of infections and a high level of recoveries. Mr. Brown also stressed that the British High Commission to Antigua and Barbuda explicitly stated on March 13 that “there is
no scientific evidence to determine where this variant first emerged” and that it regrated “any misunderstanding that may have arisen from the matter”. However, Mr. Browne said that “the damage was done from the moment that PHE erroneously published the claim on its website. He has suggested to Prime Minister Johnson that “consideration should be given to recompensing Antigua and Barbuda with a donation of 100,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines”. Antigua and Barbuda are one of over 150 nations that are struggling to secure vaccines at a time when the costs are high and more than 80 percent of them have been bought by rich countries, including the UK. Prime Minister Browne remarked to Mr. Johnson that “Antigua and Barbuda have always cherished its close relationship with Britain” and he “looked forward to a favourable response to his proposal”.
Kuru Kururu woman stabbed during drunken argument to 206
Kameel Calistro info@guyanapostonline.com
4
Following an argument over who can dance better, a 19-year-old Kuru Kururu woman is now dead after she was stabbed to death by a 20-year-old Suspect. The victim was Kameel Calistro of Swan, Kuru Kururu, Sosedkye/Linden Highway According to the initial report, it was just around 03:45hrs on Sunday, when it was revealed that the young girl with some family members and friends were consuming
alcohol in front of a house, while music played from a car. After some timeconsuming alcohol, just around 02:00 hrs 20-yearold Kristopher Stoll from Swan, Kuru Kururu, started an argument about which girl could have danced better. That argument with Stoll and relatives of the victim spiralled into a heated one, where Stoll drew a knife from his right side waist and attempted to stab at 29-year-old
Adolph Joseph of 46 Swan Kuru Kururu, a cousin of the victim. The intended target luckily sustained a minor laceration to the lower left side abdomen. Calistro was not so lucky after she would have intervened. As she was stabbed to the left side abdomen. She later collapsed and was rushed to the GPHC, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. The body is awaiting a post mortem examination.
5
Guyana PostTuesday March 16, 2021
COVID-19 has helped the resilient but cursed the wider society
Adam’s Note Book The first COVID-19 case hit Guyana a year ago. It was an imported case with the woman coming from Queens, New York. Guyanese were not worried because there was talk about the heat killing the coronavirus. Then the disease started to spread. Relatives of the imported case became afflicted. These then spread the disease to many with whom they came into contact. But even then there was no panic. People fooled themselves into believing that in a short while the virus would disappear. That was wishful thinking. When last the Ministry made the announcement about the fatalities, the number was 204. Most of the cases came from the most populous region— Region Four where the greatest number of cases was among men. Sometimes people come to realize that even when something stares people in the face they choose to ignore it. In fact, some pretend that it does not exist. And so it is with the COVID-19. The Ministry of Health released a number of measures to limit the
info@guyanapostonline.com
spread of the disease. These included washing the hands, avoid rubbing the face, sanitizing as often as possible, and practice social distancing. These are simple things for most. Avoiding crowds is no problem for many so people scaled back on wedding receptions and funeral crowds. But there were those who believed themselves to be immune so they crowded the bars and restaurants. Some hosted street parties and attracted crowds. Others just sought out any entertainment they could get. Nearly 9,000 people have been infected so far but most have recovered largely because the disease did not hurt them as it did those who have underlying conditions. Hypertension, diabetes, and the like were considered underlying conditions. It is heartening to see almost everyone on the streets of Georgetown wearing a mask. Shops make it mandatory that unless there is a mask the customer cannot enter; minibuses are supposed to enforce the mask rule but some, as can be
expected, take a chance. Sometimes I see the police getting involved. But there have been some useful things to come out of the pandemic. Suddenly Zoom has become the primary means of communication. I remember when Skype was the way to go. Now it is Zoom. Court hearings are conducted in this manner. It is called virtual hearing. Prisoners go to court without leaving the prison compound and get sentenced once they are convicted. The lawyers do not have to be near them. His or her presence is also virtual. People have attended court hearings from the confines of their homes or from their offices. There have been attempts to conduct school using the virtual forum but this is Guyana. In the first instance, many children do not have computers. But they all have cell phones—at least the adolescents and the phones are not what some call the mango pelter. However, there are not enough internet sites. And no young person is keen to spend money on data for the phone to
use to attend classes in school. The result is that for one year most children have had nothing to do with institutional learning. Even when there was a school there were those who only attended and learnt nothing. We would see them with brand-name shoes and clothing at the side of the road after school. Today there are teenagers who do not know the alphabet. And that is only the tip of the iceberg. I expect to see more teenagers committing robberies on the streets. Their numbers have grown and they all want to flash a wad and to be drinking beers and Guinness. The money will come from innocent hard-working people. And sadly, some of these people will die in the process because
5
the person with limited intelligence will not reason. There were other bad things; small businesses collapsed; daycare centres closed their doors and generally, people in the lowest income brackets became the hardest hit, financially. The decision by the political directorate to terminate the services of some of the public servants has not helped the situation. It is back to the days when people called on their resources to eke out a living. The enterprising brought their culinary skills and offered their products for sale. None of them can challenge KFC and Church’s and other fast food joints but they do earn enough to put food on the table. Kitchen gardens are flourishing so COVID had pushed people to become resilient. Yet
Guyana would prefer life without COVID if only to see children grasping an education. And as an aside, COVID testing is a money-making thing. Initially, some testing sites charged $25,000. If someone has to go overseas, that person at least 72 hours before departure must take the test and present the certificate at the airport. Recently, I learnt that there is one hospital that is offering the test for $10,000. Whatever the case, that is still a lot of money. There is the contention that the government is testing for free but the stigma attached to COVID is keeping many people away from those sites. I know for certain that I am not hearing people coughing as they used to in the good old days. Even sneezing has become a rarity. Life has really changed.
Email or text your letters to us we would be happy to have publish them ExxonMobil Oil Rig
adameharris@yahoo.com lendellnurse6995@gmail.com info@guyanapostonline.com
6