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Sunday April 12, 2020
Kaieteur News
Justice Claudette Singh Guyana now has 45 positive must take command of COVID-19 cases GECOM now- Nandlall People’s Progressive Party/Civic,(PPP/C) Executive and Attorney- at -Law, Anil Nandlall, is appealing to Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), retired Justice Claudette Singh, to use her powerful casting vote to end the political stalemate which is holding the nation at ransom. Nandlall in a lengthy Facebook post shared his thoughts on the proposal made to GECOM for the recount process of votes cast at the March 2, 2020 elections. The suggestion made by Chief Elections Officer (CEO) of GECOM, Keith Lowenfield, is for the nationwide recount to be done in 156 days – a proposal which is widely rejected by the political opposition as a delay tactic. In his post, Nandlall shared the same view that there is a deliberate ploy at the level of GECOM to further delay the process. According to him, it is the Government – aligned Commissioners who continue to do everything possible to frustrate and delay the recount. “In this regard, Commissioner Vincent Alexander, in essence, wants the decision to do a recount altered, to do an audit, instead. This must be fiercely resisted. No one ever called for an audit and no decision was ever made to do an audit. It is not provided for in the law and will only delay the process further,” he said. Giving an overview of the events which followed the elections, the Attorney pointed to “the constant back and forth,” between agents of GECOM and the political representatives which lead to the delays. Nandlall said, however, that Justice Singh in her capacity as Chairperson of GECOM cannot be completely exonerated from blame for what is happening. He emphasized that this can only be put to rest if the Chairperson raises her pro-
Up to press time yesterday, there were 45 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Guyana. In fact based on data shared by the Ministry of Public Health cases of the novel coronavirus have, thus far, been found in six regions – One, Three, Four, Five, Six and Seven. The number of COVID19 related deaths, according to the Ministry remains at six. Of a total of 193 persons tested, 148 have been ruled negative. According to the COVID19 dashboard, which was shared last evening, the number of persons housed in the Health Ministry’s isolation is
Intensive Care Unit at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that worldwide there are 1,521, 252
Appeals were made for citizens to practice social distancing by avoiding unnecessary travel and staying away from large groups of people.
Two months imprisonment possible if health orders flouted GECOM ‘s Chairperson (Ret’d) Justice Claudette Singh verbial gavel and ends the that hang like a sword of delay. Damocles over the head of the “Her failure to act deci- Commission must be resively by using that power- moved. Confidence in the elecful casting vote with which toral process must be reshe is legally equipped, has stored’.” contributed significantly to Further, Nandlall urged all the cabal currently holding to support the PPP and reject this nation at ransom. How- any proposal which comes ever, they will not succeed. from the APNU/AFC or We are nearing the end of the Lowenfield. road. Justice Singh must take “Like Mingo, he is part of command now.” the problem and cannot be Under the command of the part of the solution. In terms Chairperson, Nandlall held of the actual counting, we that the recount must be kick prefer that GECOM calls in started next week and con- aid, a reputable auditing firm clude with every convenient or the Office of the Auditor speed. General to assist.” The lawyer emphasized, “The Secretariat staff at “She must ensure that it is GECOM no longer enjoys done transparently, voting in public confidence,” he assupport of our request to have serted. the process televised and “GECOM has the power to streamed live, will go a far way enlist such assistance, as is in achieving this objective.” expressed in Article 162(1)(b), He added, “In the end, the Commission shall issue this process must enjoy pub- such instructions and take lic confidence. such action as appear to it I remind her of the follow- necessary or expedient to ening stirring plea which she sure impartiality, fairness and made in her submissions to compliance with the provithe Court, in the Ulita Moore sions of this Constitution or case ‘In the present volatile any Act of Parliament on the situation, which pervades our part of persons exercising country. No effort must be powers or performing duties spared to assure everyone connected with or relating to that the process was fair and the matters aforesaid,” he impartial. Lingering doubts said.
Body of elderly woman found at Meten-Meer-Zorg The lifeless body of a 65year-old woman was found on a Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara (WCD) Street on Good Friday. The deceased has been identified as Dhanjalie Umraoe of Lot 86 Meten-Meer-Zorg. Several residents in the community were in a state of shock after hearing the devastating news. Several of them recalled seeing the
31 and an additional 13 are in mandated quarantine. Three citizens are now patients in
confirmed cases, with 97, 798 deaths. In the Region of the Americas alone, there are 493,173 confirmed cases with 17,038 deaths.
woman walking about the village earlier in the day. Kaieteur News was told that the woman left her home at around 14:30hrs on April 10, 2020 to visit a friend who would usually assist in her checking her blood pressure. Ms. Umraoe however failed to return home. This, however, did not bother her relatives since she would usually sleep by her
son who lives a short distance away from her friend. The woman’s body was discovered the following day by a resident who raised an alarm. No mark of violence was found on the woman’s body, hence, the police are awaiting a post mortem examination to determine the cause of death. The body is currently at the Ezekiel Funeral home. (Anastacya Peters)
M
inister of Public Health (MoPH), Volda Lawrence, last week announced a partial countrywide lockdown as part of the response to restrict the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Sections of the Health Ministry’s orders revealed a dusk to dawn curfew and restrictions of citizens to their homes with only essential workers allowed out. Additionally, these restrictions have halted all crowds at weddings and funerals and religious places of worship, and even at creeks and pools. It further stated that persons will not even be allowed to visit patients at hospitals or elderly persons at the Palms Geriatric Home. Even with Guyana confirming 45 cases with six
deaths as a result of the disease, some people have still been found contravening the presidential orders. But the orders are not
without penalties for defaulters. A perusal of the Public Health Ordinance Act, specifically Section 152, reveals that “any person who contravenes any of the provisions of the Ordinance made by the
government, or who fails, neglects or refuses to execute any work or to do anything which he is required to do by virtue of any of the provisions of the ordinance shall be guilty of an offence and shall, unless some other penalty is provided therefore, (be) liable to a penalty with or without hard labour for any term exceeding two months.” Interestingly enough, the act also states that the individual is liable to a penalty of a meager G$50. “Where the offence is a continuing one, unless some other penalty is provided therefore, the offender shall be liable to a further penalty not exceeding GYD10 for everyday for which the offence continues, and in default of payment, to imprisonment for any period not exceeding three months,” the Act states.
Govt. greenlights private hospitals’ testing for COVID-19 Private Health Institutions will now be able to test for the novel Coronavirus since the Public Health Ministry has granted permission for them to acquire the needed testing kits. This was revealed by Head of the National COVID19 Task Force, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, during a virtual press conference yesterday. “We have now given the greenlight for the private hospitals to import their own testing kits so that you can supplement and do rapid testing in both state and nonstate intuitions,” Nagamootoo announced. Added to that, the private pospitals will be asked to dedicate some of their space to facilitate the treatment and management of positive COIVD-19 patients, he said. The Chairman of the Task Force pointed out that “gov-
ernment cannot be a monopoly in regards to testing. Private Institutions should be allowed to bring in testing kits and to dispense testing so they are being brought into play and are now a partner.” When asked whether the state will have some control over the cost of testing, Prime Minister Nagamootoo explained that this will be determined by the private hospitals themselves. He could not say whether the cost will be absorbed by the State. The issue of private hospitals not being able to test for COVID-19 came to the forefront last week when the privately operated Woodlands Hospital revealed that it had requested permission from government to import testing kits. The request had gone unanswered for several weeks. Public Health Minister,
Volda Lawrence, had stated that only polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing is proven effective in testing for COVID-19 and that any facility that wishes to begin testing must be able to conduct this type of test. Dr. Shoba Gobin of Woodlands Hospital, relayed to Kaieteur News that now, with permission granted, the aim is to import the testing kits as soon as possible. The testing kits will take approximately 4-6 weeks to arrive. As it relates to the cost for the tests to be done, Dr. Shoba explained that they will have to factor in the cost to import the testing kits and the needed protective equipment used when conducting the tests. “We had never planned to make money off of it,” Dr. Shoba asserted. (Shikema Dey)