Guyana Times - Satuday, May 2, 2020

COVID-19 pandemic

Sleepin Hotel distributes hampers to staff P11

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4273

THE BEACON OF TRUTH SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

PRICE

GECOM, APNU/AFC destruction of democracy: Day 61

Caricom Chair calls for recount to be completed “without further delays”

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Woman shot dead while P2 checking on commotion outside house

See story on page 3

Guyanese "selfish" for not following COVID-19 P11 guidelines – caretaker Minister …country records 110% increase in under 1 month

…as observers arrive in Guyana …GECOM to meet with political parties today

Workers need stable, responsive Govt – Irfaan Ali See story on page 10

Election uncertainty delaying ExxonMobil’s development locally – CEO See story on page 9

Power outages expected next P2 week …to disrupt work-fromhome system

Former Home Affairs Minister dies P15

…confirms COVID-19 will slow down drilling operation by a year …Guyana gets first tranche of 2% royalty on 3 months of oil sales

Supporting Caricom in recount is commitment to credible, transparent elections results – Canadian diplomat Page 7

US probes T&T fuel shipment linked to P17 Venezuela

2 NEWS

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Woman shot dead while checking Power outages expected next week on commotion outside house …to disrupt work-from-home system ...Police issue wanted bulletin for suspect

Dead: Florence Ford

A

West Ruimveldt, Georgetown woman was shot dead in the wee hours of Friday, after venturing outside to check on a commotion in front of her house.

Dead is 59-year-old Florence Ford of 24 Front Road, West Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

Reports are the incident occurred at approximately 01:30h a short distance away from where she resided. After hearing the sounds of a distant quarrel in the neighbourhood, the woman left her house to check on what was happening, but shots rang out and she was shot once in the eye.

The now dead woman’s granddaughter, Nicola Castello told Guyana Times that she lived with her husband while her daughter lived on the same property in another house.

Around 23:30h on Thursday, the family reportedly heard loud noises and voices coming from

the street. There, two neighbours – Brian Wiltshire and Timothy Evans – were engaged in a heated argument during which they armed themselves with cutlasses; one of the men also had a gun.

According to Castello, other men from the community also ventured out of their houses to witness what was transpiring.

The commotion continued for some time, but relatives were unaware that Ford had opened the gate and gone outside. Castello said she stayed inside and the situation escalated when four consecutive shots rang out from a loaded firearm.

“We heard a scuffle, but we didn’t get up to see what was going on and then after 12, we hear it again, but we still didn’t get up. I said I’m not going outside, because I don’t know what’s going on. It was like somebody chasing somebody and we still didn’t get up,” she related.

But as the shots were discharged, family members became alarmed.

“Then after, we hear a banging by the zinc and we got up, open the door and we see like some boys, some had cutlass… and one of the guys had a gun. Everybody else who had cutlasses start scatter,” the granddaughter recalled.

“One man was outside by the gate on a bicycle. He and the one with the gun had an altercation and then he start firing shots.

The first shot hit the man cutlass and he fire three shots after.

I didn’t know my grandmother got

Wanted: Timothy Evans

shot until I hear my aunt say ‘you shot my mom’. She screamed out.

Then when I hear my grandfather screaming, then I run over and saw the blood and everything.”

As Ford fell to the ground, her daughter rushed outside to her aid. The elderly woman was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where she succumbed a few hours later about 06:00h. Wiltshire was also shot -- once to the chest and was currently receiving medical attention in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Meanwhile, the Police on Friday evening issued a wanted bulletin for Timothy Evans for questioning in relation to the murder of Ford.

He is 18 years old and his last known address is Lot 67 West Ruimveldt Front, Georgetown. Anyone with information that would lead to the arrest of the wanted man is asked to contact the nearest police station on 911.

P

ersons depending on a reliable power supply to work from home during the pandemic will be affected, as the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) promises a series of power outages next week.

The utility company, in a notice, detailed several rounds of planned maintenance, which will roll out next week from May 4 to 7, 2020. Since many persons are working from their homes, efficient electrical supply to power an Internet connection or devices is essential.

On Monday, May 4, disruptions are expected on the East Coast of Demerara at Plaisance and Sparendaam from 09:00h to 15:00h.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, May 6, Garden of Eden to New Hope on the East Bank of Demerara will experience similar occurrences from 08:00h to 14:00h.

Maintenance activities will continue on Thursday, May 7, on the Diamond Public Road to Herstelling, East Bank Demerara from 08:00h to 14:00h. At the Good Hope Housing Scheme, ECD, the operation will last from 09:00h to 15:00h.

Over on the West Bank of Demerara from Vreed-en-Hoop to Good Intent, an inconsistent supply of power is expected from 08:30h to 11:30h.

Given these scheduled operations, power outages are likely to affect a significant percentage of people in these areas who are working from home. Since the

lockdown and curfew was imposed, a large percentage of non-essential workers have been performing their daily duties from home.

Throughout the local outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, GPL has sought to offer an exemption on the 14 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on electricity charges for its customers. Effective from April 2020 and lasting for three months, persons would only pay for the power consumed.

For prepaid customers, this is reflected in the electricity tokens generated from April to June.

Meanwhile, for postpaid customers, the VAT is exempted from their May to July utility bills.

With persons staying at home during this time, utility consumption has surged in most households.

A few days ago, the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) announced a staggering increase in water consumption. While the increase would signal the domino effect of an increase in revenues, it also poses a challenge for the company as well, since it now has to put measures in place to maintain water pressure to serve customers.

NEWS

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SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, May 2 – 01:00h – 02:30h and 12:30h – 14:00h and Sunday, May 3 – 02:00h – 03:30h and 13:30h – 15:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, May 2 – 11:35h – 13:05h and Sunday, April 3 – 12:45h – 14:15h.

Caricom Chair calls for recount to be completed “without further delays”

…as observers arrive in Guyana …GECOM to meet with political parties today were unavailable for the present mission.

Additionally, it was recognised that both Jarvis and King participated in the Caricom Electoral Observer Mission for the March 2 elections.

The delegation’s flight on a Trans Guyana Beechcraft, in addition to accommodation, is being paid for by the

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika and Supenaam departure times - 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily

WEATHER TODAY There will be sunny intervals during the day.

There will be partly cloudy skies at night.

Temperatures should range between 23 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to North-Easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 12:22h reaching a maximum height of 2.30 metres.

Low Tide: 05:51h and 18:30h reaching minimum heights of 1.03 metre and 0.84 metre.

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2020

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COMMODITIES Indicators

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Change %

Crude Oil

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From left: Caricom Secretariat’s Assistant Secretary-General for Foreign and Community Relations, Ambassador Colin Granderson; Deputy Supervisor of Elections of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sylvester King; Senior Lecturer in the Department of Government at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cynthia Barrow-Giles and Commissioner of the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission, John Jarvis at the Eugene Correia International Airport on Friday (Caricom photo)

T

he Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is one step closer to announcing a date for the recount of the March 2 polls, with the arrival of a special team of scrutineers fielded by the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

The team landed at the Eugene F Correia International Airport, shortly after 15:00h on Friday — one hour later than their originally scheduled arrival time — and is led by Senior Lecturer in the Department of Government at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cynthia Barrow-Giles.

The three-member team also comprises Commissioner of the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission, John Jarvis and Deputy Supervisor of Elections of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Sylvester King.

The delegation was met by a team of health officials at the airport and were received

by Caricom Ambassador Colin Granderson before being whisked away to a city hotel.

Two buses operated by the Caricom Secretariat, along with Police escorts, transported the officials from the taxiway of the airport, presumably to avoid the corps of media operatives, photographers, and videographers that had gathered for their arrival.

Credible and transparent process

Prior to the delegation’s arrival in Guyana, Caricom Chair, Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, in a public statement, called “on all concerned, to ensure a credible and transparent recount process in order to provide legitimacy to any government which would be sworn in as a result”.

According to Prime Minister Mottley, “this (recount) process must be completed without further delay”.

Barrow-Giles was a member of the high-level team that came to Guyana in March to participate in the first scheduled recount, which had to be aborted as a result of a court

challenge to the recount process.

That litigation was filed by coalition candidate Ulita Grace Moore with legal representation provided by a battery of A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Attorneys led by Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde.

According to the Caricom Chairperson, the other members of the team that had travelled to Guyana in March

Canadian Government.

Caricom, in a letter to GECOM ahead of the team’s arrival, had indicated that provision had been made for the members of the team to be tested in their respective countries, using the World Health Organisation (WHO)approved PCR COVID-19 test.

TURN TO PAGE 7

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guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

School closures T

he coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected almost every aspect of national life and experts have suggested that it is uncertain how long it will take, if ever, for life in general to return to normalcy. It is the first time in history that the world’s children are at home and cannot attend school due to the various lockdown measures imposed upon populations all over to contain the spread of the virus.

According to UNESCO, as of mid-April, 1.5 billion children and youth were affected by school closures in 195 countries, from pre-primary to higher education. While this figure is dropping, 1.3 billion learners in 186 countries are still unable to attend school.

With the end of the virus being nowhere in sight, we do not know how long schools will remain closed, how student learning will be affected, and the level of impact these closures will affect the developing countries’ education systems such as Guyana.

In relation to the virus itself, no one knows for sure what will happen next; for example, key questions remain in relation to the source of the virus, and whether it is possible for recovered patients to be reinfected and how long it will take to develop and distribute a vaccine to administer to patients. Until these are answered there will be no clear path as to how we move forward. What we know for sure is that learning will indeed be lost and this would certainly have a negative impact on students’ ability in general to ‘catch up’.

The closure of schools, colleges and universities not only interrupts the teaching for students; but also severely hampers key assessments or exams which are crucial to students moving forward.

While some countries are gradually reopening their schools to students, the majority are yet to do so since there are new COVID-19 cases every day and rising deaths being reported. Of the 195 countries that had closed schools in April, 128 have yet to announce plans for their reopening, according to UNESCO. That said, of the countries have been affected by school closures; a few of them - mostly the developed ones, were able to put systems in place quickly to minimize its impact.

For example, due to easy access to high-speed internet and the availability of the necessary resources, teachers were able to distribute work to students via online platforms and they were also able to engage the students using these technologies.

In Guyana, the authorities have extended the curfew for another month due to the rising cases of COVID-19 and the death rate also going up. This means that not only would students lose out on quite a lot of learning time, but most of the crucial assessments would either have to be postponed or cancelled.

Of note too is that since the announcement of school closure here, barring a few educational resources placed online in the form of past exam papers and radio and TV programmes, the Education Ministry has not come up with any substantial plan to ensure that learning continues, even to a limited extent. What the Ministry did was to place the responsibility on parents to teach at home.

While this is generally helpful, it also has its own limitations. Not evert parent has the ability to provide this level of support to their child/children. Also, many families do not have a computer and also cannot afford to pay for internet services to access the Ministry’s resources online.

The One Lap Top Per Family Project was meant to fill this gap, but unfortunately this was halted on the basis of politics.

Going forward, given the huge impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government and other stakeholders will seriously need to plan for the future. For example, investments will have to be made in building the kind of infrastructure needed to support distance learning. More and more classroom learning is being supported by other platforms, including online.

That said, while a definite date for the reopening of schools is not yet known, it is essential that educational institutions reopen in an orderly manner, in line with a number of pre-conditions. The authorities must place the health and safety of pupils, teachers and families as a main concern. On this basis, regular sanitisation and so on would need to be carried out in the school buildings and their environs. Proper hygiene and other preventative measures would have to be stepped up, including reviewing how the entire issue of hygiene is being taught in schools.

Additionally, the Ministry would need to consider designing remedial programmes to cater for students who need to ‘catch up’ since not all of them would have been engaged in doing work during the period they were at home.

Penguins Momo and Omochi are seen during a media preview of their free online animal shows for children and families staying at home due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown, at the Aqua Park Shinagawa in Tokyo, Japan (Reuters photo)

Failure by GECOM to conclude the 2020 elections worrying Dear Editor, Guyana’s elections is making history all over the world. Elections were held over eight weeks ago and GECOM has not concluded this in a transparent and credible manner. Guyanese and the rest of the world know that there is a winner but GECOM, headed by a former esteemed Judge, wants to project another winner in collusion with that particular political party. The media has covered extensively the blatant attempt to rig the election by elements within GECOM under the Chairmanship of Justice Singh. What

Guyana and the rest of the world saw on March the 4 and thereafter and to date is a blatant and naked attempt to steal democracy from the people of Guyana.

Thanks to opposing parties, local and international observers, GECOM and their favoured political party has been unable to get their desired outcome as of now. We hope the recount will conclude this election once and for all in a fair and transparent manner.

The result of all this stalemate has had dire consequences for many Indigenous and hinterland persons. Communities are

on the verge of starvation.

Forest and mining activities which the interior people depend on for a livelihood has almost come to a halt. Coupled with the post-election turmoil is COVID-19.

Government and the Task Force response has been lacklustre and there are no coordinated efforts to relieve the people in the far-fetched communities of the social and economic woes that are taking place. Unemployment is on the rise, mothers resorting to cooking rice and salt for their families and children go to bed hungry. This is what GECOM has inflict-

ed on our Amerindian and other hinterland people.

We call on the GECOM Chair, a once esteemed Judge, to rise up and deliver for our children who are crying out in the wilderness.

Blood will be on your hands, Madam Chair, if you do not deliver credible results in the shortest possible time.

This is all our children are asking for, a free, fair and credible election. How can you watch our children go to bed hungry knowing fully well you and GECOM are the root cause of all this?

With regards, Peter Persaud

The truth lies in our history Dear Editor, Indira Gandhi said in one of her quotes, “History is the best teacher, who has the worst students”.

In a similar context, I would like to reflect on some past electoral feats of the PNC in order to present my case.

Highlights of the PNC historical accounts on General Elections in Guyana: 1) In 1964 the PNC (with 40 per cent of votes) gained office as a result of a coalition with the UF (12 per cent of votes) at the dictate of the British and American forces. Even though the PPP had the largest bloc of votes (46 per cent) and should have been allowed to choose a coalition partner to form a Government, the west-

ern powers prevented such rightful undertaking. PNC never won the 1964 election.

2) The PNC rigged all General Elections from 1968 to 1985 (ie 1968, 1973, 1980 and 1985) including the 1978 so-called referendum and stayed in power for 28 years until 1992.

3) The PNC lost 1992, 1997, 2001, 2006 and 2011 General Elections including the 1994 Local Government Elections even with a total voting participation of 47.91 per cent.

4) In 2011 the PNC/ APNU and AFC’s rise to combine parliamentary majority brought in chaos and insanity to the National Assembly with their new dispensation at

the forefront. The PNC/ APNU and AFC never won 2011 General Elections but operated as if they did with their combined parliamentary majority in the House.

5) In 2015 the PNC/ APNU/AFC obtained Government through the auspices of GECOM with a mere 4506 votes or 0.3 per cent lacking a simple majority. The PNC/ APNU/AFC’s so-called victory is just a mirage until the PPP 2015 Elections Petition case is settled in the court. Apart from the notorious fake SoPs, there is more than sufficient rejected ballots to be deemed valid in favour of the PPP, which would show that the PPP indeed and in fact won the 2015 General Elections.

6) PNC/APNU/AFC lost both 2016 and 2018 Local Government Elections to the PPP. (Even with their gerrymandering of constituents as a means of rigging mechanism to give them an unfair advantage over the PPP) As matters stand; what can the PNC/APNU learn from the foregoing? A simple answer: The PNC never won an election in Guyana and will never win one under a free, fair and credible electoral process. And, of course, the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections is no exception to the PNC’s list of lost elections.

Sincerely yours, Paul Ramrattan

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SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana woefully unprepared Dear Editor, I have been informed that the Ministry of Public Health’s Medical Team met with GECOM on Thursday and clarified their recommendations with regards to the recount of the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I had cause to pen a letter to the Editor which was published on Wednesday, April 29, 2020, with regards to one of the most ludicrous recommendations of the said team on behalf of the National Task Force on COVID-19. In that letter, l stated that “The report of the five-member team to the Minister recommended that “surgical/disposable masks should be changed/disposed of every 30 to 60 minutes” which it claimed follows WHO guidelines. As a result, with the vote recount expected to take at least 25 days, GECOM Secretariat calculated that at minimum 33,000 masks would be needed if they are changed every hour or 66,000 if changed every half hour.

The absurdity of this recommendation flies in the face of the WHO guidelines

“Advice on the use of masks in the context of COVID-19”, Interim Guidance, April 6, 2020, which advocates “Replace masks as soon as they become damp with a new clean, dry mask; Do not reuse single-use masks; Discard single-use masks after each use and dispose of them immediately upon removal.”

Note the WHO guideline has no requirement to change the mask every 30-60 minutes.

This WHO guideline is what is in practice globally and in Guyana.

Surprisingly, the said team is now amending their original recommendation and saying that these masks must be changed every 2 hours!

How did these health wizards come up with its original and now this amended recommendation? What is the basis or standard they are using to come up with this new concoction of changing every 2 hours? Are they creating new standards not applied in any part of the world?

I ask, what do the Guyana Medical Council and Guyana Nursing Council, who are the guardians of the doctors and nurses of this country, have to say about this?

The WHO guidelines are very careful to point out that

the use of masks by the public should in no way lead to a mask shortage for health workers which would place a nation’s health personnel at risk. That is why it recommends cloth masks for civilian gatherings, which are washable and re-usable, coupled with social distancing and hand and surface sanitising.

Surgical/disposable masks are, therefore, not needed for this recount. There is no reason not to allow cloth masks to be worn by all participants in the recount other than a sinister one.

If this is the new Guyana standard for prevention of the COVID-19 then every nurse and every doctor and every health worker in the public health sector must demand 6 surgical/disposable masks for every 12-hour shift they work.

The safety of the health workers cannot be diminished and compromised at this time or, in fact, any time. Certainly, health professionals are working in much more risky environments in health facilities with COVID-19 patients or persons suspected of having the virus than the environment at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre.

Yet another development in the incompetent manner in

which the Minister of Public Health and the National Task Force are handling the pandemic in our midst is the new measure they have introduced to test the temperature of all persons crossing the Mahaica and Berbice Bridges. The rationale behind this is unclear even to health practitioners.

Temperature testing requires reliable thermometers that give accurate readings, I understand that the ones being used are sub-standard and giving incorrect readings.

Anecdotally, some readings are so inaccurate that the person would be dead with those temperatures.

This is nothing but a mere PR gimmick to make it seem as if they are doing something.

The Government had the months of January and February to prepare for COVID-19, at that time known only as a novel coronavirus, but the Minister, as Chairperson of the PNC, was too busy on the campaign trail to prepare the country and protect the people. Guyana, as a result, has been woefully unprepared then and now.

Sincerely, Gail Teixeira

COVID-19 provides Linden with an opportunity to hit the reset button Dear Editor, It’s time to celebrate 50 amazing years as a township while Linden incorporated the injection of COVID-19 during this period.

Linden town’s 50th anniversary is a time to honour our community’s unique history, diverse residents, and those who laid the foundation for incorporation and paved the way for the town’s sense of community, culture and inclusiveness. I’ll highlight the early families’ names: Coachman, De Clou, D’Anjou, Allicock, Adams and visionary leaders, entrepreneurs, staff, volunteers, and of course the residents who together create and strengthen the community fabric this is called Linden Town.

Here’s to celebrating our town’s rich past and looking ahead to the next 50 years.

Lindeners, we are facing a dilemma. How do we protect the health of our citizens while at the same time protecting our economy? This is an incredibly difficult balancing act and getting it wrong can have tragic results.

Linden is my hometown and it seems to me that the caretaker Government has chosen to cling to power over its people. After celebrating 50 years, it is time we decided to put our people first. That’s something every Lindener will be proud of.

We now have a very real chance to be the first town in Guyana to successfully eliminate COVID-19 from our population. Achieving this is the most critical thing we can do to protect our economy.

This COVID-19 pandemic provides Linden with an opportunity to hit the reset button. It allows us to look

us in the mirror and ask ourselves the challenging questions. What are we doing?

Where are we going? Can we do things better? The answers to these questions help us shape our vision and define our ambition. They can help change our mindset. Now, more than ever, Linden needs a collective growth mindset.

A growth mindset helps you to see the opportunities, understand and mitigate the risks and drives you forward with urgency. It requires you to take a long-term view and to take bold decisions. But most importantly, a growth mindset means you put people first. Putting people first means they should be at the centre of our decision making.

Doing right by our people is always the right thing to do.

Like our health response, our economic response must put people first. Our immediate priority must be reviving and developing a robust and sustainable domestic economy.

A thriving domestic economy means job creation and wage growth. It provides a future for our young people and taxes to fund our social services.

It is our business leaders and entrepreneurs who will identify the opportunities, develop solutions and turn these into thriving businesses. Our new elected Government needs to be open to using the solutions developed by the Private Sector and embracing the opportunities they will provide.

The new elected Government also has a crucial role to play. While it has signalled that it will be investing heavily in infrastructure to stimulate the economy, it is equally important that it backs local business.

Not only through procurement, but by also protecting

small companies from unfair competition, especially as global trade revives. This is not necessarily about putting in place tariffs and duties, but it is about ensuring a level playing field. Our attitudes as consumers must also change. We need to back our local producers, suppliers and manufacturers. As business leaders, we need to support our fellow business owners by sourcing domestically whenever possible. Buy Linden and Guyana made must become our new pledge. We need to once again learn to trade with ourselves, at least in the midterm. We need to breathe new life into our manufacturing sector by providing the right incentives and the right regulatory environment. We need to provide long-term assurance and support for those businesses that commit to manufacturing locally and not simply shun them when offshore options become available, we believe in the rights of every person. Through our new elected Government, our vision is to work together to make Linden a place which is prosperous, where our natural environment is appreciated and maintained and where every person can have the best start in life, get a good job, live well, age well and have every opportunity to be healthy happy, safe and the best they can be again. We need to be brave and bold in our decision making and be prepared to challenge the norm if we hope to capitalise on the opportunity that COVID-19 presents. With Linden looking more and more likely to become a sanctuary, surely, we must take advantage of this on a global stage rather than get snowed with debt.

Simply, welcoming foreigners

who can significantly contribute to and invest in our economy should be one of those cornerstone decisions. Another brave decision should be to urgently review our overall leadership, ensure we have visionary leaders. Never has this opportunity been clearer or the opportunity more important. This type of decision making should accelerate the move by professionals across Linden. No longer will we need to live in one of the areas to be close to your work. What this pandemic has taught us is that if you have a good internet connection and laptop, you can work anywhere.

We are unlikely to go back to a time when all staff need to be an office together from 8-5.

Instead, technology will empower us all to do so much more, selective staff can now work from home when they want and how they want. The demand for large corporate offices is likely to fall while the demand for a home with an office is likely to increase. While COVID-19 is causing enormous disruption, disruption can be an incredibly positive force. Disruption brings advancement in the same way that challenges bring opportunities. As a town, as a country, the disruption caused by this pandemic will force us to think harder and to be more agile and, if we embrace the opportunity provided, we will be stronger as a town and as a country. As such, for society to work well, and better, isn’t it imperative that we continue to build bridges between relevant communities and ethnic groups so that we don’t get isolated from each other?

Sincerely, David Adams

Our workers deserve better

Dear Editor, During this crisis, we must all continue to celebrate the importance of our workers and acknowledge the difficulties that they face in today’s environment. Our Unions must continue to be strengthened and the NIS must be financially reinforced to support the future and current needs of those who make the development of Guyana possible.

Over the years we have seen the disregard for many of our workers’ needs in terms of safety, wages, benefits and secure employment. Many of these actions have led to strikes in the recent past. It is for this reason CRG joins with our workers in the call for a better labour market and working environment that is not only safe, but also sustainable. A working environment that safeguards the health of our workers, by placing their lives above profits.

A labour market that places the worker’s family above personal Government officials’ perks. CRG believes that the time has come for both industry and the Government to increase its sensitivity to the needs of our workers and trust in the development of human resources. No nation’s future can be secured without placing the future and job security of its working people as a top priority when making decisions on its future course.

We have seen the downfall of our sugar industry and lack of concern for the sugar workers and their families while leaders pursue personal gain via the privatisation of estates. We have seen the unsafe working conditions within our gold mining industry and the deaths of workers due to mercury poisoning being swept under the rug. We have seen the disregard for the safety of our Indigenous communities due to manganese mining which has also led to the death of workers. This also they have tried to sweep under the rug. Our workers’ lives should not be neglected while pursuing profitable growth.

We have seen the disregard for our bauxite workers and the continual unhealthy conditions their families endure that have led to many kidney issues. We have seen our teachers continue to struggle to make ends meet while enduring an unsafe work environment that has left a number of them experienc-

ing assault while in the classroom. We have seen the workers in the rice industry suffer unnecessarily due to poor administrative decisions that have increased expenses. We have seen the increased taxation of our workers at a time when tax breaks were needed.

This, comrades, has led to one of the most unfavourable labour markets our country has seen in decades.

For these reasons and given the current pandemic, CRG calls upon all the decision-makers in Government to stand with the workers and request a repeal of the tax increases of the recent past and request the implementation of a worker retention programme that redevelops our core industries while ensuring the basic safety considerations and compensation benefits provided to our workers are standard across all industries. Our workers should be confident that when they leave for work in the morning, they will safely return home in the same healthy condition in which they left. Our workers should be confident that when they enter a job, their work will benefit the profitable longevity of the company they have joined without risk of inappropriate Government interference or Government pillaging of the company’s profits. Our workers should be confident that when they work in our Cooperative Republic, they have the security of a benefits package that takes into consideration their health, the health of their families and their financial security for today as well as tomorrow when they have retired, irregardless of which company or industry they pursue.

Our workers should be confident that when they receive their pay, most of their earnings will go into their pockets and not be taken from them in the form of excessive taxation which is squandered via corruption. Our workers must be respected by our institutions and our Government must adjust its posture to embrace and empower our workers for the future benefit of the development of our nation. It is with this hope that CRG joins with our nation’s workers in a call for a better approach to the treatment of all Guyanese workers during and beyond the next Administration.

Best regards, Jamil Changlee

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SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

Page

Foundation

Guyana Times is pleased to publish the Education Ministry’s National Grade Six Assessment Past Papers. Below is the second part of English Paper 1, 2008.

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

NATIONAL GRADE SIX ASSESSMENT

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

TIME: 1 hour 10 minutes 1. WRITE YOUR CANDIDATE NUMBER ON THE ANSWER SHEET AND UNDERLINE THE SUBJECT.

3. If you are not sure of the answer to a question, then choose the one which you think is BEST. On your answer sheet, draw a heavy black line through the letter you have chosen.

Red is Tim’s colour. ANSWER SHEET (A) favrite (B) favarite ANSWER SHEET (C) favourite (D) faverite A B C D

2. This test contains 40 questions. You are required to answer ALL questions. Four responses are given for each question.

The responses are A, B, C and D. Only ONE response is correct.

4. BE SURE THAT THE QUESTION NUMBER IN THE BOOKLET IS THE SAME AS THE ONE YOU HAVE USED ON YOUR ANSWER SHEET.

A heavy black line has been drawn through the letter B on the answer sheet because Georgetown, the correct answer, is next to B.

Here is an example done for you.

5. If you make a mistake, erase the line cleanly, then draw a heavy black line through the

In question 24 arrange the CDs in alphabetical order using the names of the singers.

Singh, Kange West.

In question 25, in which set are the words arranged in alphabetical order?

25. (A) team, teach, telephone, theatre, thick (B) teach, team, telephone, thick, theatre (C) teach, team, telephone, theatre, thick (D) thick, teach, team, telephone, theatre In question 26, which word will appear first in the thesaurus?

26. (A) Parade (B) Occur (C) Occupy (D) Parcel In questions 27 and 28, choose the correct meaning of the underlined phrase.

27. The firemen reached in the nick of time to save the school.

(A) quickly (B) just in time (C) too late (D) with full tanks

24. (A) Ann Barker, Jomo English, Tiffany December, Kange West, George Singh.

(B) Ann Barker, Tiffany December, Jomo English, Kange West, George Singh.

(C) Tiffany December, Jomo English, Ann Barker, George Singh, Kange West.

(D) Ann Barker, Tiffany December, Jomo English, George

28. Cell phones are selling like hot cakes.

(A) slowly (B) everywhere (C) very quickly (D) cheaply In questions 29 and 30, a word is underlined. Choose the sentence in which the underlined word has the same meaning.

29. I like to spread jam on my toast.

letter next to the answer you have now chosen.

6. REMEMBER, each answer MUST only be shown by a heavy black line on your Answer Sheet.

7. Remember only ONE answer must be provided for each question.

8. DO NOT TURN OVER THIS PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO.

(A) He could not jam the notebook into his haversack.

(B) My grandmother always make homemade jam.

(C) This morning I was caught in a traffic jam.

(D) I managed to jam the keys on.the typewriter.

30. Mr. Adams keeps a special file of important names in a drawer.

(A) The carpenter used a file to smooth the hard edge.

(B) You may file off the plane when it stops.

(C) We-hiked along the trail in a single file.

(D) The old file has valuable information.

Read, Joan's diary, then answer questions 31 to 35.

Joan's Diary (Daily write up of Joan's experiences)

September 4: School starts again tomorrow. Since it is the first day, things may

not be quite in order. We may have to do some cleaning and fixing.

I think I'll wear my uniform from last year — No. I must look new, it's

a new year. I'll be in a ne—Vv---class and perhaps I'll have new friends

and classmates. I must therefore wear one of the fresh set of

uniforms mother prepared for me. The holidays_ were so exciting.

However, I am looking forward to tomorrow.

September 5: I had to get up at 6:30 this morning to prepare for school. I arrived

there before the bell rang. Many of my friends are in my new class.

During the day, I felt so tired that I fell asleep during the math

lesson and I got detention. 1 had to remain in class for 20 minutes

after school to complete the math exercises.

September 6: I guess I'm getting back to normal. No more sleeping in class or

getting detention. It is also indeed exciting to be at school again,

friends are many and so too are the stories of their adventures

during the holidays.

31. Based on what Joan says in her diary for September 4, it must have been the start of the (A) new school year.

(C) new year.

(B) last school term.

(D) second term.

32. Joan was eager to return to school because she (A) would see her old friends.

(B) was going to a new class.

(C) liked to wear her old uniforms.

(D) liked to do cleaning and fixing.

33. Which word best describes Joan's holiday?

(A) Boring (B) Long (C) Eventful (D) Exhausting 34. On September 5, Joan did all of the following except (A) fall asleep in the class.

(B) remain in the class after dismissal.

(C) arrive at school before assembly.

(D) complete her math during the period.

35. Getting back to normal means the same as (A) enjoying school life once more.

(B) doing well everyday.

(C) taking lessons in the evening.

(D) chatting with friends.

TO BE CONTINUED

NEWS

7

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Supporting Caricom in recount is commitment to credible, transparent elections results – Canadian diplomat

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ith international pressure continuing to mount over the lack of credible and transparent election results in Guyana, the Government of Canada has taken a step further and assisted the high-level team fielded by the Caribbean Community (Caricom) in getting here to scrutinise the recount process.

The three-member regional team arrived in Guyana on Friday to oversee the recount of all the ballots cast on March 2 – exactly two months ago. While no date has been set for the process to commence, with the Caricom team here it is expected to kick off in the new week.

In a statement on Friday, Caricom Chair, Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley said: “The Community thanks the Government of Canada for the generous support it has provided to Caricom for this initiative.”

Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Lilian Chatterjee told

“The people of Guyana need this election results to be finalised. There is too much uncertainty, people are impatient and they want to get this over with but they want a credible and transparent process. We have always said that every vote must be counted and we’re looking forward to the successful conclusion to this election. It’s now been two months,” – Canadian High Commissioner Guyana Times when contacted on Friday that since Canada has publicly spoken out about the lack of credible and transparent electoral process, she reached out to Caricom’s Secretary General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque to lend assistance in ensuring the participation of the Caricom-fielded team in the national recount.

“By supporting this high-level team to come to Guyana, it is an expression of Canada’s support for credible and transparent recount process to finalise the elections results… We are exactly expressing that [need

for credibility and transparency] by supporting that the Caricom team to return to Guyana. We are putting our money where our mouth is by saying we’re supporting this team in this process so that we can have final credible and transparent elections results. This is what Canada has been calling for all along and this is why Canada is supporting this initiative,” she explained.

In addition to the flight, Canada will also be supporting the regional team’s participation in the recount process.

According to Chatterjee,

who is also Canada’s Ambassador to Caricom, this assistance is also a demonstration of Canada’s support of Caricom’s leadership. She noted that the initiative to have the Caricom team here in Guyana to scrutinise the recount was supported by all the Heads of State within the community.

The High Commissioner went on to note that it was not an easy task to get the high-level team here, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant closure of Guyana’s borders including to incoming flights to prevent the spread of the disease.

The Caricom Secretariat, which is headquartered in Guyana at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, had to seek special permission from the Guyana Government for the team to be flown in.

They were transported via a chartered flight by domestic airline, Trans Guyana Airways.

Nevertheless, High Commissioner Chatterjee said that the Canadian

Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Lilian Chatterjee

Government was delighted to support the regional body, as it has done in the past and will continue to do in the future, especially in this important initiative that is seeking to finally bring an end to the electoral process which has been languishing for two months now without any results.

“The people of Guyana need this election results to be finalised. There is too much uncertainty, people are impatient and they want to get this over with but they

Caricom Chair calls for recount...

This condition had been put in place by the National COVID-19 Task Force, which is chaired by caretaker Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, at the insistence of caretaker President David Granger.

He overturned an initial decision by Nagamootoo to have the members of the team be subjected to a mandatory 14-day quarantine on arrival in Guyana, but Granger changed that to having them be tested in their home countries before arrival.

No similar condition or requirement has been placed on any of the scores of other persons who are ex-

pected to be taking part in the recount process.

The Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) next door to the Caricom Secretariat has been approved as the venue.

A decision has already been taken by GECOM — based on diktats handed down by the COVID-19 Task Force — to have the number of persons taking part in the recount process limited to 132 using 10 counting stations.

This is in order to facilitate social distancing protocols that have been put in place by the Administration through Emergency COVID-19 Measures an-

nounced in a Public Health Ordinance issued by Granger in early March.

Meeting today

With regard to the recount, GECOM has finalised a work plan and has scheduled a meeting with representatives of each of the contesting political parties in order to solicit any final input today at 10:30h.

The Commission will then meet with the Caricom team at noon.

Additionally, with the arrival of the team, GECOM is now expected to publish in the Official Gazette an Official Order for the recount indicating a starting

date.

GECOM’s Secretariat on Thursday conducted a simulation/training exercise involving the staff to be used — inclusive of Returning Officers — at the ACCC for the recount.

Some 80 personnel had taken part in the one-day exercise.

While only 40 persons from GECOM would be allowed in the vicinity of the counting stations at any giv-

want a credible and transparent process. We have always said that every vote must be counted and we’re looking forward to the successful conclusion to this election. It’s now been two months,” she lamented.

In an interview with this newspaper earlier this month, the Canadian diplomat underscored the importance of having independent observers to oversee the national recount.

FROM PAGE 3

en time, it is the intention of the Commission to have the staff work on rotating days hence the need to train 80 persons for the exercise.

According to GECOM’s Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward, “the intent in keeping with the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) guidelines is not to have the staff work every day, but on a rotational basis and also to have staff on standby to ensure

that we don’t have any slippage or pause in the process.”

“The process this (Thursday) morning is basically to go through the methodology that has been developed for the recount to apprise the staff of the procedure that it entails and actually to give them a walkthrough as to their respective stations that they will be at.”

8 NEWS

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Cop, 2 others seriously injured in 2-vehicle smash-up

Injured: Assistant Superintendent of Police Colin Primus

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hirty-three-yearold Assistant Superintendent of Police, Colin Primus along with two others were seriously injured following an accident on the Johana Cecelia Public Road, Essequibo Coast, on Thursday.

Based on reports received, Primus, who was driving motor car PVV 9556, was about to make a turn when another car HB 9504, which was reportedly travelling at a fast rate of speed,

crashed into him.

The hire car was driven

by Tariq Baksh, whose wife was in the vehicle at the time of the accident.

As a result of the impact, the occupants of both vehicles sustained bodily injuries.

Primus, who is in charge of Richard Faikall Police Training College in Essequibo, suffered a fractured right foot and a laceration to his head and is said to be in a stable but serious condition at the Suddie Regional Hospital.

The driver of the other vehicle, who suffered trauma to his head and pains about the body was subsequently discharged, while his spouse is listed as serious with neck and back injuries.

Meanwhile, Primus in a statement explained that on the day in question, he was in the process of making a turn and would have slowed down and flipped on his indicator but suddenly, the other car collided with the left front side of his vehicle.

Y

The car Assistant Superintendent Colin Primus was driving at the time of the accident

Due to the impact, the vehicle that the Police Officer was driving began to spin on the roadway and ended up on the parapet while the

other vehicle ended up on the opposite side of the road.

The police are continuing their investigation into the two-vehicle smash-up.

Juvenile, 1 other arraigned for Mahaica fisherman’s murder

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juvenile was among two persons arraigned for the murder of a Mahaica fisherman when they appeared at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

Forty-one-year-old Abdool Sherwin Jones, also known as “Shavo” and the

16-year-old appeared before Magistrate Alisha George and were not required to plea to the indictable charge when it was read to them.

The charge stated that on April 22, 2020, at Mosquito Hall, Unity, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara (ECD), they murdered Zahir Ali.

Labour…

The third suspect who was involved in the crime is currently in Police custody as lawmen await legal advice.

It was reported that Ali and his two neighbours were not on speaking terms, however, on the night in question, the two suspects stoned

Dead: Zahir Ali

Ali’s house. The fisherman, however, confronted the men on the road and a heated argument ensued.

The suspects then allegedly pulled the now dead man into their yard and shortly after, he was seen fleeing their premises drenched in blood.

Ali was taken to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. He would have sustained stab wounds to his left side chest and his abdomen. Police, acting on information received, would have arrested three men including the teenager.

Meanwhile, charges were instituted after an investigation was carried out. The two accused were remanded to prison and are due to make their next court appearance later in the month.

…love lost esterday was “Labour Day” – a public holiday. But with the lockdown in place, not much labour was in sight on the streets marching in their red shirts to celebrate their holiday.

Over the years, the display of labour’s strength has been dwindling inexorably, and the COVID-19 regime might just have sounded labour’s death knell. This is rather ironic, seeing that the COVID-19 lockdown across the world has demonstrated conclusively -- even with two hundred years of “labour saving” devices, machines and robotic assembly lines -- that it still takes labour to make the (economic) world go round.

In Guyana, we really haven’t seen the full implications of this reality, since our lockdown, for most in Georgetown (which is “Guyana” to most), is really a joke. Have you compared the pictures of Mid-Manhattan, including Times Square, and downtown Georgetown?? And you though NY was the city that never slept!! Your Eyewitness ventured out yesterday, all outfitted in his gloves, masks and cap, to forage for some groceries in one of our top supermarkets in Georgetown. He was shocked at the number of people jostling each other in the aisles (without any protection); it was in no way, shape or form different from the prelockdown times. So, these supermarket workers are one group who’re still labouring away.

From anecdotal evidence, this is the norm all across the city; so why is anyone surprised that G/town is the COVID-19 epicentre?? But there are the employees from “non-essential” businesses that have had to shut down; and these – who can’t even be “in the streets” -- are hurting. They might even start to sympathise with those 7000 sugar workers who were arbitrarily fired by Granger three years ago!!

Interestingly enough, because sugar workers can’t be cramped into those trucks that transport them into the fields to cut cane, the remaining 10,000 sugar workers are now out of jobs. But who’s taking food to them?? Out of sight, out of mind? Or don’t they matter?

But with a recession heading our way --one that’ll rival the one they called “Great” back in the 1930s -- this is the time for labour to once again rally around their red flag to represent the workers of Guyana. Every other country, including Barbados, has introduced programmes that are putting money directly and indirectly into the pockets of workers to tide them over. What’s this caretaker Government doing??

Isn’t it time that Trade Unionists like Lincoln Lewis, who’s still head of the TUC, start mobilising against the APNU/AFC Government on workers’ behalf for relief, instead of spending all his time finding excuses for their rigging??

Why praise Critchlow when you won’t walk in his shoes??

…and a leader lost Komal Chand was the leader of the sugar union GAWU for donkey’s years. Your Eyewitness knows GAWU represented workers in some other sectors, but it’ll be for his sugar representation that he’ll be remembered.

The nation was shocked when it was suddenly informed that he’d passed away in Cuba, where he’d gone for some undisclosed medical treatment. No one even knew he was in Cuba. Guess he’s not Granger.

Chand had cut his teeth in the sugar industry just about when GAWU was waging its historic 135-day strike to secure recognition from the government - which had just nationalised it. His career, then, was born in fire. He mightn’t have remembered, but his and Granger’s fates were intertwined from those days: there’s a pic in the Chronicle of Granger as a scab from the army who was deployed by Burnham to break the strike. Some who feel that Chand shouldn’t have mixed politics with trade unionism should remember that, in Guyana, “it’s all political” isn’t just an academic phrase!

On this day, a hat tip to Komal Chand. …in health care There’s been a gradual appreciation of the critical role healthcare workers play in the life (no pun intended) of a nation. In Guyana, few appreciate that, for the most part, they do so for miserable wages.

Maybe doctors need a union??

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

NEWS

9

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Election uncertainty delaying ExxonMobil’s development locally – CEO …confirms COVID-19 will slow down drilling operation by a year …Guyana gets first tranche of 2% royalty on 3 months of oil sales

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ith Guyana’s electoral process dragging out now for two months without a credible result being announced, the political crisis has led to delays in approvals for the development of ExxonMobil’s Payara project in the Stabroek Block.

This was confirmed by the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Darren Woods, who on Friday updated investors on its global standings financially and otherwise, as he presented investors with its first-quarter report.

Additionally, Woods reported that the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is presenting a challenge to the company in terms of rotating its crews in Guyana.

He said, “due to the impact of COVID-19 has temporarily slowed our drilling campaign.”

Woods told investors, “…we expect a delay in our future developments [in Guyana] of roughly six to 12 months”.

Guyana Times was told

that ExxonMobil has set up its own facility for the workers landing at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, to be quarantined for the recommended 14 days upon arrival at the airport in a facility that was vetted by the Public Health Ministry.

At the end of the quar-

antine, the workers—numbering in batches of around 50—will head straight to ExxonMobil’s Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading Vessel (FPSO).

Woods told investors that the situation would, overall, push back the company’s production objective of more than 750,000 barrels per day into 2026.

The company’s CEO lauded the Guyana invest-

ments and production from the Stabroek Block as “an integral part of our longterm growth plans and as such is a high priority.”

According to Woods, the production coming from the Stabroek Block along with the Permian in the United States have been key in al-

lowing the company to manage the effects of the price and demand shortfalls which has also been compounded by the pandemic.

He told investors, “our Liza Phase 1 operations have been largely unaffected by the pandemic.”

Production began in December last year on Liza 1 from the FPSO—Liza Destiny—with the first sale of oil being had the following

month.

Woods told investors during the first-quarter earnings call that as it relates to Liza 2, the company has managed the impact of the prevailing conditions including COVID-19 and its impact on the project.

As such, he said, the Liza Phase 2 project remains on schedule for a 2022 start-up.

That operation will be run using a second FPSO—Liza Unity—currently under construction in Asia.

Speaking directly to the impact of the delayed transition of a new Government locally on the company, Woods lamented that “unfortunately, the ongoing elections process and uncertainty around the next Administration has slowed Government approvals of the Payara Development Plan.”

The Stabroek Block’s Liza 1, 2 and Payara projects are being led by US oil major ExxonMobil in partnership with Hess Guyana Corporation-Nexen and China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC).

The company uplifted

its first entitlement of one million barrels of crude in January last, marking the commencement of the sale of crude from Guyana for the first time in its history.

Royalty payments

The country’s caretaker Finance Minister Winston Jordan meanwhile on Friday also confirmed that the first royalty payments for Guyana’s crude has been deposited into the country’s Natural Resources Fund (NRF).

According to a Government report, “this payment is for the oil produced from Guyana’s Liza Phase 1 Development for January, February and March.”

According to the report, US$4.9 million was deposited into the account held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York with the next deposit expected to be made at the end of July.

That account is managed by the Bank of Guyana.

It was noted that the US$4.9 million royalty payment is in addition to the

Exxon CEO Darren Woods

US$55 million the country received from the sale of its first entitlement of crude in February to Shell Western Supply and Trading Limited.

According to Jordan, in addition to the two per cent royalty being paid, the country also receives 50 per cent profit oil.

The country is entitled to approximately five million barrels of oil this year as part of its profit share from production at the Liza Phase 1 Development with the country’s first three lifts being sold to Shell Western Supply and Trading Limited.

10 NEWS

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Workers need stable, responsive Govt – Ali

PPP/C Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali

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s Guyana joined the rest of the world to observe Labour Day 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s leaders lauded workers, particularly those in the healthcare system, as the heroes during this crisis.

Frontline workers around the world are risking their lives to serve the country and the people. While this is the same in Guyana, the situation is more unique as the country remains in a political crisis, given that it has been two months since elections were held and there is yet to be a declaration of credible results.

In his Labour Day message, caretaker President David Granger stated that Guyana’s workers including those on the frontlines, essential workers as well as those who are social distancing and staying home, are

leading a courageous battle against the novel coronavirus by preventing the spread of the deadly disease.

“Workers and servicemen are our heroes in this campaign. A grateful nation salutes the efforts of workers who are playing their part to keep our country safe.

Your Government is not unmindful of the difficulties caused by the social restrictions which have been enforced since the outbreak of the disease in Guyana. The situation would have been worse without those measures which are necessary to protect us all,” he noted.

The Head of State went on to assure workers and servicemen that together the country can overcome the perils of this pandemic.

As such, he further urged everyone to contribute to the effort so that the country could be restored to nor-

malcy as soon as possible.

“Workers can be assured that their Government will continue to work assiduously to restore normalcy in Administration, agriculture, business, construction, commerce, education, industry and the other productive sectors,” the caretaker President added.

However, Presidential Candidate of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, Dr Irfaan Ali pointed out that in these troubling times, that is, economically, politically, and health-wise, workers need instability and responsiveness in a Government.

“In these troubling times, workers need a stable, responsive, respectable and caring government… I understand fully that there are decisions to be made to secure your welfare, protect your families, safeguard your jobs and return those jobs that were lost,” he noted.

To this end, Ali posited that he has already committed to a series of activities through the National COVID-19 Stakeholders’ Forum to not only cushion the effects of the pandemic but also help businesses to return to some level of normalcy so that workers can get back to work when this health crisis subsides.

He further stated that while it is important to adhere to the guidelines in

Some of the workers during the 2019 Labour Day march

place for persons to protect themselves and prevent the spread of the deadly disease, Government has the responsibility to make the necessary adjustments to secure workers’ welfare and wellbeing.

“I assure all workers that my Government is prepared to do this. We’ve already committed to the restoration of jobs in the sugar industry, mining, forestry, agriculture and the services sector. While we build the foundation for a strong, locally managed oil and gas sector, among other areas of economic development.

Indeed, we’ve committed to the advancement and development of our workforce to not only satisfy the demands of the existing economies but also prepare them for the many opportunities ahead in new areas of

growth,” Ali asserted.

He continued that the past struggles of workers were aimed at securing proper social services which include access to reliable and affordable health care services, education, electricity, water and infrastructure. However, he noted that the country has seen the negative effect the imposition of valued added tax (VAT) has had on many of these services, affecting workers’ income over the last four years.

To this end, he committed to the reversal of these hardship taxes in an effort to improve disposal income and welfare of every worker in Guyana.

Moreover, Ali stated that as Guyana celebrated Labour Day in 2020, the country’s present challenges have emphasised the im-

portance of coming together and unifying the approach to creating a safe and healthy society.

“It is this same approach that must characterise our collective effort to improving our country and moving it forward whilst we build a strong, stable, secure, democratic and free society in which workers and their families can live and work in dignity,” he stated.

Critical to the achievement of this is the safeguarding of our democratic principles, Ali noted while further assuring that he and his party will continue to fight to ensure that democracy wins for as long as it takes.

Nevertheless, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing protocols, the annual Labour Day march was cancelled.

NEWS

11

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyanese “selfish” COVID-19 pandemic Sleepin Hotel distributes hampers to staff for not following COVID-19 guidelines – caretaker Minister …country records 110% increase in under 1 month

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aretaker Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence on Friday lashed out at Guyanese who continue to live their lives as per normal, despite measures being instituted to protect the population in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the daily update, she stated that Guyanese should “get serious” while labelling them as “selfish”, for continuing to breach the prescribed guidelines.

Lawrence argued that while Government has put enough measures in place to flatten the curve, many persons are not adhering to them.

“It’s time for us to get serious. It is unfair to those who are following the guidelines to be placed at unnecessary risk especially our health workers just because some of you don’t want to change your behaviour, you are being selfish.”

She referred to the situation as a health crisis, noting that persons should cease their continued social interactions and maintain physical distancing.

“Stop venturing out unless you must, stop the congregating in public places, stop visiting friends and family, maintain the physical distancing. You know all these guidelines, so please adhere to them so that we can get on with our lives and livelihood,” the caretaker Minister added.

Friday marked 50 days since Guyana recorded its first case of the novel coronavirus. She recalled that on day nine, when the country recorded six cases, authorities began implementing measures such as the closure of the airports.

On day 24, when there were 33 positive cases, the national curfew, rotation policy for public servants, and other measures were instituted. Those lockdown measures were set to expire on May 3 but have since been extended for another month – until June 3.

It was indicated that in less than one month, there has been a stark 110 per cent increase in the number of cases, cementing the fact that persons are failing to abide by the national lockdown regulations.

“It’s obvious that you are

not taking the COVID-19 pandemic seriously. How else can we explain a 110 per cent increase in positive cases in less than a month, how else can we explain people congregating to play dominos or having a few beers on the corner, how else can we explain people visiting family and friends as normal,” Lawrence questioned.

As of Friday, Guyana recorded no new cases of COVID-19, with the cases remaining at 82. The deaths stand at nine. Some 582 persons were tested with 500 returning with negative results.

With 24 complete recoveries, 49 persons are still in institutional isolation, 17 in institutional quarantine and two in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Oncological threats

Joining the daily update was Oncology Specialist, Dr Latoya Gooding, outlining the fact that cancer patients are at serious risk, since they can contract the virus in its worst form. This, she said, can result in death.

In Guyana, cancer is already the third most common cause of death; with the most common types being breast and cervical in females and prostate in males.

“Cancer weakens your immune system by attacking the white blood cells which is your body’s first line of defence against harmful organisms such as bacteria, fungus and viruses making it easy for you to develop these diseases especially COVID-19 at this time,” she indicated.

The side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy can also weaken the immune system since red and white blood cells are affected during the killing of cancerous cells.

“Stay at home and come out only when it is absolutely necessary. If you have to come out, ensure that you wear a face mask and also avoid congregating. Wash your hands as often as you can and also ensure that you clean the surfaces in your home with an alcohol-based solution or bleach. When out in public avoid touching your face and eyes unless your hands are washed or sanitised,” she urged patients.

A

s the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to spread in Guyana, the management of Sleepin Group of Hotels distributed another 150 hampers to their staff on Friday.

According to the hotel’s management, the kind gesture was done to show appreciation and gratitude for the contribution that the

Two staff members receiving hampers on Thursday

workers have made to the success of the company over the past years.

They also underscored that while these hampers are being distributed to their workers, it is also the company’s commitment to assist in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19).

“Ground provision and other locally grown items

have been included in the hampers in a show of support for our local farmers,” the management stated in a release.

However, the establishment took the opportunity to urge Guyanese to remain protected and in a safe environment during this period.

“We take this opportunity to wish everyone good health and safety in this

time of trial. The management of the Sleepin Group of Hotels would like to extend best wishes to all Guyanese workers and indeed, all workers around the world, on this special day.”

Two weeks ago, the company distributed over 150 hampers to its staff as a way of supporting them during the pandemic.

12

Helping in fight agains

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020 |

With contributions from the business community and civil society, volunteers countrywide, who are distributing food hampers and face masks in several communities

13

st spread of COVID-19

| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

e part of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) National COVID-19 Stakeholder Forum, are

14 NEWS

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

COVID-19 causing increased tension in households – CCPA Director

18 vulnerable groups benefit from CDC social relief efforts – 776 persons among first beneficiaries

W

ith the partial lockdown and curfew measures implemented over six weeks ago, families have been spending more time at home rather than engaging in their usual social and work activities.

According to Director of the Child Care and Protection Agency, Ann Greene during Thursday’s COVID-19 update, many parents are having difficulties coping during this time. Moreover, additional conflicts may arise between parties.

“It is also understandable that with everyone being at home together some conflicts are unavoidable, but how families cope will have a great impact on the children. Parents are anxious and many are having difficulty coping, resulting in frustration with the children, but we as parents need to manage our anxiety,” Greene said.

She went on to say that caregivers and parents are also tasked with the additional responsibility of ensuring their children are still learning, despite some cases where resources are lacking to sustain their daily needs.

“The threat of COVID-19 presents daily challenges to the wellbeing of children and families. Parents, caregivers and guardians suddenly become responsible for managing the children’s education due to school being out and to cope with the other challenges with the necessary imposed partial lockdown, which may include a lack of adequate resources for the sustenance of the family. Coping with this has resulted with increased tension and anxiety in the home.”

During Wednesday’s update, Director of the Mental Health Unit at the Ministry, Dr Util Thomas noted that everyone was affected in some way or the other by COVID-19, with the pressure of modifying lifestyle practices.

“We have been forced to adapt to a new lifestyle to protect ourselves and our loved ones. Staying at home with our families, wearing a mask, washing our hands regularly, and finding new hobbies and routines have become the new norm. Many of us are finding it hard to adjust. The stress associated with this period is manifesting in different ways for some of us; lack of

CCPA Director Ann Greene

sleep, constant fear, anger, confusion, frustration, anxiety, and depression are what we face daily,” she stated.

According to Dr Thomas, in order to cope with all these different challenges, persons should ensure that they are talking to someone they trust about their problems, thoughts, and feelings.

“Even if that person cannot solve the problem, just talking sometimes is enough.

A problem shared is a problem halved.

When we talk about a problem, our brain releases chemicals which ease the symptoms of stress. Vice versa, we must be ready to listen to others so that they too can have the same benefits. Listen without being judgmental or forcing persons to talk,” she stressed.

The Mental Health Director further explained that persons should know about the help available to them especially in their communities. These include the religious groups, non-governmental organisations, the healthcare facilities where healthcare workers are found, Ministries and other Government Departments, clubs, etc.

Dr Thomas went on to note that persons should set aside unrealistic tasks that they may not be able to complete and instead, prioritise focus on those that can be done with ease. This, she explained, will reduce stress and increase their sense of achievement, which will then give them the opportunity and drive to focus on the larger tasks.

Director General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, handing over one of the hampers to Ganesh Singh, a member of the Guyana Society for the Blind

A

s the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) continues its social relief efforts, 18 organisations which cater for vulnerable people, especially those living with disabilities, are expected to benefit from food and sanitation hampers in the coming days.

Four such organiSations – the Guyana Deaf Association, the Gifted Hands Learning Centre for Special Needs, the Guyana Society for the Blind, and the Vocational Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities received their hampers on Thursday.

Director General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig stated that Government engaged the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons Living with Disabilities and arrived at the list of 18 organisations.

Some of the organisations that were identified for support are the Visually Impaired Association of Guyana, the Bartica Support Group for Persons with Disabilities, the Diamond Special Needs School, the Ruimveldt Parent Support Group, Linseed, Federation of and for Disabled People, the Disabled Persons Network of Region Five, the Differently Abled Club, the Guyana Blind Cricket Association, Young Voices

Guyana, Disabled People’s Network of Region Six, Disabled People’s Network of Region Two, Wismar Hill Resource Unit and the New Amsterdam Special Needs School.

Colonel Craig explained that the list represents registered organisations from across the country while noting that in most cases, the CDC will be distributing food hampers to the parent organisation, which will then ensure that it is distributed to its members.

In some cases, where the CDC’s assistance is needed to visit some of the homes, assistance will be provided.

“We have worked with the Council over the past two weeks to identify and prioritise persons living with disabilities and today we started the series of distributions. We hope that it can lessen some of the impacts they are feeling during this time, especially as vulnerable members of society. So, we are happy to have partnered with the Council and the organisations to ensure that relief is provided,” he said.

Coordinator of the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons Living with Disabilities, Ganesh Singh, who was on hand to witness the distribution of supplies, said he is happy that the CDC has

responded in such a timely manner after it was initially engaged.

Singh noted that 752 persons are expected to benefit from this tranche of relief supplies.

“This will be great assistance because persons with disabilities, like any other Guyanese, have been severely affected. Most of them are unemployed and living in poverty. They are even more affected because of this COVID-19 crisis and so this is a great, great help.

These hampers will be delivered to persons who are registered with the various organisations,” Singh noted.

Chairman of the Council, Cecil Morris also welcomed the initiative, noting that it will greatly assist the members of the various organisations, who are already challenged physically and financially.

“A lot of persons would have been wondering where the next meal is coming from because of this situation that we are in today, but with this help, at least for a couple of weeks, everything should be fairly okay so we want to say how much we are appreciative of this.”

Founder of the Gifted Hands Learning Centre for Special Needs, Marcia Smith, who received 24 hampers for her 24 students, expressed similar sentiments.

“I know it will benefit my students a whole lot because a lot of their parents do not have a steady income or most of them are self-employed. They are grateful and I must say thank you because it will go a long way for them.”

Just recently, the caretaker Government halted the social relief hampers that were being distributed by the CDC because, according to them, more long-term solutions were needed at the time, promising that the Government, through the CDC, would put new measures in place to strengthen its social relief response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

NEWS

15

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Former Home Affairs No arrests after bandits break into business for 5th time Minister dies

F

ormer Home Affairs Minister under the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Feroze Mohamed died on Friday at the age of 74.

Mohamed passed during the auspicious month of Ramadan after an illness that caused him to be hospitalised.

Mohamed played an integral role in PPP’s political struggle pre-1992, working alongside the party’s founder, Dr Cheddi Jagan, and was appointed Home Affairs Minister, the first under the PPP, after the party won those elections. He also served as the party’s Chief Whip in the National Assembly.

In addition, he was also the first Secretary of the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) – the youth arm of the PPP. Mohamed served too as an advisor to several Presidents under the PPP Government including Janet Jagan, Samuel Hinds and Bharrat Jagdeo.

As news of his death spread, several senior PPP members took to social media to extend their sympathy and condolences on his passing.

Among those was PPP/C Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali, who said on his Facebook page that he was deeply saddened by the loss of Mohamed.

“He will be truly missed and we will include him in our prayers daily. May God

Former Home Affairs Minister Feroze Mohamed

give his family strength in this difficult time,” he stated.

Former PPP General Secretary and Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee also expressed sadness after receiving news of the passing of “my beloved Comrade”.

Meanwhile, former PPP Education Minister Priya Manickchand in a social media post said Guyana is poorer now with the loss of Mohamed.

“Here is a man who selflessly gave his life to the betterment and development of this country and her people, without much fanfare, at a time of oppression and horror: the type of Guyana that we thought we would never see again. We were wrong.

The fights he fought against dictatorship must never go unpaid. We must resolve that future generations nev-

er have to waste time and effort fighting the same fights.

Rest in peace, Cde Feroze. I shall forever be grateful that I knew you,” she stated.

Additionally, former Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall described the PPP stalwart as a towering giant in the party, which no one before him could have or any in the future will ever measure up to.

“His contributions to politics in Guyana and the PPP is too vast and voluminous to mention here. But his speech in the National Assembly in the debates in respect of the promulgation of the 1980 Constitution, ranks in my mind, as one of his most glorious moments in the political annals of this country. It should be read by all,” Nandlall posited.

He added that it is a “horrendous tragedy” that Mohamed died at this particular political juncture of the country, when he may have felt that his golden years of struggle were in vain.

“But for whatever it is worth, I take this opportunity to assure him that his labour, teachings and legacy have inspired and equipped a new generation who are absolutely committed to ensure that his lifelong battle was not futile,” Nandlall noted.

Mohamed leaves to morn his wife and son.

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF?

returned to bed and soon, there was another banging sound. At that time, he and his 78-year-old wife were alone in the building.

Upon hearing the second sound, he went to the verandah where he noticed someone running out of the building on the second floor.

“I could have shot him in

later found in the shop.

On December 23, bandits broke into the store and removed close to $1 million in cash and other valuables.

At that time, the businessman was preparing to head to Georgetown to transact business.

In another robbery, the bandits gained entry from

Frustrated businessman Harry Lalsa

D

ays after bandits invaded the property of a West Coast Berbice (WCB) businessman for the fifth time, the police are yet to make an arrest.

Police in the ancient county, when contacted, stated that they are working with several leads but no arrests have been made.

The bandits reportedly broke into the man’s property at Lot 12 Section F D’Edward, West Coast Berbice, at about 01:30h on Tuesday last.

The 80-year-old proprietor, Harry Lalsa recalled hearing a noise and got out of his bed to check but did not see anything.

He explained that he

Lalsa Enterprise at D’Edward, WCB

the back if I had my gun,” Lalsa told Guyana Times.

This was the fifth time his building was broken into. During the first breakage, his firearm was stolen.

In January, the building was broken into and the store was ransacked. Upon checking, phone cards, cigarettes, cash and alcohol were missing. A strange handheld power drill was

the back of the yard and broke their way into the building where they removed the businessman’s firearm and almost $1 million in valuables from the premises.

The businessman had previously expressed fear for his life and was willing to sell his property and migrate. The police are continuing their investigations.

SYMPTOMS

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms or combinations of symptoms may have COVID-19:

Cough

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Or at least two of these symptoms:

Fever People who think they may be affected by coronavirus need to call the Public Health Ministry hotline 227-4986/624-3067 for further advice. They should not go to their GP, A&E, pharmacy or hospital.

If you have come into contact with somebody who may be infected, you may be told to self-isolate. People needing to do so should take "common-sense" steps to avoid close contact with other people.

(Adapted from BBC News)

Headache

Chills

Sore throat

Repeated shaking with chills

Muscle pain

Children have similar symptoms to adults and generally have New loss of taste mild illness. or smell

16

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

News

Kim Jong-un appears in public – Sudan criminalises female genital mutilation North Korean state media report

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udan has criminalised carrying out female genital mutilation (FGM), making it punishable by three years in jail.

Some 87% of Sudanese women aged between 14 and 49 have undergone some form of FGM, according to the UN. In Sudan it is common for women to get the inner and outer labia, and usually the clitoris, removed.

FGM can result in urinary tract infections, uterine infections, kidney infections, cysts, reproductive issues and pain during sex.

Girls get cut because of a widespread cultural belief that it is essential for girls’ reputations and future marriage prospects.

There has been a global

trend towards banning the practice.

However, according to a Unicef report carried out in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East, the practice is still being widely carried out, despite the fact that at least 24 of these countries have legislation or some form of decrees against FGM. FGM was already illegal in some Sudanese states but these bans were widely ignored.

BBC Sudan analyst Mohaned Hashim notes that there have been previous attempts to ban FGM across the whole country but parliament under long-time leader Omar al-Bashir rejected the recommendations.

Women were at the fore-

front of the movement that toppled Mr Bashir in April 2019.

Campaigners accused the former government of discriminating against women in various ways - including preventing women from wearing trousers.

In November Sudan repealed a restrictive public order law that controlled how women acted and dressed in public.

The FGM amendment to the criminal law was approved on 22 April, Reuters news agency reports.

Under the amendment, anyone who performs FGM either inside a medical establishment or elsewhere faces three years’ imprisonment and a fine. (BBC)

US intel helps T&T seize $160M cocaine tanker

C

rucial US intelligence provided to local law enforcement authorities assisted them in interrupting a major drug pipeline to Europe on Tuesday, after the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard intercepted a multi-million dollar cocaine shipment off Trinidad’s north coast. A joint team of officers from the Defence Force, with Commander Jason Kelshall leading the Special Naval Unit( SPN), discovered over 400 kilogrammes of cocaine hidden in a specially-made compartment inside the fuel tanks of the Throne. The cocaine, which was sealed in watertight packages, had an estimated street value of TT$160 million. As the transnational investigation widened yesterday, senior intelligence sources told Guardian Media that US personnel spent a considerable amount of time at Staubles Bay in Chaguaramas, where the impounded vessel remained along with its crew of about 19, including 17 Indian nationals ranging from ages 19-30 years and two Turkish nationals. At least ten of the men were being kept on the ship while the other nine were being detained elsewhere on the Coast Guard base. Many of the Indian nationals told authorities they had recently married and just started to work on the tanker.

Intelligence sources said one of the Turkish nationals was picked up along with the drugs approximately four to five days ago in Venezuela.

“We believe that the Turkish man was the mastermind behind this shipment and understand the ship was destined to Turkey and it stopped off in Venezuela to pick up the drugs and him, “ the source explained.The huge tanker ship had no car-

K

im Jong-un has appeared in public for the first time in 20 days, North Korean state media says.

KCNA news agency reports that the North Korean leader cut the ribbon at the opening of a fertiliser factory.

It adds that people at the factory “broke into thunderous cheers of hurrah” when he appeared.

The reported appearance - his first since an event on state media on 12 April comes amid global speculation over his health.

The latest reports from North Korean media could not be independently confirmed and no pictures were provided.

Asked about Kim’s reported reappearance, US President Donald Trump told reporters that he didn’t want to comment yet.

According to Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim was accompanied by several senior North Korean officials, including his sister Kim Yo Jong.

The North Korean leader cut a ribbon at a ceremony at the plant, in a region north of Pyongyang, and people who were attending the event “burst into thun-

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

derous cheers of ‘hurrah!’ for the Supreme Leader who is commanding the all-people general march for accomplishing the great cause of prosperity”, KCNA says.

Kim said he was satisfied with the factory’s production system, and praised it for contributing to the progress of the country’s chemical industry and food production, the state news agency adds.

However, the agency provided no photographs of the event.

Speculation about Kim’s health began after he missed the birth anniversary celebrations of his grandfather, state founder Kim Il Sung on 15 April.

The anniversary is one of the biggest events in the North Korean calendar, and Mr Kim usually marks it by visiting the mausoleum where his grandfather lies.

Mr Kim had never missed this event. Claims about Kim’s ill-health then surfaced in a report for a website run by North Korean defectors. An anonymous source told the Daily NK that they understood he had been struggling with cardiovascular problems since last August “but it worsened after repeated visits to Mount Paektu”. This led to a chain of reporting by international media on a single-sourced story. (BBC)

Dominican Republic records 316 COVID-19 cases in last 24 hours …deaths reach 313

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he health authorities in the Dominican Republic today announced an additional 316 cases of COVID-19.

This brings the countries overall total to 7,288. So far, the Dominican Republic has

The Throne tanker at the Coast Guard base in Staubles Cay, Chaguaramas, on Wednesday

go on board, another source said. “What we understand is that they expected to drain the other fuel tanks to see if there is any further contraband there and continue to search the ship for another two days for anything else illegal.”The source said critical intelligence provided to local authorities by US personnel help the local law enforcement intercept the tanker before it got out of T&T’s territorial waters.

Although the Marine Traffic: Global Shipping Tracking Intelligence website indicated that the ship’s final destination was expected to be Belem in Brazil, sources said that was not the case in this instance. The source said the ship had traversed Caribbean waters in the last two months and had been to Jamaica in one instance. The tanker, according to the site, left Guayaquil, Ecuador and passed through the Panama Canal several weeks ago.A US intelligence source familiar with the investiga-

tion said he could not comment on the matter. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump signalled his intention to protect the American people from the deadly scourge of illegal narcotics by beefing up the US military presence in the Southern Caribbean with the help of 22 partner nations - which includes Trinidad and Tobago.

Trump said then, “We’re deploying additional navy destroyers, combat ships, aircraft and helicopters, Coast Guard cutters and Air Force surveillance aircraft, doubling our capabilities in the region.”In April last year, Customs and T&T Coast Guard officials recovered close to $120 million worth of cocaine hidden aboard the tanker Hispania Spirit after it docked at the Atlantic Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) port in Point Fortin. Some seven bales of cocaine were found attached to the rudder of that ship.

(T&T Guardian)

recorded 313 deaths from the virus.

The health authorities say 28,466 tests have been completed with 1,387 patients recovering from COVID-19. (Jamaica Observer)

Police in Chile detain more than 50 protesters at Labour Day rally

P

Demonstrators are detained during a May Day rally in Santiago, Chile May 1, 2020

olice in the Chilean capital Santiago detained more than 50 protesters on Friday, saying they had violated rules intended to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Protesters gathered on the Labor Day holiday in Santiago’s central square, many shouting and displaying signs that railed against abuse of workers and a sharp rise in layoffs in the South American nation.

Calls to protest on social media warned those who attended the rally to “use gloves, masks and alcohol gel,” but police said demonstrators had failed to adhere to a nationwide rule against gatherings of more than 50 people.

The Carabineros police force said on Twitter that one of the protesters detained had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and was

meant to be in isolation for another week.

Police officers clad in plastic-screened helmets and olive uniforms herded protesters into police vehicles, while water cannons mounted on trucks nearby dispersed others.

Santiago is under partial quarantine, but scattered, small protests against the government of center-right President Sebastian Pinera have persisted in areas not under lockdown. Mass demonstrations against inequality rocked Chile in late 2019. The protests had begun to flare up again in March but have largely subsided with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

The first cases of the virus hit Chile in early March. On Friday, the health officials confirmed 17,008 infections and 234 deaths.

(Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

17

Regional

Maya villages in Guatemala spurn PSOJ COVID-19 US deportees as infections spike fund raises $110M G T

uatemala’s indigenous Maya towns are spurning returned migrants, threatening some with burning their homes or lynching as fear spreads about more than 100 deportees from the United States who tested positive for the new coronavirus.

To date, Guatemalan health officials have said that nearly one-fifth of the 585 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Central American country can be traced to people deported from the United States, most of them on two flights in a single day.

That has fuelled an angry backlash against migrants as they make their way home.

Biting poverty has made Guatemala one of the main sources of migrants to the United States in recent years, Community members wearing protective masks patrol the village of Pasajoc amid the outbreak of along with neighbouring El the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Totonicapan, Guatemala April 19, 2020 Salvador and Honduras.

Until recently Guatemalans looked temperatures and symptoms associatThe confirmation by President favourably on migrants, due in part to the ed with COVID-19, the disease caused Alejandro Giammattei that 103 vital remittances they provide to many by the new coronavirus. Yet migrants reGuatemalans deported from the United families, fear of them has grown dramati- turned by the United States to Colombia, States on three flights since late March cally in just a short time.

Mexico, Haiti and Jamaica have also testhave tested positive for the virus has fosThe US Immigration and Enforcement ed positive for the virus in recent weeks, tered popular anxiety and the volatile Agency (ICE) has said deportees were raising broader concerns over the depormood in the impoverished highlands, screened before the flights for elevated tation programme. (Excerpt from Reuters) home to many migrants.

he Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) says to date, it has raised $110 million through its PSOJ COVID-19 Jamaica Response Fund, which is aimed at mobilising and distributing resources for the protection and welfare of Jamaicans.

The PSOJ said the fund is a multi-sectoral partnership including another umbrella organisation, the Council of Voluntary Social Services (CVSS); as well as the United Way of Jamaica (UWJ); American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ); and other key stakeholders.

The organisation said the initial goal of the fund was to reach a total of $250 million, to assist in the country's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

CVSS Chair Saffrey Brown explained that her organisation will begin the allocation of resources to communities through its network of volunteer and social service organisations.

“There is a lot of planning and logistics involved to help the process along,” Brown said.

Brown said the organisations work together closely to identify communities and individuals in the greatest need.

“We are also working with the Ministry of Health and Wellness to ensure that we have health protocols in place so that our volunteers, and community members, are as protected as can be, against the COVID threat,” she noted.

The PSOJ said the donated funds will be allocated to support food security and health services across the island.

It said that the funds raised will also boost supplies of medical equipment, including personal protective equipment (PPEs) for frontline and emergency workers such as medical personnel, first responders, police, firefighters and volunteers. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Honduras ex-Police Chief faces Grade Six students to be placed in US drug trafficking charges high school based on homework grades and other in-school assessments A former chief of the Honduran National Police is facing drug trafficking charges in the US, the latest drug case against a top official of the country.

Prosecutors said Juan Carlos Bonilla Valladares, known as "El Tigre", helped ship tons of cocaine to the US on behalf of Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández and his brother.

Bonilla, who is not in US custody, denied the accusations.

The Honduran presidency said the claims were "100% false".

President Hernández has not been charged with any crime in the US and has consistently denied suggestions of involvement in drug trafficking and taking bribes.

His brother, Juan Antonio Hernández, known as Tony, was found guilty of US drug trafficking charges last year and is due to be sentenced in June.

T

Bonilla, pictured here in 2012, said he was offended by the accusations

They accused Bonilla of taking bribes from the President's brother to allow drug shipments to pass through the country, and gave information about the activities of law enforcement to traffickers.

Bonilla was named Police Chief in 2012 in an attempt by then-President Porfirio Lobo to clean up corruption, despite having previously faced murder charges.

President Hernández, a conservative leader who en-

joys the staunch support of the Trump Administration, has presented himself as tough on drugs and responsible for breaking up powerful cartels and extraditing traffickers to the US. He faced calls to step down last year following the release of a court document linked to his brother's case.

It alleged that his 2013 presidential campaign had been financed by drug money, labelling him as a co-conspirator.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

US probes T&T fuel shipment linked to Venezuela

A

ny nation that assists Venezuela in avoiding embargoes will face sweeping sanctions imposed by the United States.

The warning comes from the US Government after it became aware of reports that a shipment of Paria Fuel Trading Company fuel that left Trinidad and Tobago’s shores for Aruba may have eventually been sent to Venezuela in defiance of US sanctions against that country.As these reports continue to swirl, a US State Department representative has told Guardian Media that the United States has warned other nations against assisting embattled Venezuela

President Nicolas Maduro and his regime.

In response to questions on Wednesday, the US Embassy said that the “US Government was aware of reports indicating that a shipment of gasoline from Trinidad and Tobago may have gone to Venezuela”.

It noted that if T&T is found to have assisted Venezuela in getting fuel, it could open the country up to US sanctions.

The Embassy confirmed that it will “actively investigate all efforts by (Venezuelan President Nicolas) Maduro and his supporters to circumvent US sanctions.Guardian Media reached out to US representatives after Paria Fuel Trading Company Chairman

Newman George confirmed a shipment of excess fuel left Trinidad on April 21 and was shipped to Aruba.The principal of ES Euro Shipping SA is Wilmer Ruperti, a Venezuelan shipping tycoon who is also linked to Maroil Trading. Maroil Trading had close ties with former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and even reportedly ensured the country received fuel supplies in 2002.There has also been speculation that Ruperti bought fuel from the US, stored it in tanks near the defunct Petrotrin and then transferred it to his vessel.

But George said that was not true. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

he Education Ministry has devised a strategy to place Grade Six students in public secondary schools based on classwork, homework, projects and tests, since the annual evaluation of Grade Six students has been cancelled.

The new strategy for assigning the 1451 registered Grade Six students to a secondary school will also take into account where they live, special educational needs, special health and safety circumstances, and performance.

According to Director of Education Clare Browne,

every school will get somebody from the Grade Six level at the Antigua Grammar School and the Antigua Girls’ High School.

“Outstanding achievers will be offered placements at the Antigua Girls High School, Antigua Grammar School or any other preferred public secondary school,” once there is space under what would have been previously called “the top 100”, the Director explained.

“Large schools with 29 or more Grade Sixers will get to send four girls and four boys to Antigua Girls’ High School and Antigua

Grammar school respectively, Medium schools with 15 to 28, they will send three and then small schools – those with grade sixers that are 15 and below in number – then they will get one placed at each of those schools,” he said.

Outstanding achievers will be determined by a ranking system based on their performance in term one and mid-term of term two, and that information will be submitted by the school to the Measurement and Evaluation Unit.

(Excerpt from Antigua News Room)

Ministry of Tourism to reward frontline workers

T

he Ministry of Tourism will reward ten of Barbados’ frontline workers from the health services and Police Force for their hard work during this novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with a holiday of their choice.

Earlier today, Minister of Tourism Kerrie Symmonds announced the opportunity for two – a health care worker and a partner of choice – to either staycation in Barbados or visit a destination to which Barbados has commercial flight connections, for a period of seven days “to enjoy a period of downtime”.

Symmonds said during a Zoom press conference: “We want Barbadian people to indicate their experienc-

Minister of Tourism Kerrie Symmonds

es with some of these frontline workers and from that grouping of experiences submitted to us, we would then want to draw those which are the most moving and to sig-

nal our appreciation to those people who have gone beyond the call of duty in order to preserve the livelihoods of so many Barbadians . . . .”

(Excerpt from Nation News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

Around the World Trudeau announces ban on 1500 kinds of assault weapons

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on weapons ban: "You don't need an AR-15 to bring down a deer"

C

anada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has introduced a long-promised ban on assault-style weapons following the country's worst gun massacre in April.

New rules would make it

illegal to sell, transport, import or use 1500 varieties of assault weapons.

The ban is effective immediately but there will be a two-year amnesty period for law-abiding gun owners to comply.

Trudeau also said he would introduce legislation, which has yet to pass, to offer a buy-back programme.

Unlike the US, gun ownership is not enshrined in Canada's Constitution, but gun ownership is still popular, especially in rural parts of the country.

Trudeau made a point of saying that most gun owners are law-abiding citizens, but argued that assault-weapons serve no beneficial purpose.

The call to ban assault weapons was heightened after a number of high-profile shootings -- in 2017, at a mosque in Quebec, in 2018 on a commercial street in Toronto and most recently, in a rampage across the province of Nova Scotia that became the deadliest shooting in Canada's history.

Trudeau campaigned on the ban ahead of last November's election, and he said he was planning on introducing the ban in March, but it was delayed because of coronavirus.

The Government is able to ban the weapons immediately through current regulation, but a buy-back programme would require multi-party support in Parliament and would likely cost the Government hundreds of millions of dollars.

Many of the weapons used in violent crime in Canada were not obtained legally, and Conservative leader Andrew Scheer said Trudeau would do better to focus on stopping guns from coming across the border than on banning law-abiding gun owners. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Countries must ease lockdowns slowly, be ready for virus to jump back – WHO

C

ountries must lift lockdowns gradually, while still being “on the look-out” for COVID-19 and ready to restore restrictions if the virus jumps back, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday.

Vulnerable people in institutions, including those in long-term care facilities, prisons and migrant dormitories, must be protected, its top emergencies expert Dr Mike Ryan said.

Even if the virus is coming under control, communities must know to still follow physical distancing and hygiene measures, and testing of suspect cases must continue, he said.

The WHO recognises the difficulty for Governments to maintain lockdowns during

Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a news conference on the situation of the coronavirus (COVID-2019), in Geneva, Switzerland, February 28, 2020 (file photo)

the pandemic, “for social, psychological and economic reasons”, Ryan said.

“But at the same time we want to avoid a situa-

tion where we release measures too easily and then we bounce back into intense transmission and we have to do it all over again,” he said.

Regarding the new coronavirus that first emerged late last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, he reiterated that scientists examining its genetic sequences have assured the WHO that “this virus is natural in origin”.

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus gave a robust defence of his and the WHO’s “timely” actions in declaring the new coronavirus an international emergency at the end of January.

The Jan 30 declaration was made in “enough time for the rest of the world to respond” because at that stage outside China there were only 82 cases of infection and no deaths, he said.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

French life will not be normal after May 11, Macron says

P

resident Emmanuel Macron warned on Friday that ending the national lockdown on May 11 would be only a first step for France to pull out of the coronavirus crisis, for which his handling faces mounting criticism.

Traditional Labour Day protests that usually draw thousands of demonstrators to the streets were cancelled this year due to the virus outbreak that has killed over 24,500 people across France.

“May 11 will not be the passage to normal life. There will be a recovery that will need to be organised,” Macron said in a speech at the presidential palace after a meeting with horticulturists. “There will be several phases and

May 11 will be one of them.”

Unions organised online activities, asked people to bang pans and put out banners on balconies to mark labour day. Police disbanded a small protest in central Paris.

Macron, in a message on his Twitter account, lauded the traditional parades and French workers, urging unity and solidarity during these tough times.

But highlighting the rocky path ahead, union officials and far-right Opposition Leader Marine Le Pen were quick to underscore their concerns amid the crisis.

“Even if today we are confined, our demands are not,” Yves Veyrier, head of the Force Ouvriere union, told France Inter radio.

French President Emmanuel Macron attends a video conference call with local authorities from La Reunion, Mayotte and Saint Pierre et Miquelon territories about the coronavirus pandemic at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, April 30, 2020

While trust in the Government has fallen in recent polls, Le Pen’s repeated criticism of the Government since the onset of the crisis ap-

peared to have backfired. In an Elabe poll for Les Echos, her rating fell 3 points to 23 per cent in April. (Excerpt from Reuters)

OILNEWS Energy trader Mercuria sees early signs of oil market recovery G

lobal oil markets are showing early signs of rebalancing after production cuts by OPEC and the United States, with the market’s pricing structure indicating that storing oil on idle tankers may soon no longer be profitable, Mercuria Energy Group said.

Oil futures are cheaper for nearby delivery than for a few months ahead, a pricing structure known as contango, which is usually a sign of oversupply. Traders use this structure to store oil to sell it later at a profit.

The contango for Brent oil futures has shrunk from more than US$3 a barrel during most of April to around US$1.50 a barrel on Friday. Dated Brent is the physical price benchmark for most of the world’s crude oil deals.

“We may see some kind of reverse in the next two or three months and the big contango on Dated Brent will probably disappear,” Marco Dunand, CEO of the Genevabased firm, told Reuters. Mercuria is one of the world’s biggest oil traders.

“Fundamentals are shifting a little bit. We believe in the months of June, July and August ... if OPEC respects its agreement with non-OPEC, people with the most expensive contango will have to start selling.”

Output cuts by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies are meant to take effect this month. Whether producers reach their full targets is another question but the impact is being felt.

There are also signs that lockdowns may be starting to ease in some US states as well as southern Europe and Germany that will provide a boost to fuel demand.

Dunand said the US oil market was “reasonably well balanced” now and estimated that the country’s output will fall by another 1 million bpd in May, taking the total to 2 million bpd.

“US declines are complicated. The visible cuts are 1 million bpd ... During the month of May, we’re going to see a further 1 million bpd cut,” he said.

“We see backwardation on sour crude there, and a mild contango (referring to various grades) so that indicates there are production cuts. Midland is trading at a premium to WTI, which indicates that production is being cut.”

WTI Midland, a US grade that is widely exported, has been trading at a premium to benchmark WTI futures since mid-April after just over a month in negative territory.

Backwardation describes a pricing structure where nearby prices are higher than those further forward.

Dunand said that global storage never became physically full even as global oil demand dropped by nearly a third last month. The major US storage site at Cushing, Oklahoma was never filled up and Mercuria even struggled to find enough barrels to fill their own.

“There’s still plenty of space. We’ve been trying to buy oil for the last two months because we have storage. Though, it has proven more difficult,” he said.

“That is because the contango is so big on Dated (Brent) that people prefer to keep their ship on the water and pay demurrage,” Dunand said.

“It was $1.50 contango per week for a while on Dated.

Some were better off loading oil and keeping it at anchor.”

The relative value of the physical benchmark Dated Brent is tracked on a weekly basis through Contract-ForDifferences (CFDs), a derivative oil trade.

Dunand said the estimated use of land storage was “around 1 billion barrels above normal with 250 million barrels of oil on the water, between crude and products.”

(Excerpt from Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

19

ARCHIE

ARIES

(March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SUDOKU

Don’t overreact or take on too much. Take care of responsibilities and reward yourself. A personal pickme-up or romantic evening is favored.

Surround yourself with people who share your concerns. Take care of an unfinished project and start something new. Look for a way to turn something you enjoy doing into a profitable venture.

Watch what others do, but don’t get involved. The observations you make will help you take appropriate action. Channel your energy into doing something fun or getting some exercise.

Use initiative and insight to make a difference.

Volunteer for a cause or make improvements to the way you live. Offer to help someone you love.

Take your time.

Contemplate your options and consider what’s important to you. Discuss personal contracts and be prepared to make a promise. Plan a romantic evening.

Stop waffling and make the changes you’ve been contemplating. You’ll learn a lot if you get involved in something unfamiliar. Pay closer attention to quality, not quantity, and you will get better results.

Keep your day simple and your tasks reasonable. Physical activity will take the edge off situations you have to live with for the time being. Romance is in the stars.

Pay attention to your relationships with others.

Consider who is right for you and who isn’t. Refuse to let anyone limit what you can do. Walk away from disruptive situations.

Let go of the past. Keep SAGITTARIUS manipulative people at a (Nov. 23distance. An ultimatum isn’t Dec. 21) the way to win favors or get what you want. If you care about someone, share your feelings.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

Push for what you want and don’t give up until you have a firm deal in place. An innovative change at home will lead to new possibilities. Don’t buy into someone’s risky venture.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Put things in perspective and protect yourself against someone who is unreliable and asking for too much.

Make a change at home that will add to your safety, enjoyment or peace of mind.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Make a decision that will push you in a direction you’ve been longing to pursue. Don’t hold on to something that is no longer working for you.

20

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

American franchise football…

− way cleared for Joe Burrow to lead team

T

h

e

Cincinnati Bengals h a v e cleared the way for Joe Burrow to lead the team, by releasing quarterback Andy Dalton -- who holds several of the franchise’s passing records, but couldn’t lead Cincinnati deep into the playoffs.

The move, made on Thursday, gives Dalton, who had a year left on his deal, a chance to compete for a job with another team; and clears the way for Burrow to start fresh on a team that hasn’t won a playoff game since the 1990 season, the fifth-longest stretch of futility in NFL history.

Dalton led Cincinnati to its best stretch of playoff appearances – five straight from 2011 to 2015 – but couldn’t get that elusive win.

As the offensive line deteriorated and top receiver AJ Green sustained a series of injuries, Dalton’s results suffered as well.

“Andy will always hold a special place with this franchise, and I know that he holds a special place in my heart,” owner Mike Brown said. “This is a hard day for our club, because we know and appreciate what a consummate professional Andy has always been. We respect and appreciate Andy, and we thank him.”

Dalton was a second-round pick in 2011, when quarterback Carson Palmer demanded a trade and threatened to retire rather than continue playing for the Bengals. Dalton and Green, Cincinnati’s first-round pick that year, led Cincinnati to their best stretch of playoff

Andy Dalton led Cincinnati Bengals to their best stretch of playoff appearances – five straight from 2011 to 2015 – but couldn’t get that elusive win

appearances.

The Bengals lost in the first round each time, setting an NFL record. Dalton had a broken thumb and was sidelined for the last of those playoff appearances, which ended in a last-minute meltdown and an 18-16 loss to Pittsburgh during the 2015 season.

Dalton was one of the NFL’s most efficient passers when given a solid supporting cast. He led the American Football Conference (AFC) with a 106.3 passer rating in 2015, a single-season Bengals’ record.

Coach Zac Taylor signalled the end of Dalton’s career in Cincinnati by benching him for three games midway through last year’s 2-14 season, a move that shocked Dalton and his longtime teammates. Dalton was upset the

Bengals didn’t try to trade him before the deadline.

Rookie Ryan Finley started the next three games, and was even worse, prompting Taylor to reinstate Dalton as the starter for the rest of the season. Dalton led the Bengals to their two wins.

When Cincinnati drafted Burrow first overall last week, the question was whether the Bengals would keep Dalton for the final year on his contract and use him to mentor the rookie, or let him try to win a starting job with another team.

Dalton, 32, holds Bengals career records for touchdown passes (204) and completions (2,757), surpassing Ken Anderson – who also

wore No. 14 – for both marks. He also holds club marks for career passer rating (87.5) and games with 300 yards passing (28). His 24 game-winning drives also are the most by a Bengals quarterback.

Dalton’s 70-61-2 record as a starter is second best by a Bengals quarterback with at least 10 starts, trailing Virgil Carter; and he also holds single-season team records for yards passing (4,293 in 2013) and touchdowns (33 in 2013).

Dalton and his wife, JJ, were active in the community through their foundation. Most recently, they donated $150,000 to a local health crisis fund to help meet medical needs during the coronavirus pandemic.

Dalton became a popular figure in Buffalo when his 49-yard touchdown pass knocked off Baltimore in 2017 and put the Bills in the playoffs for the first time in 17 years.

Bills fans donated to his foundation and gave him an ovation when Cincinnati played a pre-season game in Buffalo. The Daltons donated to a cancer center in the city during the visit.

(Guardian)

A

ustralia are back as the No.1 Test team in the world, and also sit atop the T20I table for the first time, following the ICC's annual update of their rankings. World champions England stay No. 1 in ODIs.India had held the Test top spot since October 2016, but the update of the system eliminated results from the 2016-17 season, when they won 12 Tests and lost just one; and reduced the weightage of matches played up to May 2019. Working in Australia's favour is that the Test series they lost to South Africa and India in 2016-17 no longer count. New Zealand remain second in Tests, while India slipped to third.

India are comfortable leaders of the World Test Championship, although that tournament -the final of which is slated for June 2021 -- has been thrown into doubt by the COVID-19 pandemic which has led to the series being postponed.

South Africa have suffered the biggest rating fall of eight points, which sees them drop below Sri Lanka into sixth place. They had won three series in the period culled, while they have lost eight of their nine Tests since February 2019, playing against Sri Lanka, India and England.

Australia have not been on top of the Test rankings since 2016

Australia produced a clean sweep of their home summer series against Pakistan and New Zealand, having drawn the Ashes 2-2 in England last year. They are due to play India later this year, if COVID-19 restrictions are loosened enough to allow teams to travel to Australia. Head coach Justin Langer has said it remains the contest they need to win to cement the strides they have made."I said in my first conference as coach (that) we will know we are a great team if we can beat India in India, and that is certainly a great goal for us," he said. "We know they are so tough to beat; so, only then will we really know we can claim the number one spot.

“The last time we played India here, they beat us for the first

time in Australia; so, we will be determined to beat them when they come back," Langer said.

In T20Is, Australia have gone to No. 1 for the first time since the rankings were introduced in 2011. They have ended Pakistan's 27-month hold on that top spot. Their recent form has been impressive, with seven wins in nine matches against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and South Africa.

They are tipped as one of the favourites for the T20 World Cup later this year, if the tournament is able to go ahead."I also know how hard it is to win [the] World Cup," Langer said. "England were very deserved winners of the One-Day (International) World Cup last year, and everything has to go right, you can't have an off day." (ESPNcricinfo)

B

ritish light-heavyweight boxer Anthony Yarde has said he will take any emotion out of boxing when he returns to the ring following the deaths of two family members with coronavirus.

Yarde, 28, lost both his father and grandmother to the virus in the space of a week, but he says he is now "okay" in dealing with the grief.

"It’s one of those things you have to get by," Yarde told BBC Radio 5 Live. "Noone expected it, or is prepared to deal with it; so, you just have to get past it."

Yarde said his grandmother was in hospital when her son - Yarde's father - died. "The hardest thing was liaising with the hospital and whether they could tell my nan what had happened," Yarde said. "It was a lot harder for my other siblings than me. I stayed away from the hospitals, and was on the phone getting updates.

"They were extremely close. A lot of my dad's wishes and my nan's wishes went hand in hand; they relied on one another," he explained.

Yarde has turned to ex-

ercise and watching as much c o m e dy as possible to provide a distraction in a testing time. He has had to adapt during the UK lockdown; with no access to his training base at London's Peacock Gym, he has had to take longer runs and bike rides as part of his routine.

"The first time I went out for a run, I was seeing people having picnics and sitting on benches smoking together," he said. "I was looking and thinking, 'Are they being serious?'

This was close to when I got the news [about his father's death], so you get an emotional reaction. It showed me people are not taking it seriously,” he said.

“I see people on social media at their friends' houses. Clearly, they are not understanding how this thing can escalate, and how it can be transferred." (BBC Sport)

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

Effect of coronavirus on international football…

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223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

21

− says City striker Sergio Aguero

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layers are "scared" about the prospect of returning to action amidst the coronavirus pandemic, says Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero.

The Premier League is hoping to resume the season on 8 June, which would require players to be back in full training by 18 May; but topflight clubs have been due to meet on Friday, May 1st, to discuss options for the restart.

"The majority of players are scared because they have children and families," the 31-yearold Aguero has said.

Speaking to Argentine TV station El Chiringuito, the Argentina international added: "I'm scared, but I'm with my girlfriend here, and I'm not going to be in contact with other people.

I'm locked in my house, and the only person I could infect is my girlfriend.

"They're saying that there are people that have it and don't have any symptoms, but still infect you. That's why I am here at home. Maybe I have the illness and I don't even know," he declared.

The Premier League has been suspended since 13 March because of coronavirus, but all clubs remain committed to playing this season's 92 remaining fixtures. All games are expected to be held behind closed doors, but t h e league is considering making some available on free-toair TV. Senior medical directors of the FA and Premier League were on Friday (yesterday) due to join a video conference with medical experts from rugby union, cricket and racing, along with Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden and Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan VanTam, to discuss the medical and safety aspects of a return to sporting action.

Aguero has said that he and his teammates will be "quite nervous and extra careful" when they return to work.

"When one person is ill, we will think, 'Oh, what's happening here?'" he added.

"I hope a vaccine will be found soon, so that this all ends."

If training resumes before social distancing rules are relaxed, BBC Sport understand that players will be tested for coronavirus twice a week, and would be screened for symptoms every day. All tests would be carried out by health professionals at a drive-through NHS testing fa-

cility to which each club would have access.

Training grounds would be optimised for social distancing and high hygiene levels, and the following measures would be put in place: * Players must arrive at training grounds in kit, and wear masks at all times. * They must not shower or eat on the premises. If clubs want to provide players with food, it must be delivered as a takeaway to players' cars. * Only essential medical treatment would be allowed, with all medical staff having to be clothed in full PPE. * All meetings and reviews would have to take place virtually and off-site.

Farcical proposals

Brighton striker Glenn Murray says some proposed protocols around the Premier League's return to action -- such as wearing face masks -are "farcical".

"Face mask are going to be off-putting; they

are not going to be natural. People will be ripping them off in games," the 36-year-old Murray has said. "It is quite farcical.

“I understand why people are desperate to get football on, but it has to be done in a sensible way, and in the right time, and in a way that is going to keep everyone safe.

"There will be ambulances at training (sessions) and games. Is it fair to take those from the NHS? I don’t know. It is not just two squads, there is a lot more involved, and it puts more people at risk," he declared.

Arsenal, Brighton and West Ham have opened their training grounds to players for individual work.

"I understand the public is desperate to get football back," said Murray, "but it is us that are going to be going out there and competing against other teams. We are not talking about guys in one community, we are talking about guys from all over the world, who could be possibly carrying the disease.

“There are so many caveats (that) everyone is in a different situation. I have children at home, I wouldn’t want to jeopardise them. Some footballers have newly-born children who might be more susceptible to getting the disease; some (footballers) are living with elderly parents. It is a really difficult situation to agree on," he said.

(BBC Sport)

International Rugby…

NOW!

O

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

liver “Olly” Cracknell, a Welsh Rugby Union player, has signed a new two-year deal with the Ospreys, for whom he plays as a flanker.

The 25-year-old Cracknell made his 100th appearance for the region last February, after making his debut in 2015. He played six times for Wales Under-20s, and was called up to the Wales squad for the 2017 Six Nations.

"I am pleased to be committing the next two years to the Ospreys,” he said. “We have had a tough few season, but I am confident we are now on the rise. My 50th and 100th caps are two of my proudest moments in rugby, because I know that I have had to work hard to get those games in what has always been a fiercely competitive back row."

When the season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, Cracknell led the Pro14 stats for the most tackles made in 2019-20 with 171.

"Olly ticks all the boxes for a modern blindside flanker: he is tough, durable, and thrives on hard graft," said Ospreys general manager Dan Griffiths. "The consistency of his training and matchday numbers display this appetite for work, and these are qualities that make him a great asset to the squad and team-mates to play alongside." (BBC Sport)

Ambrose encourages Cornwall

L

egendary West Indies fast bowler Sir Curtly Ambrose is encouraging spinner Rahkeem Cornwall to silence his critics by achieving success with his own unique style. The 27-yearold Cornwall was recently the target of criticism from legendary spin bowler Lance Gibbs, who doubted whether the spinner could be truly successful with such a short run-up. In fact, Gibbs was critical of the current crop of regional spinners in general, whom he insisted do not turn the ball enough.

While not going into the specifics of Gibbs’s objection to Cornwall’s style, Ambrose insisted it was part and parcel of the sport for professional athletes. Ambrose went on to encourage the spinner to keep focused and get the job done in his way. Having burst on to the scene a few years ago, Cornwall has had some measure of success at the regional level, but has faced criticism for his weight.“Everyone has their own opinion about things, and if Lance Gibbs gave his opinion about Jimbo, then that is just his opinion; but that should not deter Jimbo from progressing, so I wouldn’t even want to touch that subject, because that is his opinion,” Ambrose told the Antigua Observer.“As an athlete, a sportsman or sportswoman, you are going to get criticised no matter what, so that is not anything new.

But I would say to Jimbo: ‘Continue to work hard, you know your ability, you know what you can do, so just ignore all of the negative comments; or, as a matter of fact, take those negative comments and turn them into positives and prove those people wrong. Let them see you can get the job done in your own way and your own style,” he added. (Sportsmax)

22

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

CRICVIZ feature on Caribbean Premier League…

W

e, at CricViz, are back with another look at some of the prolific performers in the Caribbean Premier League. This time, we’re looking at the most lethal bowlers in the powerplay.

Wickets at the top of the order and in the powerplay are a big win for any bowling team. Today we look at the bowlers who pick up wickets at regular intervals, who are often compared to any of their contemporaries in the competition. Of the bowlers to have bowled at least 20 overs in the powerplay, we look at ten of them with the best strike rate. #TEN, Ravi Rampaul: This right-arm seamer from Trinidad and Tobago played three seasons for the Barbados Tridents from 2014 to 2017. With a strike rate of 20.2 in the powerplay, and picking up 21 wickets, Rampaul takes the #10 slot in our list.

A powerplay specialist, 53% of the overs he bowled in the CPL were in the opening phase, on par with his T20 average of 54%. He picked up 47 wickets overall for the Tridents, and still remains their leading wicket- taker in the competition. #NINE, Veerasammy Permaul: First of the two spinners in the list, the left-arm orthodox bowler from Guyana takes the #9 slot with a strike rate of 20.1 and 20 wickets in the powerplay in the CPL. Permaul has bowled 37% of his overs in the powerplay, well above the average of 28% for spinners in the CPL. Conceding at 5.69 runs per over in the powerplay, he’s very miserly in the opening phase.

Permaul has featured in six CPL seasons, playing 56 matches, all for the

Guyana Amazon Warriors, making him their most capped player. #EIGHT, Fidel Edwards: This fast bowler from Barbados, who was renowned for his raw pace — w h o a v -

operated in the middle overs, with 52% of his overs coming in that phase.

Given his limited deployment in the powerplay, he’s done well, especially against left-handers, with a strike rate of 12.3, compared to 23.7 against right-handers. #SIX, Oshane

expensive bowler in the competition with the same filter. He picks wickets often, but also leaks runs. #FIVE, Ali Khan: This right- arm seamer from the United States of America, playing for TKR, sneaks in to #5 in the list with a strike rate of 18.0, picking up 15 wickets. Ali Khan made his T20 debut in the 2016 CPL playing for Guyana Amazon Warriors, and with his first ball in the match (and his T20 career), picked up the wicket

eraged close to 140 kph in limited overs for the Windies —slots into #8 in the list with a strike rate of 19.2, picking up 14 wickets in the powerplay.

Edwards played only three seasons for the CPL, from 2013 to 2015. One of his claims to fame in the competition is that he is one of the seven bowlers to register a five-wicket haul. #SEVEN, Rayad Emrit: A CPL veteran, Rayad Emrit is probably a surprise entry to this list at #7, with a strike rate of 18.4, taking 13 wickets in the powerplay. With all his subtle variations, the medium-pacer predominantly

Thomas: The young fast bowler is the quintessential description of an attacking bowler. Oshane Thomas slots in at #6 in our list with a strike rate of 18.0, taking 11 wickets so far in the powerplay.

On the other hand, with an economy rate of 8.6 runs per over, he’s one of the most expensive bowlers in the competition.

In his CPL career, across all phases, Thomas has taken 32 wickets at a very healthy strike rate of 13.8 – which is in fact the best of all bowlers to have bowled 50 overs in the competition. But he has conceded at 9.47 runs per over, making him the most

of Kumar Sangakkara.

He then moved to TKR in 2018, and has taken 26 wickets in the last two seasons – the most by any TKR bowler – a key part of their bowling unit. #FOUR, Imran Tahir: This leg-spinner from South Africa has become a cult hero with his incredible performances in T20 leagues across the world.

Playing the last two CPL seasons for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, he’s placed at #4 in our list with a strike rate of 17.2, taking eight wickets in total. Tahir has bowled 28% of his overs in the CPL in the powerplay, significantly higher than his overall

T20 c a reer average of 10% - a clear sign of the tactics used by Guyana, who were a significantly spin dominant team. #THREE, Sheldon Cotterell: One of Windies’ key cogs in the International limited overs team, the left-arm seamer slots into #3 with a strike rate of 17.1, picking up an incredible 36 wickets at 6.65 runs per over in the powerplay. No bowler in CPL history has taken more powerplay wickets than this left arm seamer. Featuring in each of the seven CPL seasons despite numerous injuries, Cotterell, with 69 wickets, is the fifth leading wicket-taker in the competition.

He’s been particularly impressive against left-handers in the powerplay, averaging 9.9 at 4.78 runs p e r o v e r , c o m pared to an average o f 24.9 at 7.37 runs per over against right-handers; which is odd, considering that he poses challenges aplenty in swinging the

Barbados Tridents, but made a huge impact, with his impressive performances taking him to the top of our list. The left-arm seamer induced a false shot off 41% of his deliveries in the powerplay, making him literally unplayable.

The highlight of Irfan’s CPL career was his performance against St Kitts

ball both ways. #TWO, Alzarri Joseph: Alzarri Joseph takes the #2 spot with a strike rate of 15.0, picking up eight wickets in the powerplay. The St Kitts and Nevis Patriots star

and Nevis Patriots. In that game, he ended with remarkable figures of four overs, three maidens, one run and two wickets - the most economical four-over spell in Twenty20 cricket history.

burst onto the scene a few years ago, but has been a consistent performer in recent times.

The only blot on his record is a slight tendency to be expensive, conceding at 8.2 runs per over.

Generating quick pace along with steep bounce, this right-arm seamer is a very tough bowler to negotiate early on in the game. #ONE, Mohammad Irfan: The bowler taking the top spot isn’t a local player. A tall leftarm seamer from Pakistan, Mohammad Irfan has a strike rate of 13.8, picking up 10 wickets at a miserly 5.95 runs per over.

I r f a n featured in only one season, in 2018 for

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

By Brandon Corlette

O

n April 27, the World's most prolific T20 batsman, Chris Gayle, shocked the world with a series of YouTube videos posted on his channel to explain his release from the Jamaica Tallawahs. From a cricketing perspective, the second part of the three-series video left most cricket fans in the Caribbean in a state of shock. Not many would have known that the Guyanese ‘great’ Ramnaresh Sarwan and Gayle were not seeing "eye to eye."

Three days after Gayle's outburst, Sarwan broke his silence by bouncing back with a statement denying Gayle's accusations made about him (Sarwan) playing a role in the Universe Boss’s axing from the Jamaican franchise.

Sarwan, the Tallawahs assistant coach, said he responded with the intention of setting the record straight, rather than challenging Gayle.

Given that both sides of the story One big happy family! Gayle is seen hugging Sarwan while Congratulation brother! Will there be another sight as this between this duo? have been disclosed to the general pub- celebrating a Bravo wicket lic, perspectives in the cricketing world, For years, Gayle and Sarwan had been a dynamic duo Gayle as a villain, and some will see Sarwan as the hero. and especially in the Caribbean, have certainly changed. on the cricket field. Gayle noted that Sarwan gave a speech After Sarwan's response and the Tallawahs’ statement, Some former West Indies players posited that Gayle should on his last birthday, while Sarwan disclosed that Gayle was were the statements made by Gayle untrue? This gentlehave handled the situation better; but, clearly, Gayle, the close to his family. Gayle used 'harsh' words to describe man's game of cricket will certainly be looked at in a difloyal Jamaican that he is, was very angry at his unknown Sarwan, and signalled his intention to not want to be associaxing from the team he had led to two Caribbean Premier ated with the Guyanese.

League (CPL) titles.

During their time rocking the maroon colours and repreIn an age when social media is at the fingertips for senting the Caribbean people, these two persons were simmost, many prefer to voice their concerns on this platform. ply admirable. The 39-year-old Sarwan, who made his One

No social distancing in the good ole days! Sarwan and Gayle warming up

However, Sarwan issued a full statement, type written and shared on his Facebook page.

Meanwhile, the Jamaica Tallawahs franchise have issued a statement highlighting that Sarwan was not involved in this 'business' decision. In this gloomy time for West Indies cricket, conditions may be challenging.

Some will argue that Gayle was unprofessional in his approach to the situation, while others may describe Sarwan's response as professional. At the end of the day, cricket must be the winner.

T

Off the cricket field, Sarwan and Gayle making moves

Day International (ODI) and Test debut in 2000, played his last match for the West Indies in 2013. Gayle, 40, made his Test debut in 2000, and last played the longest format in 2014. He received his first ODI cap in 1999 and last played in 2019.

Hence, for most of their careers, since the Under-19 level, Gayle and Sarwan had known each other. Certainly, a friendship was developed.

The recent Gayle/Sarwan spat has left the cricketing world bewildered. some Caribbean youngsters may look at

Sarwan celebrates a monumental moment with Gayle

ferent way. Many will be wary that players who practise harmony on the cricket field may not have that good relationship off the field. And in this modern era, watch out for the disclosure of such acts on social media.

he Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has, with immediate effect, appointed Dion Innis to the position of interim Head of the Referees Department, following unsuccessful public advertisements inviting candidates to fill the position.

This was communicated to the refereeing fraternity yesterday via correspondence from the GFF Secretariat.

Accordingly, Innis, Executive Committee Member with oversight for the refereeing programme, will perform the duties attached to the position, including the following: to assist the Referees Committee; to implement decisions adopted by the Referees Committee; to carry out all tasks related to the logistics of refereeing; to carry out all administrative duties of the Refereeing Department; to implement programmes to develop the referees according to the guidelines approved by the Referees Committee; to organise courses for referees, referee instructors and referee assessors; and to appoint referees for various competitions.

Innis brings to this role a wealth of knowledge and experience, and will embark immediately on development of a broad referees development strategy in consultation and partnership with all stakeholders.

Himself a former FIFA-accredited referee, Inniss has a long background in football. He is the former captain and goalkeeper of the President’s College Football Team, and was awarded “best goalkeeper” at the inaugural Coca Cola InterSecondary School Tournament. He was a member of the winning Inter-Guiana Games football team that -- for the first time at any level since 1976 --defeated Suriname in Paramaribo at the resuscitated Games in 1993.

Moreover, he represented the Thomas United team at the First Division level, and served as its Club Secretary.

Inniss commenced his refereeing career in 2000 by officiating in all the major local tournaments. In 2004, he became a FIFA Assistant Referee until his retirement in December 2014. He is a founding member of the Guyana Football Referees Council (GFRC), and has served the organization at various times as a Committee Member, Secretary, Vice President, and current President. The GFF continues to look for a suitable person to permanently fill the position.

SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

Sports is no longer our game, it’s our business

guyanatimesgy.com

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CRICVIZ feature on Caribbean Premier League…

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Congratulation brother! Will there be another sight as this between this duo?

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