1 injured as P

SUNDAY, MARCH 14, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM 1 injured as fire destroys Bagotstown house

A56-year-old woman was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Saturday morning after a fire broke out at a house on the Bagotstown Public Road, East Bank Demerara.

The two-storey building was occupied by two families – six upstairs where the injured woman resided and another three persons in the lower flat.

The fire started sometime around 10:00h at the Lot 3 Public Road Bagotstown house which is located at the back of the MedX Pharmacy.

According to the injured woman’s daughter, Nadisha Yusuf, she and her mother had gone back to sleep after waking up early to prepare meals for her father to take to work. She recounted that they were sleeping in the upstairs room when her aunt from downstairs rushed up and alerted them of the fire.

“My mommy get up when

The Bagotstown house that was destroyed by fire on Saturday morning

she hear (my aunt shouting fire) and I feel somebody pulling my hand… When I get up I see smoke and fire so I tried to help mommy because she can’t see good and she get arthritis so she don’t walk good too. So I lift she up from the bed and bring she out,” the young woman recalled.

She added that “…when she de coming out the bedroom, she fall and get burn [on both of her feet].”

At that time, the young woman said the blaze had already spread through the living room and bathroom area.

Meanwhile, the pregnant wife of Nadisha’s cousin, Samantha, and the couple’s son were in another room in the upper flat when the fire broke out.

Samatha explained to this newspaper that she was with her son on their bed when her mother-inlaw, who lives in the lower flat, called out to her.

“When my mother-inlaw come up, she see the fire start spreading from the ceiling and when we come out, we see the fire done catch on the chair and spreading to go to the room them,” she related.

The pregnant woman lamented that they lost everything in the fire.

“All thing burn up, everything. We ain’t got nothing. All them clothes – the baby clothes and things them that we buy to go in hospital all get burn up,” Samantha cried.

The family believes that the fire was electrical in nature since it started in the ceiling.

Nadisha related that the house was being renovated and the electricians went to do some work Friday night.

“Them people come [Friday] night and fix the wire and it look like them do it hurry, hurry because they had to go to Berbice so I ain’t know [what happened],” the young woman told this publication.

Nevertheless, firefighters were able to contain the blaze from spreading to neighbouring houses which were close in proximity and had businesses. These include the front building which houses a pharmacy and another store next door. (G8)

SUNDAY, MARCH 14, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM Region 4 pensioner is Guyana’s 207th COVID-19 death

…as bar owners, workers arrested for breaching curfew

Another person who tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Guyana died on Saturday, the Health Ministry said.

This now takes the total number of deaths from the pandemic to 207.

The latest fatality is a 71-year-old male from Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) who died while receiving care at a medical facility.

With this new fatality, Guyana’s COVID-19 death toll has gone up by six over the past week. Last Sunday, two females – a 64-year-old from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) and a 69-year-old from Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) – died.

Then a 76-year-old male from Region 10 died on Monday, while a 59-year-old male from the Demerara-Mahaica region died the following day. On Wednesday, a 39-year-old female from Region 10 also died while receiving care at a medical facility.

New cases

Meanwhile, the Ministry also reported on Saturday that 52 more persons have tested positive for the novel coronavirus from some 793 tests conducted in the last 24 hours.

According to the updated COVID-19 dashboard, the total number of confirmed cases in the country is now 9121.

However, only 628 of these are currently active cases. This includes five patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the other 623 persons in isolation, that is, 32 in institutional isolation and the remaining 591 in home isolation.

There are also another eight persons in institutional quarantine.

Meanwhile, the number of persons who have recovered from the life-threatening virus has gone up to 8287 – 22 more recoveries than the figure that was reported the previous day.

To date, Guyana has tested some 74,971 persons for the novel coronavirus.

Of the 52 new COVID-19 cases recorded on Saturday, one was detected in Region One (BarimaWaini); eight in Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara); 28 cases in the Demerara-Mahaica region; five in Region Five (MahaicaBerbice); one case in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); four in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and another one in Region 10.

The figures remained the same in Regions Two (PomeroonSupenaam), Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

Health authorities are reminding all Guyanese to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 Emergency Measures (No 15), which was extended for this month and will be in effect until March 31, 2021.

Among these measures is the 22:30h (10 pm) to 04:00h (4 am) national curfew. Restaurants and places of worship continue to operate at 40 per cent capacity. Gyms are to operate at 50 per cent capacity while sporting events are only permitted with approval from the Health Minister.

Breaching curfew

Back in January, authorities had lifted the restrictions for bars, which are now allowed to be open up to 21:30h (09:30 pm). However, there have been complaints that several of these remain open past that curfew time.

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