Ministerial task force P

Ministerial task force calls in Police to enforce "social distancing"

As Guyana continues to confront the coronavirus pandemic, efforts are now being put in place to utilise ranks of the Police Force in order to enforce social distance compliance, a decision taken by the National COVID-19 ministerial Task Force (NCTF).

The NCTF met on Thursday last and subsequently urged ‘declustering’ in public spaces, and “to zealously practice social distancing and to refrain from socialising…Guyanese are advised to spend as little time in public as is possible and to only leave their homes when absolutely necessary.”

NCTF additionally announced that “the Guyana Police Force will shortly commence a campaign to advise persons against gathering in public spaces and to discourage persons who are found to be doing so.”

The ministerial Task Force, in a statement at the end of the week, said it “remains deeply concerned about the large number of persons who continue to ignore the advisories… The NCTF pleads with all Guyanese to play their part in ensuring that they take the recommended actions in helping to curb the spread of COVID-19.”

The ministerial body used the occasion to also warn Guyanese, particularly those in the Corentyne, not to enter Suriname illegally by boat.

“Those who do so may be subject to seizure of their vessel and engine, arrest and deportation.”

It was noted that persons deported to Guyana, as a result, will also be subject to the Ministry of Public Health’s mandatory quarantine protocols.

Additionally, the Task Force iterated that neither it nor the Government of Guyana can commit to making diplomatic or other representation on their behalf for the return of their vessels and/or engines. NCTF also used the occasion to reaffirm the closure of Guyana’s airports to incoming international flights, save and except technical stops for aircraft that require fuel and specially authorised flights.

“For the avoidance of doubt, “specially authorised flights” will only be considered in extreme humanitarian and emergency cases. Outgoing cargo flights and outgoing medivac flights will continue to be permitted.

The NCTF comprises Chairman, former Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo along with caretaker Ministers Khemraj Ramjattan, Basil Williams SC, Volda Lawrence, Winston Jordan, Dr Karen Cummings, Dr Nicolette Henry, Ronald Bulkan, David Patterson, Raphael Trotman and Winston Felix.

Guyana has confirmed a total of eight COVID-19 positive cases with one death.

Lawrence in an update over the weekend had disclosed that 32 persons have been subjected to institutional quarantine.

Apart from these figures, another six persons were placed in institutional isolation by health authorities.

“The number of confirmed cases has moved from five to eight with the number of deaths remaining at one. The total number of persons who have been tested has moved from 39 to 44. With regard to persons in institutional quarantine, the number is now 32, while the number of persons on home quarantine has not changed,” she announced.

Guyana’s first imported case died at the Georgetown Public Hospital after travelling to Guyana from New York. A short period after, four of her family members including a teen relative have tested positive. They were all quarantined at a state facility.

Since then, health authorities have prepared four facilities, which can accommodate some 350 persons. All ten administrative regions also have the capacity to cater for an additional 134 persons. …as Govt disavows Guyanese caught illegally travelling to Suriname Former Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

Expired HIV kits scandal

HOW TO HANDWASH? WASH HANDS OR USE HAND SANITISERS CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES C aribbean Medical Supplies, the company currently embroiled in scandal for supplying Guyana’s Public Health Ministry with expired Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) testing kits, has, in fact, been cited on numerous occasions over the past few years by the Auditor General because the Ministry bent the rules to procure drugs from them.

Back in 2017, the company was flagged by Auditor General Deodat Sharma in his 2016 report for having $7.6 million worth of outstanding deliveries as of September 2017. It was pointed out in the report that the Ministry kept $167 million worth of cheques (including the $7.6 million for Caribbean Medical Supplies) on hand rather than refunding them to the Consolidated Fund.

Section 43 of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act states “Except as otherwise provided in this Act or in any other law, at the end of each fiscal year, any unexpended balance of public moneys issued out of the Consolidated Fund shall be returned and surrendered to the Consolidated Fund.”

The company was again cited by the AG in 2017 for having $67.8 million in outstanding deliveries dating from 2015. It had made efforts to clear its backlog, delivering $11.1 million worth of drugs between September 2016 and September 2017.

In the Auditor General’s 2017 report, it was also pointed out that Caribbean Medical Supplies was allocated $166.3 million for the supply of drugs and medical supplies. It was one of six companies that had outstanding deliveries as at September 2018.

That very report also documented the fact that the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) sole sourced 13 contracts totalling $91.4 million, which went to Caribbean Medical Supplies. “According to the attached documentation, the supplier was the authorised distributor for the goods being procured. However, it could not be ascertained whether the supplier had exclusive rights to the goods being procured and whether there were other suppliers that the Ministry could have used to source the goods,” the Auditor General also wrote, though the Ministry indicated that the drugs were for emergencies. More breaches Another finding was that Caribbean Medical Supplies was one of several companies that were awarded contracts and received millions in payments in 2017. Their contracts had stipulated that a 10 per cent performance security had to be submitted.

However, this was not paid and according to the Auditor General, this exposed the Ministry should the suppliers default. In the Ministry’s response, they admitted that no performance security was paid because the suppliers opted to supply more than the 10 per cent without being paid.

Even more discrepancies involving the company were picked up by the AG. Caribbean Medical Supplies received contracts worth almost $80 million from the Public Health Ministry to supply goods. However, the AG noted that the Ministry only sought approval from the tender boards after the goods were delivered.

“This practice contravened the requirement of the Procurement Act 2003. As a result, it could not be determined whether the Ministry received value for the sums expended, since there was no evidence that prices was evaluated to determine the most competitive supplier, the AG said. Again, the Ministry cited emergency reasons for the contravention.

Caribbean Medical Supplies was one of six companies that the Public Health Ministry wrote NPTAB on behalf of to request approval for them to participate in a restricted tender. NPTAB granted this approval, although no contract was eventually awarded since they did not meet the requirements. Scandal The company now finds itself embroiled in a controversy involving its Area Manager, Devendra Rampersaud, who has been charged for supplying 400 expired HIV testing kits with misleading information to the Ministry of Public Health.

It is understood that the company was procured and paid to supply the testing kits but never followed through on its obligations. Reports indicate that after being pressured by the Ministry last year to supply the kits, the company mysteriously produced the kits without the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) even aware the supplies had entered the country.

In fact, the company had circumvented all established procedures by repackaging expired kits from Kenya and then smuggling them into Guyana to sell to the Government without the knowledge of the manufacturer or distributor.

Reports indicate that both the manufacturer of the kits, Trinity Biotech, and their Trinidad-based authorised distributor, Transcontinental Medical Products Limited, became suspicious and investigated the matter.

Trinity then wrote to the Guyana Government, bringing it to their attention and urging them to recall the kits since they posed a health risk to the public. Trinity also brought the matter to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) attention. This would raise serious questions, however, about the Public Health Ministry’s monitoring and quality assurance capabilities. Auditor General had cited embattled company on numerous occasions – had documented Public Health Ministry’s breaches of law for company Charged: Caribbean Medical Supplies Area Manager Devendra Rampersaud The expired kits were accepted under the nose of the Public Health Ministry, headed by Volda Lawrence Auditor General Deodat Sharma had continuously redflagged the company in his reports

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF?

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)

NA municipality imposes lockdown after COVID-19 case

In light of a suspected COVID-19 case in the town of New Amsterdam, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), the municipality on Sunday stated that non-essential businesses will be closed with immediate effect while others will have to be closed by 18:00h. Residents of the town are also advised to be indoors by 19:00h while all bars, rum shops, beer gardens, fish shops, hangout spots, beau…residents to be indoors by 19:00h

Ranks of the Guyana Police Force outside of the Municipal Market in New Amsterdam

ty parlours and barbershops were ordered to close immediately.

Further, all churches, mandirs and mosques and other religious groups are asked to cease hosting their respective services until further notice.

Supermarkets and grocery shop owners are advised to monitor the intake of customers and have to be closed by 16:30h.

Pitt Street, a commercial area in New Amsterdam, has been closed with immediate effect and sanitisation works will commence on Tuesday.

Moreover, pharmacies are to remain open until 6 pm. Markets will be closed at 12:00h (midday) on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and will be closed on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Only persons selling essential products, such as green and yellow vegetables,

fruits and meats will be allowed to vend in the market. Vendors selling non-essential items, such as clothing and shoes will not be permitted to do business.

To this end, the New Amsterdam Municipal Business Complex will be closed tomorrow for sanitisation works. With respect to pensioners, the monthly outreach at the New Amsterdam Post office on April 1 has been cancelled.

Failure to comply with the new guidelines will result in the Guyana Police Force being informed to take necessary action. In the meantime, the Mayor has advised residents to eat healthy foods, so as to build their immune system, and in so doing, fight the COVID-19.

Only Saturday last, the Linden Mayor and Town Council, in collaboration with a newly formed Regional Health Emergency Committee, imposed a mandatory curfew that will be implemented in all communities of Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

13 MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM NEWS Court cannot negate GECOM’s role to order recount, to which Chair is committed

stored.”

As such, Justice Singh has since requested that the “Court, and the Commission should be permitted to execute its constitutional role and functions with or without the Caricom Agreement”. She was referring to the Caricom initiative, which saw Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and Head of State, President David Granger agreeing to a deal

CONTINUED ON PAGE 15 after the latter approached Caricom Chair, Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Motley requesting the regional body’s supervision of a recount.

Justice Franklyn Holder will today meet to continue hearing a challenge by A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) candidate Ulita Grace Moore into whether the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) should be prevented from doing a recount. GECOM’s Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh believes, however, that “if the court grants GECOM’s Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh

Ulita Grace Moore

the reliefs sought, it is contended that the court would be making decisions for GECOM, which is certainly not the lawful role of the court”.

The claims were made Attorney-at-Law Anil Nandlall

by Justice Singh in her affidavit of defence filed in the court this past week.

The litigation brought by Moore in addition to seeking to prevent the recount of the votes cast at the recently-concluded General and Regional Elections also called for a declaration based on the final results.

This based on the declarations of regions made by the regions’ Returning Officers. Several local and international observers, as well as Governments, have since denounced the declarations made by Region Four RO Clairmont Mingo as lacking credibility.

The stakeholders have, in addition to calling for a recount, warned that a new government sworn in on the basis of results that lack credibility and transparency, would not only be not recognised by the international and business community but would face isolation and likely sanctions.

Justice Singh, in her affidavit of defence against the APNU/AFC candidate, noted the applications by several of the contesting parties for recounts were rejected by the RO for Region Four for varying reasons, but “the Commission can intervene to correct this even at this stage”.

According to the former Chief Justice, the Representation of the People Act gives the Commission two options: to either accept the Chief Elections Officer’s report or order a recount of the votes cast.

As such, she contends, “It would be unlawful for the court to direct the Commission on the way forward to complete the process where these issues are still outstanding.”

In urging the court to set aside the APNU/AFC candidate’s request, she noted former Chief Justice Desiree Bernard in a related ruling had said: “In the present volatile situation, which pervades our country, no effort must be snared to assure everyone that the process was fair and impartial. Lingering doubts that hang like a sword of Damocles over the head of the Commission must be removed. Confidence in the electoral process must be reRegion Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo