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Health Ministry mulls strict guidelines to limit public gatherings
The Ministry of Public Health is looking to establish firm guidelines to safeguard members of the public amid concerns about the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Karen Boyle
Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO) Dr. Karen Boyle told Kaieteur News that while Guyana is still ahead of the curve in terms of the number of cases that have tested positive for the virus, the Ministry is seeking to implement firm guidelines to limit public gatherings as part of preventative methods recommended for keeping the virus at bay.
Dr. Boyle noted that proposals have been made to the Ministerial Task Force on how the public could practice social distancing to stop the infection from spreading.
Social distancing or physical distancing is a non-pharmaceutical infection control action intended to stop or slow down the spread of a contagious disease.
“At present, all our confirmed cases of the virus are imported; that is, persons who came from overseas.”
She stressed, nonetheless, that locals must practice precautions to steer clear of the disease.
She noted that at present, the Ministerial Task Force has a list of suggested strategies put forward to help curb the incidence of coronavirus.
According to the DCMO, the recommendations include suggestions for entities which interface with the public on a daily basis.
“For example for public transportation workers such as the minibus, hire car, taxi and speedboat operators, it was recommended that those persons allow less passengers in each seat to facilitate the three feet distance between each person.”
Dr. Boyle said “We also suggested the use of sanitisers for minibus drivers, conductors, and those collecting or handling money.”
“For public buildings, we suggest having hand sanitisers or a hand sink with running water available for public use. We suggest the use of liquid soap where sinks are installed, but no sharing of hand towels.”
“If business is to be conducted in a public space, it is recommended that the accommodation is limited to not more than twenty persons at a time; it could be fewer people depending on the size of the space.”
“The idea is to implement systems conducive to social distancing,” Dr. Boyle posited.
“So for instance when persons visit the health centres or supermarkets, we have recommended that those facilities accommodate fewer people at a time.”
“As it relates public events like weddings, wakes and funerals that usually attract crowds, we recommend smaller gatherings of persons who absolutely need to attend.”
The DCMO emphasized that is important that locals adopt cautious behaviour while Guyana’s coronavirus situation is still under control.
Boyle admitted that Guyanese have not been too mindful of the precautions, at this point.
“However, while we don’t have any (confirmed) local cases and we hope to keep our population virus-free. We are hoping that the nation quickly adopts to prevent any possible spread”
Dr. Boyle noted that while the recommendations have been made, the ministerial task force is responsible for approving and implementing the measures set out.
In the meantime, Kaieteur News understands that the Ministry has been meeting every forty-eight hours to determine the best methods of addressing the public health issue. Guyana reported its first coronavirus case on March 11 last.
Since then, a number of public entities have been ramping up precautionary measures to guard against the infection.
A series of government agencies and privately-owned businesses have issued information on the preventative measures that will be undertaken as the nation strives to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The information outlines a number of protocols to ward off respiratory viruses.
These measures include “frequently clean hands using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub if your hands are not visibly dirty; when coughing and sneezing cover your mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue.
Given the nature and characteristics of the novel coronavirus, social distancing and self isolation are among the recommendations pegged globally to prevent its spread.
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