Bartica Boat Owners Association implements measures against COVID-19

Mar 30, 2020 News

– Despite virus hitting business hard

A passenger washing his hands at the Parika Stelling.

The Bartica Boat Owners Association has implemented several strict measures and rules to be followed by passengers traversing the waterways due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has found its way to Guyana.
President of the Association Stephen Belle explained to Kaieteur News that the Association met with officials from the Maritime Administration Department and came to consensus to aid ‘social distancing.
Belle said “someone had suggested that we reduce the number of passengers to two per seat but that would only leave twelve passengers per trip and that is not feasible.”
But the members of the Association agreed to a maximum of twenty-three passengers in a 30-seater boat. Along with that reduction in passengers, strict sanitation measures were put in place.
“We have set up sinks at both the Parika and Bartica Stellings and all passengers are required to wash their hands before and after leaving the vessels. Also, the boat captains have a strict sanitization policy they have to follow.”
The President of the Association pointed out that the COVID-19 has severely affected the flow of business, with the new policy of social distancing. But this, he said, can be seen as a positive.
“The cut down on passengers is affecting business, but what can you do, you can only see it as a good thing and it means that people are taking this thing seriously, they are staying home and practicing social distancing and that’s what we need, everybody has to play a part.”