Task Force approves ‘not more than two’ additional workstations for National Recount

May 19, 2020 News

– Recount may still exceed deadline says Vincent Alexander

The National COVID-19 Task Force (NTCF) has given the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) the go ahead to establish ‘not more than two additional workstations’ to increase the pace of the ongoing national recount at the Arthur Chung Conference Center.

Commissioner Vincent Alexander (V1)

GECOM’s Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward told reporters that the new stations will be allocated to Region’s Six and Seven. Despite this, Commissioner Vincent Alexander noted that the additional workstations, while positively impacting the progress in general, would not result in keeping the count within the 25-day timeline.
He told reporters that “My own guesstimate is that it would not allow us to complete within 25 days but it would significantly impact the number of days.”
The Commission had initially identified six possible new workstations which would satisfy the numerous appeals to ramp up the recount process. They were unable to implement the expansion without the guidance and approval of the Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) team of the Task Force who later visited and made an assessment of the recount site. Assurance was given to the GECOM Chair, Justice Claudette Singh that given the urgency of the matter, a prompt reply should be expected.

GECOM PRO Yolanda Ward

It was however, exactly four days after the visit that the needed correspondence was received. Ward relayed to the press, that the Chair took the decision to approve two workstations before the Task Force granted the approval. Coincidentally, that report from the NCTF approved two workstations as well.
Ward explained that the HEOC in their report cited that the Commission had failed to enforce the COVID-19 guidelines that were previously agreed to. The letter said “In the conclusion, the HEOC (Health Emergency Operations Center) is of the view that the previous guidelines are not being adhered to and that the ACCC is congested enough and therefore our final recommendation is that we do not envisage more than two additional workstations as this will increase the probability of the spread of infection and is not in keeping with WHO/ PAHO and the HEOC established guidelines on containment and mitigation measures.”
In their situational findings, the team highlighted that that upon arrival at the ACCC, “two designated hand washing areas were without soap or soap liquid.”
On rapid inspection, 19 persons were observed without face masks and some not adequately donning their face masks, the report said.
“Multiple persons were observed not practicing adequate physical distancing in the environs of the ACCC. All the head tables of all the recount stations inspected were clustered and not adhering to the physical distancing protocols. Representatives observing the recount were not seated with adequate physical distancing in 8 of the recount stations,” the letter stated.
The Commission will be working to putting systems in place to ensure full compliance with the COVID-19 measures. With the addition of these new workstations, starting today, Regions Three, Four, Five, Six and Seven will be counted simultaneously, Ward said, Regions One and Two having been completed over the weekend.