Latest update April 11th, 2025 9:20 AM
Cops enforcing COVID-19 measures selectively – Harmon
Leader of the Opposition, Joseph Harmon
Kaieteur News – Leader of the Opposition, Joseph Harmon, was keen to register yesterday, his discontentment with the selective implementation of the regulations under the Official Gazette of COVID-19 measures set to protect citizens from the virus.
During his first media conference for the year, Harmon claimed that officers of the Guyana Police Force are not enforcing the measures in a fair manner as he stated, “Some people are not touched. The sacred cows are not touched. They are allowed to do what they want and other people are shut down,” Harmon said.
He lamented that the authorities cannot behave in such an arbitrary manner given that Guyana is such a small country.
Since the first COVID-19 case was recorded in March and gazetted measures were put in place, persons have been complaining about there being a double standard in enforcing the measures, mainly by the police force. This included the shutting down of businesses, namely: bars, rum shops, restaurants with indoor dining and others hosting various forms of social gatherings. Notably, all of the gazetted measures for COVID-19 published thus far have imposed strict bans on the opening of such businesses.
Months ago, Prime Minister, Mark Phillips, had announced that businesses found noncompliant with the measures would be closed. But according to Harmon’s statement yesterday, he believes the measures proposed by the Prime Minister are being imposed in a discriminatory manner.
With this in mind, Harmon said, “It appears to me when I look to see what the Minister is saying and what his colleagues are doing… you have two different kinds of approaches to this issue in the administration.”
He further stated that “COVID-19 is no respecter of person” and that the new strain affects both young and old persons, adding that a variant has been detected in Brazil, Guyana’s immediate neighbour.
With all of the information at the country’s disposal, Harmon said there is a need for stronger measures to be put in place, which includes a ramp-up in measures at the borders.
In his statement, Harmon also confronted the Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand’s decision to reopen schools for face-to-face classes.
Schools were given the go-ahead for a conditional reopening for face-to-face classes in the Gazetted COVID-19 measures for the month of November last year. It was an overall collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education, which was previously reported by this newspaper.
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