Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony continues to defend his Government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as he reported some 743 new cases and seven additional COVID-19 related deaths yesterday, including a four months old baby girl.
The report by the Health Minister has pushed Guyana’s COVID-19 death toll to 1,108. This brings the total deaths from COVID-19 in January to 53 thus far. There are still 13 days remaining in the month. The Government’s force reopening of schools has also proven to be disastrous for students and teachers. President of Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) Mark Lyte was reported in a section of the media yesterday as saying that over four hundred students and teachers have been infected with the COVID-19 virus since the reopening of schools three weeks ago.
Two days ago the main Opposition APNU+AFC in a press statement condemned the decision of the administration to end free PCR testing for persons exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. Additionally, the issuing of COVID-19 discharge certificates to persons on home isolation has also been gutted by the administration. The APNU+AFC has repeatedly claimed that the PPP administration has no plan in place to effectively tackle and reduce the spread of COVID-19.
In fact, the APNUAFC believes that the Government’s agenda is two fold:
1. To allow for the reduction in reporting of the number of positive cases we have seen daily. The public will no longer be in receipt of the true spread of COVID-19 in the nation.
2. To force persons away from public facilities to private centers where they will have to pay to be tested.
The Opposition is of the view that, “the rapid spread of the coronavirus is a direct result of the Government’s incompetence and total disregard for the health and safety of citizens.” Strangely, the head of the National COVID-19 Taskforce Prime Minister Mark Phillips two weeks ago had cause to declare: “Kashif and Shanghai failed us.” His admittance was in light of two COVID super spreader events hosted by the individuals in Linden and Georgetown.
More, In The Ring.