Coast Clear- East Coast Residents adhere to 6 pm curfew

DPI, Guyana, Monday, April 6, 2020

Residents along the East Coast of Demerara have been adhering to the 6 pm – 6 am curfew implemented by the Ministry of Public Health.

The curfew is among a raft of measures put into effect to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) locally.

Residents have been cooperating with the authorities even as members of the Guyana Police Force patrol the streets to ensure compliance.

Buxton Gas station & Minimart which houses a Churches Chicken outpost, a prominent hangout spot in the community closed at curfew time

Friendship, East Coast Demerara public road void of traffic as 6pm beckoned on Sunday

Roads within the Enmore/Foulis area, empty as residents adhere to calls for social distancing

Friendship, East Coast Demerara public road void of traffic as 6pm beckoned on Sunday

Roads within the Enmore/Foulis area, empty as residents adhere to calls for social distancing

In Buxton/Friendship, popular entertainment spots are now closed by 5 pm and patrons are making the necessary effort to vacate the areas by the curfew time.

At Cove and John, a Chinese supermarket has put measures in place to stop overcrowding and also closes by the 5 pm timeline. Other shops and business places along the East Coast have also followed suit.

The situation is also the same in other villages such as Enterprise, Plaisance, and Belfield.

The East Coast residents have also shared their views of the situation.

Kenzia King, Friendship, East Coast Demerara: “I haven’t left my house for weeks. But they definitely are [complying]. By 6 pm the roads are cleared, Church’s closed, gas station closed. Only persons you would see are those coming in from work or guards.”

Anthony Samuels, a resident of Victoria, East Coast Demerara states that the curfew has had a significant impact on grocery shopping and residents now do their shopping earlier. He says the curfew on businesses has had a positive effect but believes more needs to be done to prevent “ganging up in the grocery stores.”

“People are in a lot,” Melody Yorrick stated, explaining that her usually quiet area is even more so at this time. “We only go out for food and so on,” the La Bonne Intention (LBI) resident said.

The ministry’s guidelines also call on citizens to observe the social distancing guidelines of maintaining two metres (6 feet) apart from others, as well as regular handwashing/sanitising, and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces persons come into contact with regularly.