Safety first: Addition of work stations awaits report from health emergency committee

– Min. Lawrence call for an end to the politicisation of COVID-19 disease

DPI, Guyana, Saturday, May 16, 2020

The addition of more workstations to accelerate the recount of the ballots from the March 2, General and Regional election is awaiting a report from the health emergency committee.

This was disclosed by Minister of Public Health Hon. Volda Lawrence.

Speaking to members of the media today, the Minister said the committee is assigned to provide technical advice on the matter, however, the report has not yet been presented to the National COVID-19 Taskforce.

She emphasised that from the beginning of the recount process the Guyana Elections Commission has sought the professional advice of the taskforce with regards to the utilisation of space and the number of persons who should be in any space at a particular time.

“It is not for the APNU or any other political party to say at this point I want 10 or 50. The main thing is that we conduct the operation within a safe environment.”

The Minister sternly warned that Guyana is not yet free of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). “We have 10 persons dead and we have over 100 persons who have contracted this virus including children and four families,” she stated.

The Public Health Minister also called on the opposition party to stop politicising the pandemic and cited the example of their describing the January announcement about the virus as a “political gimmick”.

Reminding that the opposition party was invited to be a part of the task force but refused, she said, “We have to decide as a people that whatever decision we are making right now that we ensure we put in place security to diminish  the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus.”