1st of October, 2021. Region 4, Guyana, South America
Last updated: October 2, 2021 at 21:28 pm
The draconian measures gazetted last month (September, 2021) by the Guyana Government to restrict unvaccinated persons from entering public buildings such as banks expired yesterday 30th of September, 2021. There has been no official notice by the Ministry of Health or any other government agency indicating that the measures were renewed.
According to the COVID-19 Emergency Measures (No. 22) published on the 4th of September, 2021:
“The measures shall take effect from 4th of September, 2021 and last until the 30th of September, 2021 unless earlier terminated, extended, or amended by notice of the Minister of Health after assessing the prevailing health conditions.” Source.
The said emergency measures, which borders on human rights abuses, forced independent financial institutions to operate contrary to their existing terms and conditions by stipulating that no one who is unvaccinated is allowed to enter a public building.
However, there were initially some misconceptions about what is meant by “public buildings” as a number of patients were locked out of hospitals when the measures were first published. One video circulated widely on Facebook showed a mother with her sick child being locked out of a hospital gate because the mother did not have a vaccination card.
The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation several weeks later published a notice that patients must not be denied medical care on the basis of not having a vaccine passport.
Although the emergency measures clearly states that it lasts until September, 30, and no notice of its renewal was published by the Ministry of Health as yet, the banks are still refusing entry to unvaccinated people and demanding that they show up with vaccine passports or stay out. This publication called several banks today and they all said that they are still requiring vaccine passport.
This publication also called the Ministry of Health and asked them to confirm whether the measures were renewed, and if they were renewed, when they were renewed, and for how much longer. However, the attendant of the telephone said she does not know and gave us another number. We also called that number and they said they didn’t know either. The person on that number gave us another number to call. We called that and they said they didn’t know either, and recommended that we call back the Ministry of Health. We also reached someone at the Covid-19 task force who said they are not sure if the measures is still in force, but said it should be, even though they cannot say if it was officially renewed.
Thousands of Guyanese are presently on the breadline, and unable to access their own money because of these draconian measures implemented by the Government of Guyana – which is the first of its kind in the Caribbean and possibly around the world.
