No new COVID-19 case; Ministry warns Guyanese who illegally cross borders

Guyana recorded no new COVID-19 case for the second day; 14 new tests were done in the past 24 hours bringing the total number of persons tested so far to 1, 672 with the total number of negative cases being 1,519.

The Ministry of Public Health is, however, warning persons against illegally crossing the borders into neighbouring Brazil which has so far reported 539,000 cases.

In its daily COVID-19 update Tuesday, the Ministry said, “We wish to remind the residents of Regions 1,7,8 & 9 to desist from crossing the borders as COVID-19 continues to strike viciously and take lives in Brazil.”

The number of coronavirus fatalities in Brazil has risen by almost 1,000 in a day, making the country’s overall death toll the world’s fourth-highest, according to the BBC.

On May 26, the Rupununi Chamber of Commerce and Industry issued a statement calling on the Government to ensure that the Guyana/Brazil border at the Takutu River Bridge remain closed for the next three months or until such time as it is safe to reopen to regular traffic.

The Chamber reported that the closure two months ago has helped in protecting the communities in Region Nine.

However, some persons were still crossing the border as the first case in Lethem was a man who travelled from Brazil. The man escaped the facility and was recaptured in Brazil after he snuck back into that country and remains isolated there.

Dr Ertenisa Hamilton, Director of Primary Health Care Services on Tuesday reiterated the need for Guyanese to continue to take precautions to flatten the curve.

There have been 70 recoveries thus far and 12 deaths.

There are 71 active cases in institutional isolation, two (2) patients in the COVID ICU and twenty-five (25) persons in institutional quarantine.

The National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) has extended the current curfew period to June 17. Additionally, it has granted approval for flights to begin repatriating stranded Guyanese from this weekend.