While sport events are now allowed to resume, upon approval from the Ministry of Health and the National COVID-19 Task Force, no bars would be allowed at these events.
That’s according to Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony. The Minister urged organisers and sporting bodies to still exercise caution since “these events if not managed properly can become super-spreaders.”
“We have provisions in the Order that is currently enforced for limited provision of sporting events. In the specific instance of cricket, we have granted permission for cricket matches, but without spectators, and along with the permission among the conditions that they have to uphold is that bars at these events must be closed; there must be no bars,” Dr. Anthony said in his daily COVID-19 update on Tuesday.
Most of the established cricket clubs in Guyana have bars.
The Health Minister said sport organisations are informed of the specific conditions, namely no spectators and no bars, as they apply for permission to host events.
The Secretariat, Dr. Anthony related, would be sending teams to conduct random checks to ensure those granted permission are in compliance with the COVID-19 guidelines.
“And if they’re not in compliance with the stipulations then we can close the event down. We’re very serious, because these events, if not managed properly, can become super-spreaders where a lot of people congregate and they get infected and they can spread the disease,” the Minister added.
He continued, “And the reason we don’t want bars at these events is because when you have to drink you have to remove your mask and if somebody is near to you that is positive you would be exposed to them and you would get the disease. We’re trying to break that chain of transmission and the only way we can do that is to prevent obvious sites where people can get exposed.”
Sport events are now permitted and gyms and fitness centres can re-open at 50% capacity under the new COVID-19 measures. From November 1 to 30, the curfew is 22:30h to 04:00h.
The new measures state that sporting events are permitted, subject to the approval of the Minister of Health and in compliance with any guidelines that the Ministry of Health may issue.
Every person or organiser hosting an approved sporting event shall be responsible for ensuring that the measures under the notice, as well as the guidelines that the Ministry of Health may issue are complied with.
