Lethem crossing now open from Mondays to Fridays 

The Guyana/Brazil crossing at the Takutu Bridge at Lethem in Region Nine will now be open from Mondays to Fridays.

This is according to a notice from thr Director of the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) Colonel Nazrul Hussain.

The notice, which is dated November 15, states that the decision to open the Lethem crossing on every week day takes immediate effect.

Previously, permission was granted for opening of the crossing on Fridays to accommodate the movement of people for any purpose.

That added to the preexisting arrangement between the two countries that allowed for essential goods and supplies to be brought into Guyana only on Thursdays.

The Takutu Bridge was closed for more than one year, in 2020, prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Flights to and from Brazil were also halted. The Thursday arrangement was instituted to allow Region Nine to receive supplies from Brazil.

Even with that arrangement in place, authorities and residents in Region Nine (Upper Takutu – Upper Essequibo) had complained of dwindling economic activity and increased hardships. There was also an almost three-week protest which saw no goods being sent from Bonfim, in Brazil, to Lethem.