The government has officially relaxed the national COVID-19 restrictions and some vaccine rules but Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony says that workplaces and other organisations can maintain certain rules to protect against the disease.
Because Guyana still has active COVID-19 cases, Dr. Anthony urged people to continue adhering to some of the long-standing guidelines to protect themselves.
He, however, noted that with fewer new infections recorded daily and a high vaccination uptake, the government felt comfortable relaxing the restrictions that were instituted since March 2020.
But Dr. Anthony said that individuals can continue adhering to COVID-19 guidelines such as wearing their masks. Similarly, organisations can maintain the protocols to keep people safe.
“If workplaces want to keep wearing their masks, if they want to keep their vaccination policies, they should,” the Health Minister said at the sidelines of an event on Tuesday.
He added, “Every institution would have to decide what are the procedures they want to keep in place.”
The new regulations – the Public Health (Coronavirus) (no. 3) Regulations 2022 – state that employers are required to ensure that appropriate COVID-19 guidelines are prepared and implemented to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus among workers.
Consequently, employers and business operators shall ensure that handwashing stations or sanitising equipment are maintained at the entrance of the workplace or business premises. All employees and visitors are encouraged to wear masks.
Religious leaders are also encouraged to maintain these sanitisation avenues also.
On Monday, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, SC said that despite the reduction in the regulations, people are still encouraged to adhere to key guidelines for their own safety.
Mask wearing, for example, is no longer mandatory but Nandlall said that people are still encouraged to wear their masks in public. He also emphasised that people must continue to get vaccinated to protect themselves from experiencing the more serious or life-threatening symptoms of the deadly disease.
