Persons attending Mashramani activities this year have been urged not to be complacent, as the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging.
Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony said Friday, that a spike in cases is still possible.
“Covid is not over…we have seen an omicron wave and those numbers have been dropping, but we still have cases and if we are not careful, those cases can still spike. With omicron, there are different variants or subtypes of Omicron, so you have a BA 1, and BA 2, BA 3, BA,4 and BA 5.”
“In some countries the BA 2 is now circulating and now creating a resurgence in some countries,” the minister said.
He referenced the situation in Denmark which recently lifted mandatory mask wearing. However, in one week, there was a spike in cases, with a 67 percent increase in Covid-19 deaths.
So, once we start opening up like this and opening up too soon, we are going to see spikes in cases and therefore, we cannot be complacent, we have to be mindful that we are still in a covid-19 pandemic, and therefore we have to make sure that we take the necessary precautions,” the minister warned.
“While we have lifted the curfew, all the other measures are still in place and I do hope that every person, who is promoting activities or involved in these type of entertainment arrangements that they would first seek guidance from the task force before proceeding to organise any such gathering,” the health minister advised
Minister Anthony noted too, that countries returning to normalcy, have a considerably higher percentage of the population vaccinated than Guyana, with not only both doses of a vaccine, but booster shots as well.
Several activities have been organised for the upcoming weekend, in observance of Guyana’s Republic anniversary, including Panorama, and Chutney, Calypso and Soca Monarch competitions, all with a vaccination requirement for entry.
Currently 83.3 per cent of the population has had a first dose, while 63.2 percent has taken a second dose.
These statistics have to increase significantly before Guyana could return to any form of normalcy, the health minister noted.
Why do we still have Mashramani? The participants ought to find work instead of dancing in hte streets.
I ask this: where did the money come from to buy these costumes? These creatures do not work, preferring instead to line up and get hand-outs.
Is the Guyanese population footing this bill?
I say to the participants: get jobs. Sure, you do not have the ability to clean latrines, but there MUST be something you can do.