Guyana: Authorities to implement Phase 4 of COVID-19 exit plan from August 1 /update 4

Event

Guyanese officials have announced that the government will implement Phase 4 of the country's six-phased coronavirus disease (COVID-19) exit strategy from Saturday, August 1. Phase 4 will allow places of worship to resume services at limited capacity, as long as these places adhere to proper sanitation and abide by rules on social distancing and the use of face masks.

All other COVID-19 related guidelines will remain in place until at least August 15. This includes a 20:00 to 06:00 nationwide curfew that will remain in effect nightly, except in Regions 5 and 6 where there will be no curfew on weekdays. Face masks will also remain mandatory in public spaces, and public gatherings will be limited to a maximum of 10.

Cheddi Jagan International Airport (GEO) in Timehri and Eugene F. Correia International Airport (OGL) in Georgetown will continue to be closed to international flights until at least August 15. Both airports have been closed to international arrivals since March 18 with exceptions to cargo flights, medical evacuations, fuel stops, and government authorized flights.

As of August 1, authorities have confirmed at least 413 cases of the virus in Guyana, including 20 associated fatalities. Further international spread of the virus is to be expected in the near term.

Context

The first case of COVID-19 was reported on December 31 and the source of the outbreak has been linked to a wet market in Wuhan (Hubei province, China). Since then, human-to-human transmission of the virus has been confirmed.

Cases of the virus have been confirmed in numerous countries and territories worldwide. On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the global outbreak a pandemic. Virus-screening and quarantining measures are being implemented at airports worldwide, as well as extensive travel restrictions.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough, and tiredness. Some patients may experience other symptoms such as body pains, nasal congestion, headache, conjunctivitis, sore throat, diarrhea, loss of taste or smell or a rash on skin or discoloration of fingers or toes. These symptoms (in most cases mild) appear gradually. Generally, most patients (around 80 percent) recover from the disease without being hospitalized.

Advice

Measures adopted by local authorities evolve quickly and are usually effective immediately. Depending on the evolution of the outbreak in other countries, authorities are likely to modify, at very short notice, the list of countries whose travelers are subject to border control measures or entry restrictions upon their arrival to the territory in question. It is advised to postpone nonessential travel due to the risk that travelers may be refused entry or be subject to quarantine upon their arrival or during their stay.

To reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, travelers are advised to abide by the following measures: