The Week-in-Review - March 15 to March 21

Guyana’s COVID-19 cases now at five - Another positive case of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) here was confirmed by Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence on Wednesday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Guyana to five, inclusive of one death. COVID-19 was identified in Wuhan, China late last year and the World Health Organization declared it a global pandemic two weeks ago. In a statement, Lawrence revealed that a relative of Guyana’s first COVID-19 case, the 52-year-old woman who died almost two weeks ago at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH), had tested positive for the respiratory disease. The woman’s husband, her son and another relative had tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, March 14. Lawrence also said that the Ministry of Public Health has since activated the Health Emergency Operation Centre, which is currently trying to locate other persons who have been in contact with the now-dead 52-year-old COVID-19 victim.

Airports, seaports closed to int’l traffic - As the country ramps up its response to COVID-19, authorities last week announced that the two international airports would be closed for two weeks to incoming international flights from midnight on Wednesday. Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority Egbert Field made the announcement on Tuesday during a press conference at the National Communications Network (NCN) Studios, Homestretch Avenue, hosted by the Ministerial Task Force set up to address the country’s COVID-19 response. Field noted that exceptions will be made for outgoing, cargo and medevac flights, technical stops for aircraft which would require fuel to proceed onwards to another destination, and special authorised flights. Meanwhile, on Friday the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) announced that all seaports in Guyana will be closed until further notice. In an advisory to mariners, MARAD stated that all seaports in Guyana will be closed to international vessels, with the exception of international merchant ships from today, March 21, until further advised as part of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. MARAD further advised that during this period no shore leave or crew exchanges would be granted to crew currently onboard vessels. Additionally, entrance to Guyana’s ports will only be granted in accordance with established procedures.

Mandatory quarantine for infected among measures unveiled to fight coronavirus - President David Granger has approved a range of measures to tackle COVID-19 in Guyana, which includes mandatory quarantine for those infected or exposed to the disease and the destruction of personal items exposed to infection from the disease, among other actions. The president, in an extraordinary publication of the Official Gazette dated March 16, cited constitutional provisions that provide for the taking of such measures. It was noted too that COVID-19 constitutes an emergency that threatens national security which requires a national response and the World Health Organization has declared the disease a pandemic with Guyana, also recording the presence of the disease here. Accordingly, the publication said that the president considers that immediate action was necessary to address COVID-19, which has been declared an infectious disease.

Central Bank urges reduction of interest rates, deferral of loan repayments for coronavirus relief - The Bank of Guyana (BoG) has urged banks to consider the reduction of interest rates on loans and a deferral of repayments as part of measures to cushion the expected financial effects from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on both individuals and businesses. The call was made on Friday in a letter sent by BoG Governor Dr Gobind Ganga to the Guyana Bankers Association Inc. In the letter, a copy of which was seen by Stabroek News, Ganga notes the “likely economic and financial fallout” that may be caused by COVID-19, particularly to the banking system. As a result, he said the BoG strongly encouraged banks to offer relief to individual and commercial customers in the form of a reduction of interest rates on loans and credit cards; a deferral of loan payments to assist customers in good standing; a deferral of loan payments by companies to assist with their liquidity requirements; a waiver or reduction of fees/penalties for Automated Teller Machine (ATM), Point of Sales (POS), Electronic Funds Transfer, debit card, and loan processing services, among others; and the encouragement to customers to reduce in-person transactions by using ebanking, ATM and POS services.

Mottley says ‘it is clear there are forces that do not want to see the votes recounted’ -

CARICOM’s electoral rescue mission collapsed dramatically last Tuesday after legal action against it, prompting Chairperson of the movement Mia Mottley to say that there were forces here that do not want the votes from the March 2 elections recounted. She also warned again that a government sworn in without a credible tabulation would not have legitimacy. The decision by CARICOM to withdraw its five-member mission came after a person who had been an election candidate for the governing APNU+AFC secured an injunction from the High Court to effectively block the recount. The CARICOM intervention came amidst mounting pressure from Western countries particularly the US over the absolute need for clarity on the Region Four count where the Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo has been accused of twice delivering fictitious figures to make it appear that APNU+AFC had won. In the most explicit warning yet from the Trump Administration US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday warned that those engaged in electoral fraud here faced grave repercussions.

Joe Singh calls on President to call off ‘Dogs of War’, let vote recount proceed - Major General (Ret’d) Joe Singh last week called on President Granger to call off the “Dogs of War” and to enable GECOM to complete an orderly recount of the ballots cast at the March 2 general elections. In an open letter to the president, Singh raised questions about the circumstances that could have led to Granger’s own initiative with CARICOM for a vote recount being dismantled. “That such a commendable initiative should be stillborn as a result of an Injunction originating from your own party, sends a worrying message that either you are being Machiavellian, or being manipulated, or you have simply lost control over the actions of members of your own inner circle,” he wrote.

Rudy Insanally urges President Granger to abide by promise for vote recount - Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Rudy Insanally has urged President Granger to remain faithful to his promise for a recount of votes from the March 2 general elections, while warning of the seriousness of repercussions were the international community to place sanctions on Guyana. In a copy of the letter released to the press, Insanally said that as a retired diplomat and technocrat Minister for Foreign Affairs who has served every government and President since Guyana’s independence, he believes he has earned the right to express to Granger his concerns over the present situation. “Not unnaturally, one of my greatest fears is that, having worked for a lifetime to build close and cooperative relations between Guyana and the international community, the resounding furore which followed the recent election and projected us abroad as a racist and undemocratic polity, will most likely reduce our current prestigious world standing to pariah status and public scorn. Not only our domestic policies but also our international initiatives will be seen as mere charade.

Carter Center team leaves due to stalled elections activity, declining security, COVID-19 - Citing the absence of an ongoing electoral process, the decline in the security environment, and the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the US-based Carter Center’s election observation mission has departed Guyana. The Center, which launched its observer mission for the March 2, 2020 general and regional elections here on January 14, has indicated its willingness to return when the electoral process resumes and has also issued a call for constitutional reform. “The Carter Center made the difficult decision to have the team leave Guyana earlier today [Friday] after weighing a combination of factors, including the absence of an ongoing electoral process, increasing restrictions on international travel because of COVID-19, and the decline in the security environment in Guyana,” the organisation said in a statement on Friday. “In light of the current injunction and subsequent legal process, there is not currently electoral activity for The Carter Center to observe. The security environment in Georgetown has declined in the wake of the impasse created by the nontransparent tabulation process in Region 4. International observers have been harassed, and protestors supportive of the APNU+AFC coalition have at times blocked international observers from doing their work. Specific threats have also been made against the international community that are unacceptable and further undermine the credibility of the electoral process,” the statement said.

Guyana paid US$55M for first oil cargo - Guyana has been paid US$55 million for its first cargo of crude oil sold in February and the country will receive royalties from production by ExxonMobil in its Liza-1 field on the offshore Stabroek Block next month. The US$55 million paid for the one-million-barrel cargo puts the price for one barrel of oil at about US$55, Minister of Finance Winston Jordan has said. Stabroek News was told that the sum was collected on March 13th and has been deposited into Guyana’s Natural Resource Fund (NRF) account being held with the New York Federal Reserve Bank. While Jordan did not go into the details of the sale, he said that royalties were not a part of the US$55 million collected and those monies are expected in April.

Couple found dead with stab wounds at Linden - The bodies of a couple bearing multiple stab wounds were discovered at Wismar, Linden on Wednesday evening and a suspect who had threatened one of the victims has been arrested in connection with the crime. Police have identified the deceased as Imogene Gordon, 49, of Lot 117 Prosville Housing Scheme, Wismar, Linden and Royston John, 43, also of Prosville Housing Scheme and Kildonan Village, Corentyne, Berbice. According to police, the dead bodies were discovered at the entrance of Gordon’s residence at about 8.35 on Wednesday. They were subsequently pronounced dead on arrival at the Linden Hospital Complex. The suspect is a 48-year-old businessman, also of Prosville Housing Scheme, with whom Gordon previously shared a relationship. The man, who was caught a short distance away from the scene of the crime, had previously threatened to sever her hands. He was treated at the Linden Hospital Complex for a gaping wound to his right hand before being discharged into police custody.

Full Court dismisses Jordan’s contempt appeal - The Full Court of the High Court on Monday dismissed an appeal which was brought by Minister of Finance Winston Jordan, who had been found guilty of criminal contempt and ordered to be imprisoned for 21 days for non-payment of over US$2.2 million owed to Trinidad company Dipcon. Throwing out the appeal, Justices Simone Morris-Ramlall and Diana Insanally found, among other things, that Jordan had deliberately and contumaciously refused to perform his obligation. Just last week Justice Nareshwar Harnanan quashed a presidential respite granted to Jordan by President David Granger, who invoked his power under Article 188(1) (b) of the Constitution, in a bid to spare him from being sent to prison for 21 days. On June 24th of last year, Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry held Jordan in criminal contempt for failing to pay over the US$2,228,400 in damages for breach of contract, together with interest which had been awarded to Dipcon since 2015. In a terse statement following Justice Harnanan’s ruling, the Ministry of Finance said it paid Dipcon in December, 2019.