GCCI calls for 7PM curfew for businesses

Recognizing that the Georgetown Mayor and City Council does not have the authority to enforce the closure of businesses, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) is calling on the business community to voluntarily practice social distancing and to close their doors at 07:00 PM.

In a statement to the press Tuesday, the business chamber highlighted the measures, specifically social distancing, which the population can implement to slow the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic. The GCCI pointed to an article titled “The Math Behind

Social Distancing”, which noted that both the method and the timeline of the intervention taken can make a huge difference. The article makes reference to a graph from BMC Public Health 9, 117 (2009) which shows that the potential outcomes range between 7 percent and 60 percent. The document stated that the difference between the two is that 60 percent of the population will be infected if nothing is done. In contrast, it was noted that only 7 percent of the population will get infected if all possible measures are taken within a 1week delay of the start of the outbreak.

“It is important to note that the 60 percent bound is related to an assumption that for a virus such as the coronavirus, which has a reproduction (RO) of around 2.5, it would require 60 percent of the population to be infected in order to achieve herd immunity. Essentially, this means that 60 percent of 750,000 people, or, 450,000 people would have to be infected to achieve herd immunity. It must also be noted that it can be expected that 2 percent (900,000) of the infected persons will die,” the GCCI highlighted.

The business chamber added that based on the studies conducted, it is increasingly clear that we should practice social distancing and practice it early. “Social distancing can reduce the spread of COVID19 significantly.” The GCCI recognizes that this is not a normal situation and thus, it requires abnormal solutions until we can gain control of the spread of the disease. The Chamber revealed that it remains willing as ever to work with the authorities to help prevent the spread of COVID19. (Kaieteur News)