Tourism Minister Walrond-Allicock, Gerry Gouveia test positive for COVID-19

Several officials and Cabinet members, who came into contact with Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd, who recently tested positive for the novel Coronavirus, have produced negative results. However, Minister of Tourism Oneidge WalrondAllicock and Chairman of the Guyana Private Sector Commission (PSC), Gerry Gouveia, have tested positive. President Irfaan Ali had stated in a press conference that all Cabinet members would be tested for the virus after he revealed that Minister Todd was infected. He had also stated that the Cabinet members were to work from home until their test results were returned.

So far, the President and the First Lady, Arya Ali, have tested negative for the virus as well as several Cabinet members including, Anil Nandlall, Nigel Dharamlall, Susan Rodrigues, Zulfikar Mustapha and Colin Croal. Other senior officials testing negative include: Prime Minister, Mark Phillips; US Ambassador, SarahAnn Lynch and her Deputy Chief of Mission; British High Commissioner, Greg Quinn; President of Suriname, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, and his entire delegation who had attended President Ali’s inauguration ceremony this past weekend.

The US Embassy in a release confirmed that Lynch had produced a negative test result but before her results were produced, she was in self-isolation. Lynch was a part of the diplomatic community that came into contact with Minister Todd at the inauguration. Gouveia announced that he tested positive for the virus in a Facebook post yesterday. He indicated that he is asymptomatic, meaning he does not show symptoms. According to Gouveia, he is feeling quite well physically. The PSC Chairman said he was supposed to travel to

Barbados with Prime Minister Philips to attend the funeral of the late Barbadian Prime Minister, Owen Arthur. They were both required to take COVID19 tests and unfortunately, his test came back positive.

The Chairman has since notified all persons he has been in contact with and they have been traced and sent to have tests conducted. Gouveia too had attended the inauguration last week but maintained that he adhered to COVID19 protocols and therefore is unsure of where he might have contracted the virus.

Other government officials, including Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, were also tested but up to press time, their results were not released to the public. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health revealed yesterday that the number of COVID19 cases in Guyana now stands at 631. (Kaieteur News)