Georgetown Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI)
The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) welcomes the decision by the Government of Guyana to remove the curfew. This removal marks the first instance, in seven (7) years, that Guyana reinstated this component of social freedom.
From its initial imposition in 2015, under the pretext of addressing societal issues, the business community has felt the burden of this restriction on the activities of the night economy. The night economy, as the general public is aware, serves as a critical source of income for Guyanese.
The arrival of the novel coronavirus dealt a further crippling blow to the already strained night economy. With the breakthrough of vaccines against COVID-19, the inoculation of Guyanese, and the understanding by the current national administration of the importance of the night economy, the GCCI believes that this constitutes the conditions for the removal of the curfew and the reinstatement of this component of social freedom.
However, the GCCI urges all citizens to bear in mind that COVID-19 still exists in the society. Thus, the general public must be responsible in ensuring that they continue to follow the guidelines to protect themselves against coronavirus including being vaccinated.
These actions will ensure that Guyana achieves herd immunity and life can return to a degree of normalcy.
Private Sector Commission
The Private Sector Commission (PSC) welcomes the decision taken by the National COVID-19 Taskforce on Friday, February 11, 2022, to lift the National Curfew with immediate effect.
The Commission recognizes the consistent reduction in COVID-19 cases over the past weeks and believes that Guyana is well on its way to achieving herd immunity.
The PSC continues to urge businesses to adhere to the COVID-19 measures in place to safeguard against the virus and reminds that vaccination remains our top protection against all variants of COVID-19 and a timely booster dose maximizes protection against the virus.
Palm Court
We the Management of Palm Court, welcome the Government’s decision to bring an end to the Emergency COVID-19 curfew with immediate effect.
We believe that this decision is very timely. Since their election into office, the Government has managed to tackle the spread of the deadly virus where adequate intervention was made to address both the economic impact on the health implications.
It is worthwhile to note that the tourism, entertainment and hospitality sector has been the most badly affected globally and in Guyana, resulting in hundreds of businesses and employees being placed on the bread line.
With more than half the population fully vaccinated, this decision will allow/make way for the safe reopening of businesses as well as create employment opportunities for persons in addition to building the economy.
Once again, we would like to thank the Government and the COVID-19 taskforce for their diligence and the recently updated measures.
We wish to commend the Government for the manner in which they manage to contain the impacts of the deadly COVID-19 virus.
Sincerely,
Ravin Prashad
Chairman of Board
of Directors
Region Three Private Sector
The nationwide curfew that has been in place since March 2020 to curb the spread of the coronavirus has been lifted as the country sees a decline in cases and an uptake in vaccination, this will also jumpstart economic activity and create more jobs as Guyana forges ahead into the future.
It is advisable that all citizens seek vaccination as it is now time to shift our focus from survival to co-existing with the disease.
We are not yet out of the woods and we must therefore continue to observe the COVID-19 protocols and rules, such as wearing face masks.
Vaccination remains the best defence against severe illness, hospitalisation, and death from COVID-19. All citizens who have not yet done so are encouraged to be vaccinated as soon as possible. This includes people who are eligible for booster shots.
This will be a huge relief to the hundreds of workers in the tourism and hospitality sector that have borne the brunt of the national lockdown.
We would like to thank President Irfaan Ali and the Government of Guyana for facilitating all aspects of vaccination and healthcare services in order to reach this stage as Guyana heads into a progressive era.
Sincerely,
Halim Khan
Region Three Private
Sector Inc (R3PSInc)
