Nagamootoo orders police to enforce minibus anti-COVID-19 passenger restrictions

Last Updated on Saturday, 4 April 2020, 19:33 by Writer

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo on Saturday publicly ordered the Guyana Police Force to ensure minibus operators comply with restrictions on the number of passengers minibuses must carry as part of a slew of measures to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus, COIVID-19.

“I am hoping and I am using the opportunity here to send a signal to the law enforcement agency, they have to enforce the measures,” said Nagamootoo who is chairing the National COVID-19 Task Force. He stressed that if the transportation operators do not want to obey the law by carrying at most half of their authorised capacity, they would be prosecuted.

His call to the civilian law enforcement agency came even as many minibuses were seen in Georgetown on Saturday carrying either the full capacity or more than the prescribed half capacity. There were no policemen at a number of bus parks.

Briefing the media on a dusk-to-dawn curfew and other measures that Health Minister Volda Lawrence announced Friday night, Nagamootoo also appealed to police to enforce the curfew even if they have to drag people out of bars and restaurants for the larger good of the health and safety of the nation.

“If they got to pull out of the bars by their ears, I would say ‘yes, get them out, get them out,’ send them home and that’s the way t0 go. There has to be strict enforcement or else these measures are going to be a laughing stock to come back to haunt us,” he said.

The Public Health Minister’s passenger limits also apply to river and domestic air transportation.