Fire guts Chase’s academy building this morning

 

 

According to a security guard on duty, smoke was seen coming from the bottom flat of the Parade street, Kingston building which housed the admin office. The fire quickly got out of control and engulfed the entire building.
Henry Chase, owner and principal of the private institution  was at a loss when he arrived on the scene. He said he would rebound and that  the building was rented.
Firefighters were able to contain the fire from spreading to any of the other nearby buildings. An investigation is underway.

Man executed on Durban Street

Dead man has been identified as Rondel Haynes, 25, of Mango Lane East Ruimveldt.
The man was said to be a father of 1 and was self employed.
He was shot multiple times about his body and died on the spot. Grieving family members said the man recently returned to Guyana from Barbados. Police investigators are on the scene

Three killed in Corentyne Berbice road accident Sunday night

Dead are 21yr. old Jessica Leitch, of Rose Hall Town, Quacy Lewis, a member of the Guyana Defence Force and of Springlands, Berbice and Reon Moriah, 25, of 8 Circle Street, Corriverton, Berbice.
The accident occurred around 23:30h on Sunday, August 2nd on the Whim Public Road, Corentyne Berbice and involved motor lorry # GJJ 5939 which was driven by a 43 – year- old of Whim Village Corentyne, motor car # PGG 9262 driven by a 19 -year- old of Liverpool Village, Corentyne and motor car # PWW 582 driven by a 21 -year-old police constable of Scothburg ,Corriverton.
According to a Police report their enquiries disclosed that motor lorry GJJ 5939 was proceeding west on the southern side of the road, whilst motor car PGG 9262 was proceeding in the opposite direction on the northern side of the road.
It was alleged by the driver of the lorry that as he was about to park on the said southern parapet, motor car PGG 9262 collided with the right rear wheel of the lorry and shortly after motor car PWW 582 which was proceeding west on the southern side of the road collided with the rear of the said lorry. The injured were taken to the Port Mourant Hospital where the three persons were pronounced dead. The driver of the car PWW 582 was treated for minor injuries. The police report added that breathalyzer tests were conducted and the drivers of PGG 9262 and PWW 582 were found to be above the legal limit. The drivers are in custody assisting with the investigation.

 

One dead, four injured following shooting at Magic City Nightclub

The incident occurred just after 4:00 this morning and persons around the area said they woke to rapid gunshots coming from inside the Magic City Nightclub which is located on Garnette Street Kitty.

The police were called to the scene after the gunshots ended and a 21-year-old taxi driver was found dead and others injured. The dead man was identified as Raymond Lindo of Diamond East Bank Demerara.

There are reports that there was a private party being held at the club despite the COVID-19 restrictions and Curfew.

It’s unclear how the shooting occurred but persons around the area told this newscast that there was an altercation in the club following which multiple gunshots rang out.

Commander of A Division Phillip Azore and other senior police officers were on the ground doing their investigations. The commander confirmed that one person was killed and four injured. He said the injured men are all under police guard at the GPHC.

This newscast understands that the Club was raided last Friday following reports of it being opened during curfew hours and it was also raided twice during the week.

There are also reports that sometime last week the lawmen were called to stop a party at the Magic City Nightclub and the club owner was arrested for breaching the COVID-19 Curfew. He was detained for days and later released. At the time of the shooting this morning, the owner was not at the location. The police retrieved a number of spent shells from the club and on the street. The lawmen were also checking the surveillance cameras in and outside of the location to get a better understanding of what transpired. The police investigations are currently ongoing.

 

 

 

12 more cases of COVID-19 recorded —total now 413

The Ministry of Public Health has reported that twelve more persons have tested positive for the novel coronavirus taking that total number of confirmed cases to 413.

To date, 185 persons have recuperated from COVID-related illnesses. Deaths remain at 20.

Currently, there are 208 active cases in institutional isolation at various facilities across Guyana; 50 persons in institutional quarantine and three patients housed in the COVID-19 ICU.

In total 4,705 persons have been tested for the virus with 4,292 yielding negative results.

Globally, the WHO is reporting that as of July 31, positive cases stand at 17,106,007 with 668,910 deaths. While in the Regions of the Americas, positive cases now stand at 9,152,173 with a total of 351,121 deaths.

Citizens are reminded to continue practising social distancing in the workplace, public spaces, and while using public transportation to reduce the spread of the coronavirus disease. They are also reminded to practise frequent hand washing/sanitising and always wear a face mask if they must go out.

Trafficking in Persons sees increase between 2018-2019

The number of migrants who are victims of Trafficking In Persons (TIP) has seen a marked increase between 2018-2019 and has been made worse by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

This was highlighted during a recent panel discussion on ‘COVID and Its Impact on TIP and the Migrant Population’ hosted by the Ministry of Social Protection. 

Coordinator (ag) for the Ministerial Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons, Daniel Griffith disclosed that between 2014 to 2017, TIP cases in Guyana had fluctuated significantly.

“In 2014, 18 reports were made with 40 alleged victims of trafficking in persons. While in 2016 we had 38 reports with 98 alleged victims in trafficking in persons, and in 2017 we had 14 reports been made, with 50 alleged victims.”

Griffith explained that during this period foreign national account for 45 percent of the victims coming mostly from Brazil, Dominica and other Caribbean countries, while 50.2 percent of the victims were Guyanese.

According to the Coordinator, the increase was noticeable in 2018 due to the large influx of mostly Venezuelan migrants fleeing the economic situation in their country.

“In 2018, there were 32 cases reported with 245 victims of trafficking, which comprised of 162 Venezuelan nationals, 49 Cuban nationals, 10 Dominican Republic nationals and 21 Guyanese Nationals,” Griffith detailed.

Between January to June of 2020 there have been 19 reports and 45 of the victims were Venezuelans nationals.

Griffith said the statistics point to a growing trend of the mostly Venezuelan nationals being victims with 90 percent of them women below the age of 27 years.

Project Coordinator for the IOM (Guyana) Montserrat Hernandez pointed to the fact that the COVI-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation for migrants.

“We have seen the situation aggravated in the last couple of months. Leaving them to resort to activities that put them at risk of human trafficking and gender-based violence,” she noted.

Hernandez also noted that the IOM is seeking to educate migrants on the danger of illegal crossings which makes them vulnerable to operators of TIP

National Project Coordinator for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Oliver Profit in his presentation, disclosed that the IOM project has been providing necessary support to TIP victims.

“The project focuses on supporting the efforts of the Government of Guyana to combat trafficking in persons and our donor agency is the office to monitor and combat trafficking in persons within the United States Department of State. The project has enabled us to also establish a network of civil society actors to collaborate and assist the government with anti-trafficking activities,” Profit noted

One of the main components of the project is a direct assistance fund developed under this project. Additionally, the Ministry of Citizenship has facilitated ease of entry into the country for Venezuelan migrants as a possible preventive to illegal crossings at the borders

The IOM Project is a committee comprising several governmental and non-governmental organisations established to address the issue of Trafficking In Persons.

The panel discussion is among other activities being hosted by the Ministry of Social Protection leading up to the observance of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (TIP), on Friday, July 31, 2020.

The theme for this year’s observance is “Embracing Diversity, Reducing Vulnerabilities, Promoting Safe Migration.

Places of worship to reopen in controlled manner

Phase Four of the country’s reopening process is scheduled to begin on Saturday, August 1, 2020.

During this stage remain largely the same as in Phase three. However, places of worship will be allowed to recommence in-persons worshipping, prayers, weddings and funerals in a controlled manner.

Religious leaders will be expected to ensure that attendance is restricted to 25 percent of the building and where multiple services are usually had, this must be limited to 45 minutes for each gathering.

Places of worship must be cleaned and sanitised before and after every gathering.

Persons attending services must be outfitted with face masks, avoid handshakes and any other form of physical contact and more importantly, social distancing must be practised at all times.

 

401 COVID-19 cases recorded in Guyana

As of the 30th July 2020, of the 78 tests done, the number of positive cases is now 401, with 20 COVID related deaths. The number of active cases in Institutional Isolation is 196; 50 persons are in institutional quarantine and 3 persons are in the COVID-ICU. To date, 185 persons have recovered.

Two new cases today are coming from Region 7 and 1 case from the city.

Tomorrow July 31st is a national holiday where our Guyanese Muslim brothers and sisters will be celebrating with Muslims around the world the Festival of Eid ul Adha.

The WHO has cautioned countries globally about the safety measures that need to be adopted to prevent the further transmission of the raging coronavirus disease. On a national level, I also wish to state that our Muslim counterparts must be cognizant of the local COVID-19 situation and make the necessary adjustments so that exposure to the virus is nullified. This means that the practice of social distancing must be prioritized and strictly adhered to; no more than 10 persons congregating with visible 6 feet demarcations and more importantly, alternative arrangements must be put in place regarding the distribution of meatto the needy.

Similarly, on Saturday August 1st, Emancipation Day will be celebrated nationally. The Ministry is once again pleading with all to ensure that the COVID guidelines are at the core of these celebrations. You are all aware of the highly contagious nature of this disease and of the continuous increase locally of our cases.

Fellow Guyanese let us not close our eyes to what is happening re COVID -19 in the USA and even closer to us in neighboring Brazil which has reported 23, 284 new cases and 614 deaths in the last 24 hours.

As Dr Tedros intimated, “It’s never too late; Even epidemics can be turned around.” I am convinced that together we can flatten the curve with more effort from all of us; in the city we need to make a behavioral change and respect the health guidelines; in our hotspots Regions 7 & 9 which remain high-risk areas, you need to curtail your cross-border movement where exposure to the disease is  uncontrollably high, and help to halt the imported cases; in our mining communities, the influx of migrants continues to contribute to the high incidence of positive cases through their constant movement in and out of the communities.