A number of Mashramani events that are open to the public will be held this weekend, but the Ministry of Health is reminding the nation that the COVID-19 pandemic is still not over.

This weekend, the Ministry of Culture hosts a number of events including the calypso, chutney, and soca competitions and the steel pan competition.   There are also a number of private Mashramani events being planned for the weekend and into next week. Only a limited number of vaccinated persons will be allowed to attend the events.

The Health Minister said even with the declining number of positive cases, persons should still not be complacent and should take all of the precautions if they decide to attend public events.

“COVID is not over. We have seen an omicron wave and those numbers have been dropping but we still have cases and if we are not careful, those cases can still spike”, the Health Minister warned.

Last Friday, the Government announced the removal of the national curfew from the COVID-19 regulations.  However, the Health Minister reminded that while the curfew has been lifted, the other COVID-19 regulations remain in place.

 The Health Minister said the organizers of the various events for Mashramani need to seek guidance from the National COVID-19 task force.

“Well, I’m not sure want Mashramani activities will be hosted but while we have lifted the curfew, all the other measures are still in place and I do hope that any person, who is promoting activity, or involved in these sorts of entertainment arrangement, that they will first seek guidance from the task force before proceedings to organize any such gathering”, Anthony said.

The Government is expected to keep the COVID-19 regulations in place to fight off a possible spike in new cases.

He said Guyana has to be cautious about reopening the country fully.

“If we open up too soon we are going to see spikes in cases and therefore we cannot be complacent we have to be mindful that we are still in a Covid-19 pandemic and therefore we must ensure that we take the necessary precaution”

In the past 24 hours, the country recorded 48 new COVID-19 cases. It is one of the lowest numbers of new cases recorded in several weeks.  However, the Ministry of Health also reported that five more persons, most of them unvaccinated, have succumbed to the virus.  

Related posts:

Health Minister claims some Mashramani events were not granted Task Force approval Report businesses flouting COVID regulations and getting a free pass – Health Minister urges Health Minister wants more enforcement of COVID-19 regulations Close to 40 events and activities on Mashramani Calendar