Illegal immigrants; a burden for Guyana’s COVID response and treatment

This image depicts Suriname’s River Bank and the imaginary borderline in the middle of the Corentyne River 

Over 30 foreign nationals within the past two months used the backtrack operation to enter Region 6. It should be noted that the thirty are just the ones who were caught and law enforcement believes that the number is way higher than that.

In late July, ranks arrested 10 Cuban Nationals on the Corentyne, five of whom were lodging at a guesthouse in Skeldon, while the other five were arrested while freely walking on the #72 Public Road to their hotel reserved hotel room after being dropped off by a boat. 

Five of the Cubans tested positive for coronavirus after they were placed into quarantine pending test results when the police arrested them. They remain in isolation and add to the existing number of COVID-19 cases being recorded by the region.

It should be noted that illegal immigrants if not managed properly across Guyana can put a strain on the public health system and its delivery of medical care for Guyanese especially through this pandemic period as together, both groups would be competing for medical care.

Once Illegal immigrants continue to enter Guyana and are tested positive for coronavirus, in worst-case scenarios; they will be required to be placed on ventilators which are already limited and that itself should be of concern for every Guyanese.

Just last Friday the police arrested eleven Cuban Nationals following an intelligence-led operation by ranks at the Berbice Bridge checkpoint which nabbed the illegal immigrants as they were making their way to Georgetown.

When asked to produce their documents, the individual could not do so and as such they along with the driver and conductor of the bus were arrested and placed into quarantine.

The Nationals had indicated to the police that they are missionaries who have been going around to different areas in the country and distributing hampers and offering assistance to frontline workers and other vulnerable persons amidst the global pandemic. 

Illegal immigrants and their enablers have been using the revering areas along the Corentyne Coast to enter Guyana even as this country battle it’s increases positive cases from the coronavirus which are now showing up due to additional testing being done by the Ministry of Health.

From the very beginning, the Corentyne border and backtrack operation has been a concern for residents and a challenge for the police, as it is very difficult for them to apprehend the boat operators as they are very slick with their operations.