Guyana Enforces Social Distancing In Public Transportation

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, April 8, 2020 (CMC) – Guyana’s Chief Traffic Officer, Linden Isles, says the traffic department of the country’s police force, is working, assiduously, to enforce the public transportation restrictions, outlined by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, in order to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, locally.

In an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), Isles said, part of the restrictions states that “A person, who provides public transportation in a motor vehicle (minibuses, hire car, taxi, etc), shall only carry, in such vehicles, half the number of passengers for which it is licensed to carry.”

The traffic Chief said that ranks from the traffic department have been sensitising drivers and conductors on the restrictions, throughout the country.

“We continue to talk to drivers and conductors. There are some drivers and conductors, who are complying, while others are not. For those who are not complying, we are instructing them to have the persons disembark from the minibuses, so that there is enough distance between the passengers,” he explained.

The penalties for not adhering to the restrictions, includes: revocation of licences; six months’ imprisonment; and/or a fine of GUY$1 million for breach of the restrictions.

However, the Chief Traffic Officer indicated that since the restrictions have come into effect, no one has been arrested.