The COVID-19 relief cash grant, which has been promised to every household in Guyana, is currently being delivered to residents of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne). The countrywide exercise started some three weeks ago in Regions One and Nine.
On Monday, the residents in Region Six were advised that contrary to rumours, they do not have to be registered to receive the relief.
Regional Executive Officer (REO) Narindra Persaud, who is responsible for the exercise in the Region, explained that teams will be conducting a house to house exercise to deliver the cash relief.
Some 53,111 households in the Region are expected to receive the $25,000, totalling in excess of $1 billion.
The exercise commenced on the Upper and Central Corentyne with five Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDCs) and the Corriverton municipality.
Households of Crabwood Creek/Molsen Creek NDC, 52-74 NDC, 51-Good Hope NDC, Maida/Tarlogie NDC and Macedonia/Joppa NDC along the municipality were the first to receive.
In Crabwood Creek, Jaipaul Ramphal, speaking with this publication after he collected his grant, said that he would be using the money to purchase groceries as he displayed the cash in his hand.
“This can’t go to the bank, this got to wuk fuh rice,” Ramphal said.
Another resident, Melanie Johnson of Number 51 Village said she too will be purchasing groceries with her relief money.
Junior Petty in thanking the Government for the relief explained that the money will assist in paying his bills.
“Right now business and everything is slow, so, this will assist in some way,” the bar operator said.
Some persons expressed displeasure that the money was not going to be available for each family. Some households are made up of more than one family.
However, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo recently assured that multiple families living in one household will be able to benefit from the relief cash grant, once their tenancy can be verified.
He said that Government is aware that there are multiple families dwelling together who need the grant and it has taken steps to ensure that all can benefit.
As such, the main family of the home will receive the grant first, while other families will be required to fill out a “pink” query form.
“We know that there are households where there are more than one family. We have a pink form that they will fill up. The principal occupant of the house will get $25,000. We will then return to the house and look at all the pink forms and verify the additional families and then sort them out,” he said in a recent interview.
Meanwhile, the REO noted that the overall impact in the region will have far-reaching effects.
The REO said the exercise should be completed in two weeks.
