The South Rupununi District Council (SRDC) yesterday announced the lockdown since Wednesday of 21 indigenous communities over fears of the spread of COVID-19. In a statement yesterday it also accused the government of stymieing their efforts at protecting their communities.

“Indeed, our efforts have been stymied by the Government’s continued refusal to remove mining from its list of essential services and by its interventions on behalf of miners which have allowed them to continue to traverse our territory, threatening and challenging our gatekeepers”.