Most businesses and government departments closed their doors after police and groups of persons clashed in Georgetown on Monday and a few businesses were looted.

In other instances, police cleared sections of Regent Street, the commercial thoroughfare, of debris that was being prepared for fiery blockages. Even the few Chinese-owned stores that normally open on Sundays and holidays opted to sacrifice some sales on Tuesday.

Usually congested city streets were sparsely populated by the rare passing of vehicles and less than a handful of pedestrians at any given time. The busiest spots seen were outside Stabroek and Bourda markets. While schools opened their doors on Tuesday, most students stayed at home. Except for one supermarket near central Georgetown, others remained shuttered. Bourda and Stabroek markets also closed their doors, and there was barely a trickle of buyers who took advantage of the few vendors who opted to continue business.

Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken said the situation had returned to normalcy.“The joint services posture has now normalized the situation to prevent people from perpetrating acts of crime against each other,” he said in a statement. He added that Joint Services patrols would continue to “maintain a strong presence” in Guyana’s ten administrative regions to ensure law and order. (demerarawaves.com)