CARIBBEAN ROUNDUP
Antigua
The spread of the coronavirus across
the Caribbean and worldwide has forced
the Antigua-based LIAT, to suspend all
passenger flights for two weeks.
In a statement
issued recently,
the regional airline
announced that during
the stipulated period
only charters and
cargo flights will be operated.
The suspension of passenger travel
took effect from April 4 and will remain
in effect until April 19 in the first
instance.
LIAT CEO, Julie Reifer-Jones said the
travel bans and border closures around
the globe have effectively halted the
regional travel, making it impossible to
maintain even a limited schedule.
Passengers booked during the suspension
period will have their bookings
canceled and will receive full credit and
will be able to rebook as soon as possible.
The CEO said this is an extremely
challenging time for the airline, employees
and stakeholders.
She said the LIAT’s Board of Directors
is in direct communication with
regional governments, to secure a support
package that would help the company
maintain a limited schedule when
the situation allows.
Barbados
The United States has seized several
ventilators destined for Barbados.
Barbados Minister of Health, Jeffrey
Bostic has sought to assure the country
that there is no shortage of ventilators
despite the fact that the ventilators were
recently seized.
Bostic, who was
speaking at a news
conference, revealed
that the ventilators
donated to Barbados
government were
barred from exportation.
He said they were seized in the United
States, paid for, but seized so “we
are trying to see what is going to transpire.”
The health minister said that ventilators
are one of the most in-demand
items in the world today and “Barbados
is merely wrestling with the other
203 countries and territories around
the world seeking to secure as many of
these pieces of equipment as possible.”
He said that Barbadian-born entertainer
Rihanna had donated some ventilators
but these were not among those
seized and will arrive on the island
shortly.
Caribbean
The Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO) is urging countries in the
Caribbean L 4 ife, April 17-23, 2020
Updated daily at www.caribbeanlifenews.com
Carissa Etienne, regional-director for the WHO Pan American Health Organization.
Americas, including the Caribbean, to
act now to slow the spread of coronavirus
(COVID-19).
PAHO is appealing for US$98.4 million
from donors to fund the priority
health measures to help in the fight the
COVID-19 pandemic in the region.
With many countries
of the Americas
now reporting community
transmission,
Director of PAHO, Carissa
Etienne said that
“there is still a short window of time
for governments to slow the spread of
the virus, reduce the impact of health
systems and save lives.”
Three months after the first case of
COVID-19 was reported in China, PHAO
said there have been 188,949 confirmed
cases in the Americas, with 3,561 people
losing their lives.
As has seen in in other regions of the
world, PAHO said cases are escalated in
the regions of the Americas.
“The virus has not and will not be
stopped by borders drawn on maps,”
she said, underscoring that Caribbean
countries must also protect their health
personnel as never before,” she said.
The PAHO director highlighted the
solidarity of the region and the need to
continue sharing resources, expertise
and joint decisions to accelerate access
to health services, research and innovation.
Associated Press / Keystone / Martial Trezzini
Guyana
The Commonwealth Ministerial
Action Group (CMAG) set up by the
commonwealth to deal with persistent
and serious violators of its shared principles
has called on the Guyana Elections
Commission (GECOM) “to immediately
fulfil its constitutional mandate
and ensure the sovereign right of the
people of Guyana to duly elect their
government is respected through a
transparent and credible counting and
tabulation process.”
CMAG explicitly
warned that “any
Government which
is sworn in without
a credible and fully
transparent vote count
and tabulation process would lack legitimacy”
and that Guyana will be kept on
the agenda.
Analysts have said that Guyana can
face expulsion from the Commonwealth
if it fails to adhere to the Harare Declaration
principles. The statement piles
more pressure on GECOM and the current
administration to abide by free and
fair elections principles.
CMAG held its 56th meeting by video
conference on March 31, 2020. The
meeting was chaired by Ambassador
Raychelle Omamo SC, Cabinet Secretary
for Foreign Affairs of Kenya. Ministers
and Representatives of Australia,
Barbados, Belize, Ghana, Malaysia,
Namibia and the United Kingdom also
participated in the video.
Grenada
In the midst of dealing with the
impact of COVID-19, Grenada Prime
Minister, Dr. Keith Mitchell, who is also
minister of finance recently chaired a
special meeting of the Monetary Council
of the Eastern Caribbean Central
Bank (ECCB).
Although he has not
been visible in recent
weeks, Dr. Mitchell
has been working on
refining the economic
stimulus package
announced in March and holding discussions
with regional and international
financial institutions as Grenada
seeks to cope with the economic impact
of the pandemic.
A communique issued at the end of
the meeting said the Monetary Council
agreed to temporarily reduce the
discount rate to two percent to provide
what in terms, “low-cost short-term
credit” The decision comes against the
backdrop of the bank’s recognition of
the “far-reaching health, economic, fiscal
and financial implications of the
COVID-19 pandemic and in the context
of the limited fiscal space of ECCB
member countries.”
The Monetary Council also noted
the increase credit allocation recently
approved by the board.
The decision makes an additional
THE NEWS FROM BACK HOME
PAHO issues health warning
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