CARIBBEAN ROUNDUP
Bahamas
The Bahamas government is putting
plans in place to secure a mandatory
quarantine facility to accommodate
several Bahamians in the United States
to the island of New Providence.
Prime Minister Dr.
Hubert Minnis, who
made the announcement
last week, said
there are approximately
200 Bahamians who want to return
home.
He was at the time giving an update
on the national response to Covid-19.
“We know from other jurisdictions
how rapidly Covid-19 spread in other
countries or locals because individuals
who were Covid-19 positive returned
to their home countries without being
quarantined,” he said.
The prime minister also emphasized
the quarantine facility for returning
residents will be properly secured.
According to Minnis, his administration
is working to try and resolve this
matter in the best interest of all concerned
and in the best interest of the
country.
To enforce quarantine protocols in
general, the prime minister announced
that the Emergency Orders will be
amended to enforce a fine of up to
US$20,000 or five years in prison, or
both.
He said that in order to optimize the
intent of the quarantine and isolation
period and to simultaneously enhance
the support and monitoring of those
in quarantine, the Ministry of Health
has started to explore a number of solutions.
Barbados
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic,
Barbados Prime Minister, Mia
Mottley has unveiled an “unprecedented”
Bds$2 billion economic plan over
the next two years to stimulate the
economy.
She said a $400 million
stimulus package
for businesses to keep
staff on the payroll had
never before seen in
Barbados and was designed to “fill the
holes in spending in the economy.”
Mottley announced an economic plan
that would focus on a public and private
capital works program, increasing the
island’s self-sufficiency, the creation of
a Barbados Tourism Fund and $210 million
would be spent on families affected
by the shutdown.
She said the program will focus on
supporting those who have lost their
jobs in the shutdown and to keep those
as far as possible who have their jobs.
The prime minister said this is the
biggest package of spending initiatives
ever rolled out over a two-year period
Caribbean L 4 ife, May 8-14, 2020
Updated daily at www.caribbeanlifenews.com
THE NEWS FROM BACK HOME
24/2-5/1
on a supplemental basis from what otherwise
has as core activities.
Mottley said it was hoped that businesses
would be inclined to keep their
staff.
She said the private sector was
expected to contribute $800 million in
investment due to the start of six major
projects in the next two years.
Caribbean
The International Monetary Fund
(IMF) has approved US$65.6 million
to Dominica, Grenada and St. Lucia
following countries’ request under the
Rapid Credit Facility (RFC) mechanism
to help cover their balance of payment
needs stemming from the outbreak of
the covid-19 pandemic.
Disbursements to all
three countries are set
at the maximum available
access 100 percent
of the funds available,
or US$22.4 million and US$29.2 million,
respectively.
Dominica has accessed 89.4 percent,
or US$14 million.
These countries are small states that
are very vulnerable to shocks, including
large natural disasters, the IMF said,
Dominica in the devastation of Hurricane
Maria in 2017.
IMF emergency support under the
Rapid Credit Facility will help fill balance
of payments needs and create
fiscal space for essential health expenditures,
income support to workers and
cash transfers to households.
The pandemic has hit these largely
tourism-dependent countries very
hard. Tourism inflows essentially came
to a halt in mid-March, 2020, with ripple
effects across other sectors.
The closure of the borders, coupled
with the curtailment of commercial
activity, has had a debilitating impact
on these economies, the IMF said.
Guyana
A high-level Caribbean Community
(Caricom) observer team has been
tasked with scrutinizing the national
recount of all the votes in the disputed
March 2 regional and general election
arrived last week in Georgetown.
In a statement, it
said approval had been
given to a request
from the 15-member
regional grouping for
officials to travel to Guyana for the
“purposes of overseeing the recount of
ballots by the Guyana Election Commission
(Gecom).
The elections body said it aims to
have the entire process completed within
25 days.
However, this will depend on the
pace of operation, which it said will be
determined after an observation of the
first week.
Gecom intends to carry out the
recount, utilizing 10 hours per day time
frame.
Arrangements were made for the
members of the team who will be tested
in their respective countries, using the
World Health Organization-approved
PCR Covid-19 test.
Both the ruling coalition, the Partnership
for National Unity (APNU) and
the main opposition People’s Progressive
Party (PPP/C) are claiming victory
in the elections that were observed
by regional and international teams,
including one from CARICOM.
Grenada
More than 700 Grenadians have so
far benefitted from the Covid-19 Economic
Stimulus Package announced
by the government, to provide some
measure of relief from the impact of the
current pandemic.
The Ministry of
Finance has so far up
to last week processed
payroll support payments
to benefit 538
employees and income support payments
for 196 individuals.
To date, the newly established Covid-
19 Economic Support Secretariat has
received 1,000 applications for income
support and 294 applications for payroll
support.
Prime Minister and Finance Minister,
Dr. Keith Mitchell said it is commendable
that within one month of the initial
announcement of the stimulus package
that government has been able to start
delivering on its promise of bringing
relief to the people of the country.
Under the stimulus package
announced by Prime Minister Mitchell
on March 20, 2020, one of the measures
is intended to avoid layoffs and loss of
livelihoods in the tourism sector.
The income support is intended for
public bus operators, taxi drivers, tourist
vendors and other such identified
hospitality-based business persons,
while payroll support is provided to
hotel, restaurants, bars and small travel
agents.
Trinidad
The Opposition
United Congress (UNC)
is calling for a probe
into the shipment of
150,000 barrels of fuel
to Aruba, which may have ended up
in Venezuela in defiance of US sanctions
imposed on the South American
country.
Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis seen here visiting High Rock
after the area was hit by Hurricane Dorian, in East Grand Bahama Oct.
6, 2019. REUTERS / Gabriella N. Baez / fi le
/www.caribbeanlifenews.com
/www.caribbeanlifenews.com