CARIBBEAN ROUNDUP
Antigua
The Antigua and Barbuda government
says it will contemplate a mandatory
policy of vaccination only if
herd community cannot be achieved
through other means within a fixed
time-frame.
A government statement said that
discussions had taken place about the
pace at which the vaccination of the
population is proceeding and agreed
that to achieve herd
community, more
residents and citizens
must offer themselves
to be vaccinated.
Recently Prime
Minister Gaston Browne told radio listeners
of the possibility of implementing
a mandatory vaccination program
in Antigua and Barbuda, as he criticized
persons who were encouraging
others not to participate in the national
vaccination program aimed at curbing
the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said the pandemic has had a
tremendous impact on the socio-economic
development of the island since
the first case was diagnosed in March
last year.
In a statement the government said
it had reached a collaboration with a
private company to provide EC$50 dollars
to persons who receive their first
dose of the vaccine.
It said it would go further with several
incentives, including offering EC$
50 food vouchers to every adult who
steps forward to be vaccinated and who
bring others to the centers to receive
their jabs.
Barbados
The International Monetary Fund
(IMF) said Barbados
could receive US$24
million in assistance
under its multimillion
dollar fouryear
Extended Arrangement under its
Extended Fund Facility (EFF) following
the latest round of discussions with the
government.
An IMF delegation led by Bert van
Selm recently ended a five-day virtual
mission discussing implementation
of Barbados’ Economic Recovery
and Transformation plan supported by
the IMF.
The IMF said following productive
discussions, the IMF team and the Barbadian
authorities reached an agreement
on the completion of the fifth
review under the EFF.
Van Selm said on completion of the
fifth review under the EFF arrangement
which is subject to approval by
the IMF board, which is expected to
consider the review in June.
He said up the review, special drawing
rights of about US$24 million will
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Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister, Gaston Alphonso Browne addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly
at the U.N. headquarters Friday, Sept. 27, 2019. Associated Press / Kevin Hagen, fi le
be made available to Barbados.
The IMF official said that international
reserves, which reached a low
of US$20 million, or five to six weeks
of import coverage in May 2018, are
now at a comfortable level of US$1.3
billion.
Guyana
The Guyana government is contemplating
the possibility of introducing a
“vaccine passport” as Caribbean countries
(CARICOM) continue to record
deaths and new cases
linked to the Covid-19
pandemic.
President Irfaan Ali
told a press conference
that his administration
is prepared to deal with the pandemic
including a “vaccine passport” in
the face of hesitancy by some people to
get vaccinated as well as the recklessness
of others in flouting the existing
health protocols.
He said to get back to normalcy his
administration his administration is
considering the introduction of mass
vaccination passport which is being
contemplated by many countries.
Ali said, “we in Guyana will soon
have to consider this option.”
The president said given the fact
that the vaccination is not mandatory,
his administration has to examine all
means, including the vaccine passport,
so the country can move forward.
More than 150,000 persons have
already been vaccinated under the government’s
ongoing vaccination program.
Guyana has recorded more than
15,000 cases and 340 deaths since the
pandemic started last year.
Jamaica
The London-based Privy Council has
ruled that five members of main opposition
People’s National Party (PNP),
including former Prime Minister, Portia
Simpson-Miller will now have to testify
in the Trafigura bribery case saying
that the matter under investigation”is
capable of affecting the polity of the
country.”
Simpson-Miller; former PNP chairman,
Robert Pickersgill, current chairman,
Phillip Paulwell, former general
secretary, Colin Campbell and businessman,
Norton Hindswill, will now
have to testify in open court in the
alleged bribery case that had been
stalled by legal challenges for more
than a decade.
The Office of the
Director of Public
Prosecutions has been
assisting the Dutch
investigators probing a 2006 donation
to the PNP by Dutch firm, Trafigura
Beheer.
Dutch firms are prohibited from
making donations to foreign governments.
Between December 2007 and May
2009 wrote various letters to the DPP
office requesting assistance in the form
of taking evidence from the appellants
on oath or affirmation.
The authorities in The Netherlands
requested that Simpson-Miller and the
other five answer questions about a
J$31 million donation in 2006.
The financial contribution was made
while Jamaica was under the leadership
of the Simpson-Miller administration
and had an oil-lifting agreement with
Trafigura.
St. Vincent
Jamaica-based Sandals Resorts
International (SIR) plans to hire some
500 Vincentians when it begins the
recruitment drive in
St. Vincent and the
Grenadines in the next
few weeks, a senior
SIR official said.
Last year, SIR announced plans to
bring its Beaches brand to the island
and the company said the move promises
expansive economic growth for the
country.
SIR Executive Chairman, Adam
Stewart said this recruitment drive
to provide direct employment opportunities
for nationals, even ahead of
the resort’s opening, represents only
the first move towards fulfilling this
promise.
Continued on Page 24
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Antigua vaccine mandate last resort
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