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saw the ad in the
Caribbean Times and
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Caribbean L 20 ife, JULY 3-9, 2020
CARIBBEAN ROUNDUP
19) pandemic.
The IMF Country Focus confirmed
that the Andrew Holness administration
has established a special task
force to effectively respond to the economic
impact of the crisis.
Last month the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) announced that
Jamaica had requested emergency
financing, totaling US$520 million
from the Washington-based financial
institution.
Clarke said that as with most economies
around the world, the Jamaican
economy has been significantly
impacted by the effects of the COVID-
19 pandemic that had resulted in
a lockdown of the island since the
month of March.
He said the economy is expected to
contract by over five percent this fiscal
year. Furthermore, he said, government
revenues are expected to decline
by double digits even as emergency
health expenditures as well as social
and economic support of expenditures
rise. Clarke said the government has
implemented a social and economic
program called the CARE Program,
which provides assistance to vulnerable
individuals and small businesses
through innovative and existing delivery
channels.
Trinidad
Trinidad and Tobago state-owned
Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL) has
estimated losses from March 23 to
April 30 due to covid-19 pandemic was
US$14.2 million (TT$96.1 million),
according Minister in the Ministry of
Finance, Allyson West.
West said the impact took effect
from the start of March due to a drop
in demand for air travel and was exacerbated
by the closure of Trinidad and
Tobago’s borders in March also because
operating had become
too risky.
Despite air travel
being restricted, she
said CAL has still
been required to maintain all its operating
systems.
She said the airline is also being
required to keep its airline leases up
to date and ensure that its aircraft are
airworthy and all its systems are functioning
in readiness for the resumption
of flights.
Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley
also noted that it was very costly to
keep the airline going even while the
fleet was grounded.
He said one of the first actions to
cushion the continuing losses may be
chartered services to get people to destinations
or back home.
— Compiled by Azad Ali
Continued from Page 6
Celebrate July 4
lier than usual in the year, on one
hand, the rainbow of colorful flares
prettily usher the most celebrated
holiday honoring the birth of the
nation.
On the other, the noise reverberates
an ugly and disturbing annoyance
that alarms pets, people and a
tired and sleepy population weary
from everyday woes.
Mayor Bill de Blasio recently
addressed the issue giving a warning
to the perpetrators that arrests
will be made and not ignored as they
have been since Juneteenth.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric
Adams disagreed with the approach
to rectifying the nightly menace.
The former police captain said the
recurring nightly sky show was only
a nuisance and not a police emergency
or an issue 311 operators should
be taxed with resolving.
Adams suggested community leaders
as the best solutions to resolving
the citywide pyrotechnic problem.
“Stopping fireworks cannot turn
into fireworks between the police
and the community,” Adams said.
“We want a good community
response to dealing with a nuisance,”
Adams said.
“This is a nonviolent act.”
Instead of arresting pranksters,
the former police captain said police
should focus on stopping the flow of
fireworks coming into the city.
As a matter of fact he suggested
that if he were mayor, he would
empower the NYPD to confiscate the
large quantities of illegal fireworks
disturbing the peace.
He surmised that more than anything
the focus should emphasize
the dangers associated with reckless
use of fireworks.
“You could lose an arm, you could
lose an eye, you could lose your life
and parents need to know … your
children should not be playing with
this.”
The last Sunday in June, on the
50th anniversary of the Gay Pride
Parade it seemed as if noise had
abated.
Prior to the rainbow event during
a regular COVID-19 press conferences,
the mayor offered a compromise.
He said from June 29 to July 4,
the city would put on a five-minute
Grucci fireworks display in each borough.
The mayor explained that he would
not disclose the location of each holiday
showcase because revealing it
might entice crowds to violate phase
2 restriction prohibiting crowd gatherings.
This Insider wishes everyone a safe
and happy Fourth.
Catch You On The Inside!
Continued from Page 13
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