CARIBBEAN ROUNDUP
ANTIGUA
Prime Minister Gaston Browne has
welcomed as a “step in the right direction”
the decision by at least one trade
union to advise essential workers to
report to work last week, instead of
remaining home in protest against the
government’s COVID-19 policy.
He said he believes the retraction of
their prior instructions was the right
thing to do.
“We need the collective
effort of all citizens
in order to defeat
COVID and this is not
the time for us to be
fighting each order,”
he said.
Recently, the government announced
that it had given a Sept. 30 deadline for
all unvaccinated public sector workers
to show proof of having been vaccinated
against the COVID-19 virus.
A policy document also outlines
similar measures for people operating
public transport, the trade union
movement, private sector employees
as well as arriving passengers into the
country.
BAHAMAS
Former Bahamas Prime Minister Dr.
Hubert Minnis was sworn in as opposition
leader last week.
His swearing in ceremony follows the
defeat of his Free National Movement
(FNM) party on Sept. 16.
On that day the
party suffered a crushing
defeat at the polls,
winning only seven of
the 39 seats.
Dr. Minnis said he has a very powerful
opposition group which will be effective
despite the size.
Recently the chairman of the FNM,
Carl Culmer, revealed that the party’s
council agreed to let Minnis remain
leader of the party until a new leader
emerges from a convention in November.
BARBADOS
Prime Minister Mia Mottley has
announced that legislation relating to
the election of a Barbadian head will
be taken to Parliament this week to be
debated.
She had announced
in July, that come
Independence Day,
Nov. 30, the country’s
first non-executive
president will be sworn in, after being
elected by the electoral college of both
Houses of Parliament, as Barbados
becomes a republic.
Mottley said current Governor General
Dame Sandra Mason has been
nominated by her administration to be
the first person to serve in that position.
Caribbean L 4 ife, OCTOBER 8-14, 2021
Barbados Governor General Dame Sandra Mason. Barbados GIS photo
She told a news conference that the
legislation was about what was necessary
to revoke the Independence Order
in Council that was done by her Majesty
the Queen and made sure the Barbadian
constitution was anchored by the
Parliament of Barbados and not by the
actions of Her Majesty in 1966.
Mottley gave the assurance that there
would be no major change to the constitution
without consultation.
She said the consultations will begin
next January.
CARIBBEAN
Caribbean countries could benefit
from the decision of the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) to put into effect
the largest allocation of Special Drawing
Rights (SDRs) in its history.
The SDR is an
international reserve
asset created by the
IMF to supplement
the official reserves
of its member countries. It is not a
currency, it is potential claim on the
usable currencies of IMF members. As
such, SDRs can provide a country with
liquidity.
IMF managing director, Kristalina
Georgieva, said that the US$650 billion
SDR allocation is a significant shot
in the arm for the world and if used
wisely, a unique opportunity to combat
this unprecedented crisis.
GRENADA
The Grenada government has
announced new measures regarding
the burial of people who have succumbed
to the COVID-19 virus as the
island deals with an “unprecedented”
number of daily deaths from the virus
since August.
The authorities acknowledged that in
2020 anticipating a potential health crisis
from the pandemic, religious leaders
and funeral directors met and came up
with several guidelines to prevent the
spread of the virus, which are still in
effect.
Up and until August
the island had recorded
only one death from
the pandemic.
A joint statement read out at a news
conference said because of the increasing
number of deaths daily the government,
the three funeral homes, the
religious community met recently and
adopted new measures for burials.
It said the measures, which came
into effect recently, would include all
burials from deaths owing to the virus
will be done within 72 hours from the
time of the certification of the death.
The authorities said people dying
from the COVID infection would not be
embalmed and only two people would be
allowed to view the body at the funeral
home for identification purposes only.
After the body is identified, the coffin or
casket will be permanently sealed.
As of Oct. 3, the virus has killed 157
people so far and infected 5,351 others
since the first confirmed case of
COVID-19 was reported on March 22
last year.
The statement said families will have
the option to cremate or bury their
loved ones.
GUYANA
The Guyana government has
expressed concern over the United
Nations (UN) COVID-19 vaccine
requirements imposed by some countries,
insisting people should not face
restrictions based on what vaccine they
have taken.
In his address to
the United Nations 76
Session of the General
Assembly recently,
President Irfaan Ali
said “our efforts must be focused on
full vaccination and addressing vaccine
hesitancy.”
“Millions took the vaccines which
were available at a time of much uncertainty
and they are the unsung heroes.
They must not now be the subject of
restrictions based on the vaccines they
took,” he said in his maiden address to
the General Assembly.
The United States announced recently
that international travelers must be
fully vaccinated before they are allowed
Continued on Page 18
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