CARIBBEAN ROUNDUP
Antigua
The Antigua and Barbuda government
said it will not be paying bonuses
or making salary advances to public
sector workers this Christmas, due to
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, Prime Minister Gaston
Browne’s administration stated that
cabinet recently reviewed the fiscal
position of the government and the revenue
intake of the treasury, the statutory
corporations and
several government
entities.
Browne said the fiscal
state of the government
was severely
challenged as a consequence of the
COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on
economic activity since March 2020.
He said the cabinet of Antigua and
Barbuda has therefore, determined that
the treasury, the statutory corporations
and the state several authorities were
not now in a position to pay bonuses, or
make advances to staff.
The prime minister added that the
difficult position in which the government
bodies find themselves, began
nearly nine months ago when borders
were closed, and those conditions will
not dissipate for a few months yet.
His statement said that the cabinet
determined that the conditions in
the major markets with which Antigua
and Barbuda trades, whether goods or
services “are not likely to improve until
after the first quarter of 2021. Consequently
no bonus will be paid.”
Browne said the global COVID-19
pandemic has disrupted all economies,
resulting in layoffs and terminations of
many employees in Antigua and Barbuda
and around the world.
Barbados
The International
Monetary Fund (IMF)
said it has approved
US$390 million for Barbados after its
executive board concluded the fourth
review of the IMF’s Extended Fund
Facility (EFF) for the island.
The four-year extended arrangement
under the EEF was approved on Oct. 1,
2018 and the IMF said that included the
augmentation approved by the executive
board, the extended arrangement
is for an amount equivalent to US$464
million.
The IMF said Barbados continues its
strong implementation of the comprehensive
Economic Recovery and Transformation
(BERT) plan aimed at restoring
fiscal and debt sustainability and
increasing reserves and growth.
“The prolonged global coronavirus
pandemic poses a major challenge for
the economy, which is dependent on
tourism and is expected to have a large
impact on the balance of payments and
Caribbean L 4 ife, JANUARY 1-7, 2021
Updated daily at www.caribbeanlifenews.com
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
the fiscal accounts,” the IMF said.
Bahamas
The Bahamas has now being
removed from the “Grey list” of the
Financial Action Task
Force (FATF) and will
no longer be seen as
one of “jurisdictions
under increased monitoring.”
The decision follows the final assessment
and recommendations of the
International Cooperation Review
Group (ICRG) of the Americas, resulting
from an onsite visit to The Bahamas
between November 10 and 11.
In a statement last week, the FATF
congratulated The Bahamas for the
“significant progress” it has made in
improving its AML/CFT/CFP regime.
“The Bahamas has strengthened the
effectiveness of its AML/CFT system
and addressed related technical deficiencies
to meet the commitments in
its action plan and remedy the strategic
deficiencies identified by the FATF in
October 2018,” it said.
“The FATF now delists The Bahamas
from the list of jurisdictions under
Increased Monitoring. The Bahamas
is no longer subject to the FATF’s
increased monitoring process,” the
statement said.
Caribbean
CARICOM countries have placed a
temporary ban on the importation of
all poultry from the United Kingdom
because of an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic
Avian Influenza (H5N8).
The decision to impose the temporary
ban was recently taken following
a meeting of CARICOM chief veterinarian
officers.
According to a statement issued in
Antigua and Barbuda, H5N8 is a strain
of the avian influenza
virus, which can result
in catastrophic effects
to the poultry sector
in the island and
across the region.
The statement said that entry of the
virus can result in sudden death of birds
for entire farms and flocks and devastate
poultry farms within 48 hours.
It said a harmonized approach in the
region was vital to secure the poultry
sector across CARICOM.
The statement said processed poultry
products (canned or hermetically
sealed) shall be accompanied by an
International Veterinary Health Certificate
attesting that it was treated to
destroy the avian influenza virus.
Guyana
The Inter-American Development
Bank (IDB) has approved a US$30.4
million loan to contribute to ensuring
minimum levels of quality of life for vulnerable
persons amid the crisis caused
by COVID-19 in Guyana
To do so, the Washington-based
financial institution said the program
will contribute to support
minimum income
levels and preserve the
human capital of those
affected by the pandemic.
In Guyana, as of Dec. 8, there have
been 5,727 confirmed cases and 154
deaths from COVID-19, the IDB said.
“The crisis caused by this pandemic
negatively affected the living standards
of nearly all people,” it said.
The IDB said particularly vulnerable
groups include low-income families,
the elderly, individuals with disabilities
and even women, “who suffered
increased rates of intimate partner violence
as an unintended consequence of
the confinement measures.”
“In addition, the pandemic will have
a negative impact on learning, with
potential long-term effects on human
capital and inequality,” the IDB said,
noting that it is expected to directly
impact the education sector both on the
demand side and on the supply side.
To address these challenges, the IDB
said it has approved a project that will
have two main components — social
protection and support for educational
community.
Grenada
The Grenada government recently
Continued on Page 14
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Antigua unable to pay bonuses
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