CARIBBEAN ROUNDUP
ANTIGUA
The Antigua Opposition United Progressive
Party (UPP) is moving to fight
any attempt by the government to make
Covid-19 vaccines mandatory.
The party’s spokesman on legal matters,
Leon Symister, also called on residents
to resist any such move by the
Gaston Browne-led administration.
His comments came after the Prime
Minister Gaston Browne said recently
that while the government
was trying to
avoid mandatory vaccination,
it would not
be ruled out if enough
people did not come
forward to get inoculated for the country’
to reach herd community.
Although saying that the UPP was
not against Covid-19 vaccination,
Symister said the party did not support
it becoming compulsory and would
stage legal challenges and protests if
that happened.
The UPP spokesman, who is an attorney,
contented that the mandating residents
to take the jab would be in contravention
of Article 7 of the International
Convention on Civil and Political
Rights, which Antigua and Barbuda
acceded to the July 2019 four months
before it came into effect.
Recently, Browne warned residents
failure to reach herd community within
the next few weeks could have dire consequences
for the twin-island nation.
BAHAMAS
The World Bank has approved a US
$100 million loan to help the Caribbean
country’s recovery.
The World Bank board of directors
confirmed their approval of the
Covid-19 Response and
Recovery Development
Policy Loan in a recent
release.
The loan will support
the country’s efforts to provide
Covid-19 relief and lay the foundation
for a resilient economy recovery.
Tasheen Sayed, World Bank director
for the Caribbean, noted the Bahamas
had suffered tragedy not long before the
pandemic.
He said the Covid-19 pandemic came
on the heels of the devastation caused
by Hurricane Dorian.
The Bahamas has suffered one of the
most severe economic contractions in
the Caribbean.
Sayed said the World Bank assistance
will contribute to the country efforts to
reduce vulnerabilities of citizens most
most impacted by the crisis and support
policy and institutional measures for a
resilient recovery.
The World Bank noted the Bahamas
had faced socio-economic impacts due
to the pandemic, which led to a sudden
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Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne. Gov’t of Antigua and Barbuda
stop in tourism and an estimated economic
contraction of 16.2 percent over
the past year.
The release added “unemployment
already on the rise after Hurricane
Dorian increased further and poverty is
estimated to have increased in 2020.”
The loan will also includes measures
to enhance unemployment benefits and
provide food assistance to those workers
and households most affected by the
Covid-19 crisis and measures to develop
an inclusive vaccination policy.
CARIBBEAN
The University of the West Indies
(UWI) has welcomed
the appointment of
Belizean economist
Dr. Carla Barnett as
the new Secretary-
General of the CARICOM
grouping, acknowledging “the
two-time UWI graduate has made history
as the first woman to be appointed
to the post.”
Regional leaders recently named
Barnett as the new CARICOM secretary
general during a special meeting
to discuss the recommendations of the
Community Council of Ministers.
Barnett, the eighth person to be
appointed to the top regional public
service post, will take up office in
August, replacing Dominica diplomat,
Irwin La Roche, who has been in the
post since 2011.
Dr. Barnett is the third UWI Alum to
assume the role of CARICOM Secretary-
General, following Ambassador Edwin
Carrington and Ambassador Roderick
Rainford, UWI said in a statement.
Barnett who previously served as
deputy secretary-general of CARICOM,
was formally vice-president of the Senate
in her country and also served in
various ministerial capacities.
She also served as deputy governor
of the Central Bank of Belize as well as
vice-president of the Caribbean Development
Bank.
GUYANA
The Guyana government said last
week that all schools, except for those
that have already been reopened, will
remain closed until the month of September.
Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand
said the government has taken a
decision based on the advice of the Ministry
of Health to remain closed for the
rest of the school year or academic year
which ends around the
June or the first week
in July.
Schools have been
closed since March last
year, due to the restrictions imposed by
the Covid-19 pandemic.
In November 2020, however, grades
10, 11 and 12 were reopened to allow
pupils to prepare for the Caribbean
Examinations Council (CXC) examinations.
“We will remain closed for the
month of June except for those classes
that have already returned to the classrooms.
We will remain closed for the
remaining days in May and the months
of June, July and August, ” Manickchand
said.
JAMAICA
Jamaica has established a 24-hour
help line to assist
children and teenagers
experiencing challenges
or who may be
feeling overwhelmed
with adapting to changes caused by the
Covid-19 pandemic.
The facility, the Safe Spot National
Child and Teen Helpline, is a multisectorial
initiative involving the Private
Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ),
the United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) Jamaica office and the Office
of the Children’s Advocate (OCA) which
will manage it.
The authorities said that the Helpline
is intended to provide prompt responses
to youngsters’ concerns by eliminating
delays and increasing access to trained
professionals who can assist them when
they need it most.
ST. VINCENT
The St. Vincent and Grenadines government
says farmers, as well as other
Continued on Page 52
THE NEWS FROM BACK HOME
Antigua urges nationals to be vaccinated
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