COVID-19 update and press conference – February 15, 2021. (PMO) VIEW HERE …..
Government has extended the period of national pause to Sunday, February 28.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley made the announcement today ( PICTURED ABOVE ) as she addressed the nation on matters pertaining to COVID-19, the impact of the disease on the economy and the vaccine, among others.
Ms. Mottley told the country: “I ask you to listen to the professionals, and I ask us to stay the course for these 11 days. I hope that we will not have to do anything more, but I make no promises because as I have continually said to you, we will be guided by the evidence at all levels….
“This decision will not kill our economy. This decision might hurt us a little bit economically, but in the long run, if we can resume the normal, safe activity, you may actually find, as I was advised by the economic team this morning, that the economic activity will come much stronger in the second half of the calendar year, they believe, if we get this right at this point in time.”
The Prime Minister underscored the value of human life and said it was now necessary to go beyond the “pause” to continue aggressively battling this deadly disease.
“I cannot be driven into a situation where we are just ignoring what is happening and allowing persons to continue as if lives don’t matter, because lives do matter, and that is why we have paused, and that is why we are now going to stop,” she added, in reference to the extension of the “national pause” until February 28.
She noted that minimarts would join supermarkets and reopen from Monday to Friday, but close on weekends. She added that Western Union-type financial transactions; post offices and other courier companies which deliver critical supplies would reopen at this stage.
Ms. Mottley continued: “Minimarts will be allowed to open…because we also expect many of them to also help with the cashing of cheques for…pensions…. Minister [Wilfred] Abrahams will speak…tomorrow or Wednesday with respect to the arrangements for the pensions and the cheques that will be cashed….
“The good news is that because we’ve done a lot of lodgements…into people’s accounts, the number of NIS cheques has dropped significantly, and therefore we will work with them as we go forward.”
Ms. Mottley urged Barbadians to comply with the protocols and stressed that Government would remain on course with the six-point strategy it had been adhering to. She outlined the plan as:
- Aggressive contact tracing
- Operation “Seek and Save”, especially for those who are symptomatic
- Testing at the labs coming back to normalcy, particularly with the reagents, so officials can get an accurate picture of the positivity rate and the R number
- The vaccines being comprehensively given to as many people across the society who are entitled to receive them. It is not for persons under 18 years
- Adherence to the basic protocols – face mask, sanitising and physical distancing.
- Enforcement of the directives
SHARON AUSTINGILL-MOORE – BGIS.
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Economy Likely To Lose $150 Million In February
Barbados is expected to lose about $150 million in economic activity for the month of February.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley made this disclosure today as she addressed the nation on issues pertaining to COVID-19, the impact of the disease on the economy and the vaccine, among others.
Ms. Mottley said she met earlier in the day with her finance and economic team to ascertain if the country could withstand an extension of the period of national pause.
“The simple answer from the finance and economic team is yes, that we will be hurt by any further extension, but it will not kill our economy, and it will not collapse our economy…. The advisors have indicated to me that it is likely that we will come in at just under $78 million for…this first part of the lockdown in terms of loss of economic activity….
“If we go for an additional period of time, just under two weeks, then the most that will be is probably another $70 million or $75 million, so that we are potentially looking at a loss of $150 million in economic activity for the month of February. But by the same token, it is less than we would have incurred last year,” she stated.
“The simple answer from the finance and economic team is yes, that we will be hurt by any further extension, but it will not kill our economy, and it will not collapse our economy…”
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley
The Prime Minister indicated that over the weekend, she had extensive discussions with officials in this region and hemisphere, including the International Monetary Fund.
She pointed out that the country’s foreign reserves were over $2.6 billion, and that equated to more than 30 weeks of import cover.
Ms. Mottley disclosed that she has asked Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Ryan Straughn, to work with the Financial and Economic committee to meet with the banks and non-banking financial sector, to address retail and commercial mortgages, and loans, to allow persons to have a greater level of certainty, over the next 18 to 24 months.
“I have said to Minister Straughn, we need to meet with the financial sector and to ensure that we can put in place arrangements that will allow people to have their heads above water, and to be able, as far as possible, to continue to service their loans and debt obligations, even if it means reprofiling much of it, because of the protracted period of time that we have had to deal with this fight with COVID….
“I have also asked Minister Straughn to have a conversation with the utility companies too, to ensure that for those persons whose cash flow is negatively affected that some kind of arrangements can be put in place over a three or four-month period, rather than being forced to pay everything in one month, where no revenue is coming in,” she explained.
“…we need to meet with the financial sector and to ensure that we can put in place arrangements that will allow people to have their heads above water, and to be able, as far as possible, to continue to service their loans and debt obligations…”
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley
The Prime Minister said during the extended “national pause”, there would be an extension of support to those currently receiving assistance. She added that officials would meet separately with the fishing sector to see how best the people could be assisted.
She stated that last week Government met and agreed on the framework and draft bill, which will go to Cabinet for formal approval, for the establishment of a free trade zone in Barbados.
Ms. Mottley explained that once the island’s positivity rate came down, Government would be able to aggressively resume the capital works programme.
She highlighted some of the upcoming projects as the refurbishment of the old Court building in Bridgetown; Golden Square; the Welfare Building on Country Road; the School Meals building on Country Road; and the relocation of residents of Rock Hall, where the roads have been put in for one of the locations and 20 foundations started.
SHARON AUSTINGILL-MOORE – BGIS.
