COVID-19: Regional Roundup for April 27, 2020

ANTIGUA & BARBUDA (antigunewsroom.com) Prime Minister Gaston Browne has criticised the leader of the oppposition, Jamale Pringle, for refusing to participate in the newly set up Economic Recovery Committee, which is due to hold its first meeting later this week. Browne said that Pringle’s decision was a ‘dereliction of duty’. Pringle had earlier (antiguaobserver.com) reported that ‘every time the UPP has put aside party interests to stand with the government for the advancement of the country, the Prime Minister has misrepresented our efforts.’  Antigua & Barbuda has 10 active cases of the Covid-19 virus.

BAHAMAS

FIVE MORE CASES ON BIMINI (thenassauguardian.com). Three and a half weeks after the death of a Bimini woman with COVID-19, health officials have reported another five cases, all female aged between 11 and 75. Bimini, a small northern Bahamian island,has a population of some 2,000.Bimini now accounts for eight of the 47 cases that have been confirmed in the Bahamas. The MP for Bimini, Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe has called for a complete two-week shutdown of the island and increased testing. ‘The increase in the COVID-19 cases in Bimini is troubling,’ she said. ‘We are calling for a complete shutdown of Bimini, and more stringent measures.’

BARBADOS

BARBADOS SUSPENDS BAN ON PLASTIC BAGS (loopnewsbarbados.com). Barbados’ ban on plastic bags has been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak. Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy Kirk Humphrey disclosed that the use of plastic bags has tripled within the past few weeks since the island recorded its first cases of the virus. The ban was lifted following the lack of availability of biodegradable resin imports from China, combined with concerns expressed by local retailers and supermarket owners about the accessibility of bags to reduce Covid-19 contact. Humphrey also revealed that, on average, Barbadians are using three million plastic bags a month. Barbados currently has 34 active cases of Covid-19.

BONAIRE, ST EUSTATIUS, SABA

COMPENSATION FOR ENTREPRENEURS (bes-reporter.com). The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate has developed a one-off $4,400 compensation package for St Eustatius entrepreneurs who have been negatively impacted by the virus. Bonaire, Saba and St Eustatius account for five active cases of Covid-19.

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

ECONOMY TO BE ASSESSED AFTER TWO WEEKS OF INTERNAL REOPENING (bvinews.com) Premier Andrew Fahie has said an assessment of the local economy will be made two weeks after the Territory’s internal reopening which began on Monday 27 April. He said that the BVI’s economy was in a ‘fragile’ state. Residents and businesses should continue to exercise the necessary precautions and, if adhered to, more businesses would be allowed to reopen. The BVI has two active cases of Covid-19.

CAYMAN ISLANDS

CHAMBER WARNS OF MASSIVE JOB LOSSES IF LOCKDOWN CONTINUES (caymaniantimes.com) A prolonged lockdown – of up to four months – could be disastrous for the economy, according to a report from the Chamber of Commerce, predicting a loss of up to 14,000 jobs, and an unemployment rate of between 20-30%, almost triple the rate before the lockdown. However, President of the Chamber of Commerce Woody Foster has praised the government for its policy. He said, ‘The fact that we are in a position to begin our planning for some form of economic resumption is a credit to the government’s quick actions to address the safety of everyone at the early onset of this pandemic.’ The Cayman Islands currently has 61 reported active cases.

CUBA

SPREAD OF COVID-19 FROM HANDLING DEAD PATIENTS IS MINIMAL (plenglish.com). According to Cuban health authorities, the risk of contagion of Covid-19 from a person who has died of the disease is minimal. In a press conference, the Director of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health, Francisco Durán, stated that studies of infectious diseases always consider the issue of post-mortem contagion, with the most dangerous being haemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola, or cholera. In the case of Covid-19 and other similar diseases, the risk is low, he explained. Cuba has so far reported 808 active cases of Covid-19.

CURACAO

NETHERLANDS PROVIDES 16.5 MILLION EUROS IN CORONAVIRUS AID (curacaochronicle.com). The ABC (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and BES (Bonaire, St Eustatius, Saba) islands are to receive 16.5 million euros in emergency aid from the Netherlands. It is not yet known how this money will be distributed among the six islands. Aid should go to the citizens most affected by the coronavirus crisis, according to Under-secretary Raymond Knops of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. He emphasised that this aid is for food packages and personal hygiene products, not for general budget support. ‘Now that tourism is no longer receiving income, countries will have to come up with a plan on how to compensate for this loss of income. This means that cuts must be made on the expenditure side,’ he said. The Netherlands has previously insisted that for any kind of general budget support to continue, the high salaries of politicians, top civil servants and directors of public companies should first be tackled. Curacao has recorded four active cases of Covid-19.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

HUNDREDS CHALLENGE SOCIAL DISTANCING (dominicantoday.com). Defying the rules of social distancing, hundreds of people accompanied the Pilgrim of Villa Altagracia to carry a cross on Puerto Plata Beach, proclaiming that, starting Monday, the disease will begin to disappear from the country. The Dominican Republic has recorded 5,018 active cases of Covid-19.

GRENADA

ASYMPTOMATIC PATIENT DISCOVERED ONE MONTH AFTER AIRPORT CLOSURE (nowgrenada.com). Almost one month after shutting down the Maurice Bishop International Airport to commercial passenger traffic, Health Minister Nickolas Steele has confirmed that one of the three latest confirmed Covid-19 cases is an asymptomatic carrier. ‘She is an import-related case and has displayed no symptoms to date,’Steele said. He explained that the individual had remained in quarantine for the required period of 14 days but had decided to be tested to confirm her medical status because of the high number of cases in the location from which she had travelled. Grenada has recorded 11 active cases of Covid-19.

GUADELOUPE

SUGAR CAMPAIGN ON MARIE-GALANTE STARTS SIX WEEKS LATE (la1ere.francetvinfo.fr) Work began on Monday 27 April at the Grand Anse sugar refinery on Marie Galante, six weeks later than usual. The launch of this season’s harvest was set for 12 March but technical problems and the onset of the Covid-19 virus, which involved a suspension of sea links, had delayed the start. The factory is expected to buy 79,000 tons of cane. The active cases of Covid-19 in Guadeloupe number 55.

HAITI

ONE MILLION HAITIANS SUFFER FROM SEVERE HUNGER (icihaiti.com). The UN World Food Program (WEP) has stated that about four million Haitians, nearly a third of the national population, need urgent food aid, and one million are suffering from severe hunger. ‘The situation had already worsened in 2019, but it worsened further with the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced the closure of ports and airports, as well as schools where many children receive their main food supply,’ said WFP spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs. Since President Jovenel Moïse declared a food emergency, the prices of certain basic foods have increased by more than 30%. “We are particularly concerned about the malnutrition of children, because, with the reduction in food availability, they tend to suffer the most,” said Byrs. Haiti has so far recorded 61 active cases of Covid-19.

JAMAICA

MADNESS – HOSPITALS, DOCTORS TRADE BLAME (jamaica-gleaner.com) Two Kingston hospitals have traded blame over the death of a woman following childbirth. The woman had symptoms of the Covid-19 virus when she was admitted to the private Andrews Memorial Hospital. The 24-year-old woman was transferred to Spanish Town Hospital where she gave birth and later to the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) where she died. The hospital has issued a statement criticising the UHWI for initially refusing to accept the patient. The UHWI has denied any blame. The patient later tested negative, according to her sister. Her baby girl is doing well. The Ministry of Health has launched an investigation. Jamaica has 315 active cases of Covid-19.

ST KITTS-NEVIS

COVID-19 COMPLIANCE TASK FORCE COMMENDED FOR TREMENDOUS JOB (sknis.com) The chair of the National COVID-19 Task Force, Abdias Samuel, has commended the Covid-10 Compliance Task Force for the tremendous job that they have done during their first week of operation. Samuel said the task force had inspected a total of 285 businesses to ensure that they are in compliance with the regulations. ‘I am pleading to you to comply with the regulations otherwise you are going to be shut down… and you will have to wait for your day in court,’ said Samuel. St Kitts-Nevis has 13 active cases of Covid-19.

PUERTO RICO

NO-ONE HAS RECEIVED A STIMULUS CHEQUE (time.com). The mayor of San Juan has alleged that none of the island’s eligible residents have received their expected stimulus payments from the federal government. Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz said the island has not yet benefited from one of the US government’s signature responses to the COVID-19 pandemic: stimulus cheques that are intended to put up to $1,200 into the hands of many Americans. Cruz said that the island has been struggling to get resources to the people who need them most and has insufficient equipment and tests to check its residents for the virus. She also said the island has struggled to process and deliver $500 payments promised by the governor, new requests for food stamps, and over 130,000 pending unemployment requests. Cruz and other mayors have had to rely on religious and community leaders to hand out food to citizens in need, she said. Puerto Rico has reported 914 active cases of Covid-19.

ST LUCIA

ST LUCIA NOT YET IN THE CLEAR (stluciatimes.com) St Lucia will maintain a partial shutdown while allowing for increased activity in some areas, according to Prime Minister Allen Chastanet. He made it clear that the curfew from 7pm to 5am, and stay-at-home orders would remain in effect. The fact that St Lucia currently appears to be Covid-free, he said, should not give citizens a false sense of security.

ST VINCENT

SAILORS MUST GET HEALTH CERTIFICATE (iwnsvg.com). Vincentian sailors and oil rig workers hoping to return to SVG must have a certificate of health issued by the authorities in their country of departure. According to Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, the health certificate must include information about the person’s exposure to any Covid-19 positive or suspected cases and any objective screening for Covid-19 the returning Vincentian has undergone. The document must include the name of the screening agency and the date when the test was conducted. Hundreds of Vincentian sailors working in the cruise industry, many of whom have been quarantined aboard their cruise ships for over a month, are anxiously waiting to return home. At least seven of those testing positive were cruise line workers. SVG currently has 10 active cases of Covid-19.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

COVID-19 COVERAGE FOR POLICE (guardian.co.tt) Officers of the Trinidad & Tobago Police Service (TTPS) will be entitled to compensation should they contract Covid-19 according to an agreement between the TTPS and the Guardian Group insurance company. Any officer testing positive for the virus would receive $TT10,000 (EC$4,000) and on death from the virus, the officer’s dependant would receive an additional $TT25,000 (EC$12,000). The Guardian Group has also agreed to install 80 sanitation stations at police stations across the country. Trinidad & Tobago has 49 active cases of Covid-19.

Click here to view the latest global numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases.