PM: Caricom unites against covid19

The Prime Minister said Caricom leaders agreed on Wednesday on a common health and common border protocols as the region closes ranks to battle the covid19 pandemic. Dr Rowley made these comments after Caricom leaders held their first ever virtual heads of government meeting to continue developing strategies to deal with all aspects of the pandemic. He said regional leaders accepted that the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) “is the virological expert”.

Rowley said there was also agreement that the decisions of Caricom governments to fight covid19 must be driven by the protocols established by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and CARPHA. He explained that decisions will not be made arbitrarily but be driven by science. Rowley said while approaches may differ in some ways from one Caricom country to another “there is commonality to a large extent”.

He observed that some countries have”gone into curfew and complete shutdown” but others did not do that.” Rowley said the common thread in these cases was the separation protocols and the instruction to citizens to “stay at home”. He said evidence shows this appears to be working across the board to “slow down the spread so as not to get our health systems overwhelmed by the virus.”

On the common border protocol, Rowley explained this was not a case of physical borders between countries being abolished. He said there will be further discussions in the coming days on this and other issues. On Caricom nationals stranded in different Caricom territories because of borders being closed, Rowley said there is agreement by all leaders that their respective nationals “shelter in place” in whatever territory they are in.

He said the decision for countries to open their borders will be guided by the science from the medical experts, so as not to expose them to a renewed threat from the virus. Rowley said Caricom leaders also acknowledged the economic blows which the region and individual countries, suffered as a result of the pandemic. He said there was agreement that Caricom should approach the International Monetary Fund, Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank and other multi-lateral agencies as pone. “We all have the same problem and we are all looking for the same kind of understanding.”