TTMA: Health Ministry’s covid19 efforts a success

CEO of the TT Manufacturers' Association (TTMA) Dr Mahindra Ramdeen says based on the ratio of cases to recoveries, the Health Ministry has been “successful in containing the spread” of covid19.

Ramdeen was responding to questions from Newsday about the recent study by the University of Oxford on countries’ readiness to relax lockdown measures, in which TT is now top-ranked.

Asked for his general views on the results of the study, he said the association is “not positioned” to guide as to whether or not TT meets the criteria for containing the virus. But he added, “The TTMA is relying on government to assess and make the right interventions to prevent the spread and potential impacts of the virus.”

He said he understands that testing will be “critical” in guiding when and how people return to work.

“The business community is keen to restart the economy and to bring people back into employment, but to do so in a manner that safeguards the health and safety of the population.”

The US is currently ranked 84th in the Oxford study. Asked if the association is concerned by this, he admitted it will have an impact on the association’s exports as the US is a “major trading partner of TT.”

But he said, “Our TTMA 2025 export strategy aims to grow and diversify our export locations, and this may be the opportune time for us to ramp up these efforts and to capture greater market share within our Caricom trading space. This is critical to economic diversification and the sustainability of the manufacturing sector.”