Some of the media managers present at yesterday’s meeting with Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and other ministers and officials.
PRIME Minister Mia Amor Mottley says she will shortly be sharing with Barbadians the steps being taken to buffer the country against the likely economic impact of COVID-19, while giving the assurance that the country is currently in a better position to handle the pandemic than it was two years ago.
Her comments came yesterday at Government headquarters where she addressed media managers on the role which they play in disseminating information to the public at a time where fake news is creating a sense of panic in the country.
During the meeting Prime Minister Mottley also revealed that as the situation continues to evolve, she will not be presenting the Budget next week or anytime soon, “...because it is just too fluid.”
She said while persons were expecting new taxes, that was never the intention of the 2020-2021 budget, “and there was no need for an immediate budget.”
She stressed that government is in the process of determining the full economic impact as the situation unfolds and is in the process of gathering facts.
However, she stated that the country currently has reserves of $1.544 billion which equates to 19 to 20 weeks of import cover.
She stated that her economic team is in the process of preparing all scenarios so that government can play a supporting role to the entities and businesses and workers likely to be impacted.
“We are fighting this from a situation where we have already restructured debt. Debt has gone from 177 down to 119 percent debt to GDP [ratio]. We have more strength to fight it but the government is in the process of collecting the data and meeting with the individual sectors. We met with tourism, we are meeting with the banks on Sunday. We are meeting with others and the IMF on Monday, in order to be able to settle what we feel is a clear survival package for everybody to keep their head above water,” she stated.
Prime Minister Mottley stressed the importance of communicating accurate information with the general public adding that there can be no room left for speculation. “The lines of communication must be clear. When there is doubt ask first... it has to be completely validated and verified.”
She said Barbados in many ways has been ahead of the curve with regards to preparations. The Prime Minister assured that she or health officials will periodically update the country on the status of the COVID-19. (JH)