A regional protocol setting out minimum standards for dealing with the COVID19 virus was agreed to by CARICOM Heads of Government at the 8th Special Emergency Meeting in Barbados on Sunday.
The protocol is vital to avoid an outbreak of panic and fear in the Region, a statement from CARICOM said on Sunday. It came on the same day that coronavirus cases were declared in the Caribbean territories of St Martin, St Barthelemy and in the Dominican Republic.
The capacity to manage an outbreak was seen as an area of concern. Accordingly the statement said that the Meeting agreed to establish an expanded Bureau of Heads of Government to continue talks with the travel and tourism industry, regional Financial Institutions, International Financial Institutions and the private sector on mobilising resources to boost the region’s capacity to deal with a possible outbreak. In that context, the meeting asked CARPHA and PAHO to help by conducting a gap analysis of Member States’ capacities.
