All things being equal, the Caribbean could find itself on the way to recovery from the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic, though World Bank Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean, Felipe Jaramillo, is concerned that another spike in infections could spell disaster for the region, particularly given what is now widely believed to be a number of variants that are now part of the equation.
The World Bank top official’s disclosure was reported in Kingston earlier this week at the end of his recent three-day visit to Jamaica.
Based on current circumstances, Jaramillo reportedly pointed to a revised World Bank forecast for Latin America and the Caribbean pointing to growth in 2021 reaching 5.2 per cent, up from the 3.8 per cent projected for the region’s economy when the original forecast was made back in January. “What I can tell you with some certainty is that we started the year with fairly low growth projections for most of the region, thinking that the crisis will last longer and have a longer impact,” Jaramillo is quoted as saying in last week’s Observer interview.
