Fellow Grenadians, the past few weeks posed a critical challenge for our health care\u00a0 system but thankfully, we are emerging from what will likely be recorded as one of\u00a0 the darkest periods of our country\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
It has also been a very challenging time for leadership and decision-making, but I\u00a0 have always been confident that we will get through this. The resilience of the\u00a0 Grenadian people has been demonstrated in the past, and in this period, it is no\u00a0 different \u2013 there is just something about our people and the indomitable will to\u00a0 survive and to thrive.<\/p>\n
The crisis is far from over, but there is certainly a rainbow peeking through the\u00a0 stormy cloud of sickness, death, unemployment, business closures and every other\u00a0 impact this pandemic has wrought on our country. The road to recovery will be long\u00a0 and steep, maybe with some undulating periods where we may seem to regress, but\u00a0 ultimately, sisters and brothers, we will get through this.<\/p>\n
One of the most painful elements of this crisis is the number of deaths occurring in\u00a0 a short space of time. Death is an inevitable part of life, but the sheer volume at\u00a0 which we have been experiencing death in the last few weeks, was unprecedented.\u00a0 It was extremely painful to see and to hear of so many families facing the sudden\u00a0 loss of loved ones.<\/p>\n
It was particularly disconcerting to see the number of elderly citizens we lost, the\u00a0 true gems of our country, those whose sacrifices laid the foundation on which we\u00a0 stand today \u2013 their lives obliterated, in a flash, taking with them elements of our\u00a0 culture, our heritage as a people. It is devastating and I am heartbroken by the sudden\u00a0 loss of 130 of our senior citizens. I pray that the families of all the deceased are\u00a0 comforted by the fact that their loved ones are resting in peace.<\/p>\n
In the same breath, I must acknowledge that despite the loss of life, we ought to be\u00a0 grateful because so many others have recovered and remain with us today. To date,\u00a0 Grenada has recorded more than 4,300 recoveries from COVID-19. Some required\u00a0 medical intervention and their recovery was hard-fought. Unfortunately, many\u00a0 people waited too late to seek help and, in some cases, had it not been for the\u00a0 expertise and the dedicated care of our medical team and the invaluable support\u00a0 system within the health care sector, our numbers may have been higher.<\/p>\n
Therefore, sisters and brothers, we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to our team\u00a0 of health professionals \u2013 doctors, nurses, community health team, orderlies, drivers,\u00a0 cooks, cleaning staff, maintenance personnel and oxygen plant staff \u2013 just about\u00a0 everyone who contributed to the care of COVID-19 patients, whether directly or\u00a0 indirectly. We recognise that the health care system is a sum total of all its parts,\u00a0 with each element contributing to the overall product and we therefore thank all of you for the critical role you play in serving the people of Grenada, Carriacou and\u00a0 Petite Martinique.<\/p>\n
Sisters and brothers, the rate of infection continues to decline and the total number\u00a0 of active cases similarly continues the downward trend, but this came at a\u00a0 tremendous cost to others who were put on the breadline as non-essential businesses\u00a0 were forced to close their doors. It is an ongoing challenge for Government to create\u00a0 that delicate balance between safeguarding lives and protecting livelihoods, such is\u00a0 the complex nature of this pandemic.<\/p>\n
Recognising the tremendous financial impact of the pandemic, Government has\u00a0 initiated a second stimulus package that will benefit a wide cross-section of the\u00a0 population, particularly those who are most vulnerable. Already, the COVID-19\u00a0 Economic Support Stimulus Secretariat, at the Ministry of Finance, has processed\u00a0 more than 1,500 applications with more than 500 approvals to date. Beneficiaries\u00a0 approved for income support have already started receiving payments on October 1.\u00a0 Those approved under SEED, will receive their first payments on October 15. In\u00a0 addition, 55 small business loans worth about $600,000 and qualifying under the\u00a0 stimulus package, have already been approved, to help business owners recover from\u00a0 the impact of the pandemic and to stimulate operational growth and development.<\/p>\n
Given the positive trend we are now seeing and the optimism of the health experts,\u00a0 that this will continue, the Cabinet has agreed on a number of measures that will in\u00a0 essence, provide an easement of the regulations that have been in place for the last\u00a0 few weeks.<\/p>\n
\u2219\u00a0Effective, October 5 and continuing until October 19, the nightly curfew will\u00a0 continue, but will be adjusted from 7:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.<\/p>\n
\u2219\u00a0The no-movement weekends will be discontinued. This measure has certainly\u00a0 helped to curb the rate of infection, but health experts have continuously\u00a0 indicated that we must learn to live with COVID-19, therefore it is imperative\u00a0 that we seek to resume a degree of normalcy while continuing to safeguard\u00a0 our people.<\/p>\n
\u2219\u00a0Retail stores across the country will be allowed to resume normal operations\u00a0 but we encourage store managers to maintain 50% capacity in store at all times\u00a0 and ensure that workers and patrons alike, are following the recommended\u00a0 protocols \u2013 proper wearing of masks, appropriate physical distancing,\u00a0 avoiding large gatherings and regular hand sanitisation.<\/p>\n
\u2219\u00a0Beaches will be accessible for an extended period, between 4:00 a.m. and 4:00\u00a0 p.m. daily.<\/p>\n
\u2219\u00a0In the food service sector, dine-in services will resume for fully-vaccinated\u00a0 persons only.<\/p>\n
\u2219\u00a0Gyms and fitness centres are also permitted to resume operation. Likewise,\u00a0 day care centres and businesses in the beauty sector including hairdresser\u00a0 salons and barber shops. However, there is one caveat which is based on\u00a0 consultation with representatives in the private sector to help facilitate\u00a0 continuity of operations in the event of future spikes that could otherwise force\u00a0 another shut down of operations.<\/p>\n
Having consulted with stakeholders in the following industries and acting on their general recommendation, employees in the food service,\u00a0 accommodation, fitness, beauty, child and elderly care sectors, must be fully vaccinated, or in cases where they have received only one dose, the second\u00a0 dose must be administered within a specific period after the resumption of\u00a0 operations.<\/p>\n
\u2219\u00a0The re-opening of schools is widely anticipated by students, parents and\u00a0 educators and while I am keen to see our children back in the classroom, our\u00a0 primary concern must be their health and safety. The vaccination rate among\u00a0 teachers and other personnel in the education sector is abysmal. The uptake of<\/p>\n
the Pfizer which is administered to children 12 and above, is also low at this\u00a0 point. Against this backdrop, it is difficult for Government to announce the\u00a0 re-opening of schools.<\/p>\n
Sisters and brothers, during the past few weeks, our vaccination numbers have\u00a0 continued to improve, with latest figures showing that about 25,000 people are fully\u00a0 vaccinated. In addition, more than 10,000 people are partially vaccinated, meaning\u00a0 they have received the first dose of the two-dose regimen. This is a welcome\u00a0 improvement in the number of persons opting for vaccination but we are still a long\u00a0 way from where we need to be in terms of achieving herd immunity.<\/p>\n
I must recognise the role of volunteers in helping us to achieve the significant\u00a0 increase in vaccinations. Over the past four weekends, teams of doctors, nurses,\u00a0 ordinary citizens as well as faculty and students from St. George\u2019s University volunteered their time to provide testing and vaccination clinics across the country.\u00a0 This outreach effort, undertaken in collaboration with public health officials, made\u00a0 testing and vaccination more accessible to many people and contributed to about\u00a0 4,000 more people being vaccinated and the Ministry of Health being able to acquire\u00a0 much more data on the extent of the spread of the virus across communities.<\/p>\n
On many occasions during those weekends, I acknowledged the enormous sacrifice\u00a0 being made by the volunteers and it is important that I do so again as part of this\u00a0 national address. Volunteers, thank you for your selfless service and partnership with\u00a0 the Government of Grenada.<\/p>\n
Continuing on the subject of gratitude and patriotisim, I must acknowledge the\u00a0 valuable contribution of our diaspora community \u2013 the doctors who have travelled\u00a0 to Grenada to provide physical support to their colleagues on the frontline; the many\u00a0 organisations and individuals, who readily donated supplies to bolster our inventory\u00a0 and ensure that our health team is properly outfitted to execute the challenging tasks\u00a0 they face. Several other initiatives are likely in the coming weeks, including the\u00a0 provision of telemedicine service by our diaspora doctors.<\/p>\n
We are also grateful for the generosity of medical professionals from Cuba, Mexico\u00a0 and Nicaragua who are currently supporting our own health care professionals. I\u00a0 must acknowledge the sizeable donation expected shortly from Direct Assist, a\u00a0 charitable organization based in the United States.<\/p>\n
I have mentioned on many occasions, that getting through this crisis requires a\u00a0 collaborative effort and I am pleased to see that many have seen the value in this\u00a0 approach, volunteering where possible and initiating and engaging in the necessary\u00a0 dialogue, making recommendations for improving this collective fight against\u00a0 COVID-19. I must make special reference here to Brother Randal Robinson of the\u00a0 National Democratic Congress who has been volunteering his service at vaccination\u00a0 and testing clinics. I call on all to follow his example.<\/p>\n
Sisters and brothers, vaccine inequity continues to be a significant challenge around\u00a0 the world, but we are thankful to our international partners who have ensured that\u00a0 Grenada and our OECS and CARICOM neighbours receive this critical resource to\u00a0 help fight the spread of the virus. Government is currently engaged in discussions to\u00a0 source additional supplies of AstraZeneca and Pfizer. We anticipate a second\u00a0 shipment of Pfizer in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
The operations of Government have not been immune to the impact of the pandemic.\u00a0 Several public officers have themselves contracted the disease and while we have\u00a0 lost a few, the vast majority has recovered. We have implemented the necessary\u00a0 measures to adapt to the new environment, including the rotation of staff where\u00a0 necessary to ensure adherence to physical distancing, remote work where possible and greater emphasis on digital transformation and online services. We also<\/p>\n
encourage the continued enforcement of protocols across Government to ensure that\u00a0 public officers and the people they serve are kept safe.<\/p>\n
Sisters and brothers, I close by saying, these unprecedented times require equally\u00a0 extraordinary fortitude. For individuals and organisations alike, it is not a period for\u00a0 the faint of heart, but we have persevered thus far and I must reiterate the need for\u00a0 us to continue working collaboratively, in the interest of our people and our country.\u00a0 It is imperative that we join hands regardless of political, religious or other\u00a0 affiliation. That said, we must guard against complacency being allowed to\u00a0 undermine the gains made. The reduction in active cases should motivate us to\u00a0 become even more cognizant of the protocols, ensuring that we safeguard ourselves\u00a0 and our loved ones, as we seek a return to some sense of normalcy.<\/p>\n
I thank you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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