COVI-CURB has been effective in reducing Covid transmission

-Prime Minister tells National Assembly

Prime Minister, Hon. Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips said the Government has been working diligently to assess the COVID-19 situation and develop reasonable, logical ways of dealing with the effects the pandemic has had on the lives of citizens and the economy.

The Prime Minister was at the time providing an update on the Government’s handling of the pandemic, specifically Operation COVI-CURB, to the 14^th sitting of the National Assembly of the Twelfth Parliament on Wednesday.

He said Operation COVI-CURB has been effective in engaging the public and raising awareness of the disease.  Operation COVI-CURB was implemented by the National COVID-19 Task Force to educate the populace about the disease and reinforce the importance of adhering to the preventative COVID-19 Measures.

“With the involvement of Members of the Joint Services and volunteers across the country, a multi-sectoral, inter-agency approach form of collaboration was taken to make the operation a very successful one. The education along with enforcement, has seen improvement in the way persons respond to the coronavirus at all levels, and by that, I mean from businesses and organisations right down to civilians,” the Prime Minister said.

To date, Operation COVI-CURB continues daily with conversations and advertisements in mainstream media. Advisories were published in the newspapers and flyers distributed to get the safety message out, and keep persons engaged in supporting the fight against Covid through every possible medium.  A hotline number was also made available to the public to treat reports of breaches of the COVID-19 measures and to address queries about the disease.

“Though challenges exist just as they do in all other normal circumstances, our Government will continue to tackle the pandemic in the best way possible from every angle, to ensure the safety of our citizens first. But at the same time, taking into consideration the fact that we need to keep our economy running so that families can take care of themselves and people can get back to work in a safe environment,” Prime Minister Phillips said.

Additionally, the PM noted that the private sector has implemented safety measures so that business can continue, and employees can earn while reducing the risks of transmission.

Further, the Government continues to provide support to citizens across the regions in various forms. These include distributing food hampers to the most vulnerable communities and families, and the disbursement of the $25,000 per household COVID-19 relief cash grant.

The Prime Minister reiterated the Government’s commitment to making every effort to curb the transmission of Covid, while reducing the impacts on lives and livelihoods.

The National COVID-19 Task Force which includes representatives from various sectors, will continue to meet weekly to make assessments and develop strategies and measures to safeguard the nation from the disease.