PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Tourism is the major economic driver for many Caribbean countries and territories in which the Republic Bank group operates. It is well known that global travel and tourism have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Bank intends to play its part in supporting this industry.
The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), through its Regional Travellers Health Program (THP) has collaborated with Republic Bank Limited to support an innovative approach to sustainable economic development using advanced technology to support the safe re-opening of the tourism sector for the region. The THP is an innovative program, addressing the health, safety, and environmental sanitation threats to tourism. It is enhancing visitors and locals’ health and safety, travellers’ confidence, tourism resilience, and regional health security through the implementation of travellers’ surveillance system, capacity building, standards, guidelines, policies and the game-changing, travellers’ health assurance stamp.
In this regard, the THP reached out to Republic Bank Limited to provide computers and other equipment to support its work. The Bank immediately responded with the donation of four desktops, two mobile workstations, one multi-function printer and supporting accessories.
Dr Lisa Indar, director of surveillance, disease prevention and control division remarked: “The equipment would support the expansion of the work of CARPHA-THP to meet the growing demands of our tourism and health stakeholders including monitoring, surveillance and rapid response to COVID-19. This includes real-time identification of alerts and rapid sharing of illness information for timely response and reduction in spread of illnesses across borders, necessary for enhanced regional security.”
Nigel Baptiste, managing director, Republic Bank Limited, said: “We are happy to support the THP initiative which through its unique and innovative approach will assist in allowing the travel and tourism sector to not only regain a measure of stability but also chart the way forward in mitigating the spread of diseases regionally. Additionally, this venture also aligns perfectly with the United Nations Principles for Responsible Banking of which we are a signatory. These principles enable us to identify potential opportunities that will make the most impact in contributing to a sustainable world.”