By Caribbean News Global 
WASHINGTON, USA – With the advent of COVID-19 declared a pandemic and the focus of the world directed on adherence to the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for containment and development of a vaccine, leaders are likewise advised to follow the directive of scientist and medical experts, to remedy coronavirus (COVID-19.)
However, the general secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) reports that, within the framework of the 54th special meeting of the general-assembly, set for March 20, and the situation related to the coronavirus, it has issued an invitation to the authorities from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the purpose of inspecting the Organization’s facilities.
According to the OAS statement March 17, “The corresponding authorities have accepted the invitation and will carry out the visit to the relevant facilities in the next few hours. In this way, the OAS general-secretariat hopes to have the certifications that guarantee the condition of the rooms, to protect the health and well-being of the participants in the general assembly and of the Organization’s staff.”
The permanent council of the OAS is scheduled for the election of the secretary-general and assistant secretary-general of the OAS to take place on Friday, March 20.
María Fernanda Espinosa, Ecuador’s former foreign minister and president of the UN genera-assembly is the Caribbean candidate for secretary-general of the Organization of American States (OAS).
In December, Sir Ronald Sanders announced that he submitted Espinosa formal nomination for the post of secretary-general of the OAS to the current president of the OAS permanent council on behalf of prime ministers Gaston Browne and Dr Ralph Gonsalves, the heads of government of Antigua and Barbuda and St Vincent and the Grenadines jointly.
Writing in The Washington Post, Anthony Faiola and Carol Morello articulated:
A group of ambassadors to the Organization of American States, a multilateral body for the Western Hemisphere, is objecting to a decision to move forward with a long-scheduled meeting in Washington on Friday to elect its secretary-general, arguing that the session will contradict health recommendations issued by the White House to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Several nations are officially requesting a postponement of the meeting at the OAS’s Washington headquarters because many of the delegates are over 65 and have pre-existing health conditions.
“To proceed with this meeting in circumstances where the president of the United States has said that no gatherings should be larger than 10 people and the CDC has warned against anything over 50 people is extremely dangerous, reckless and irresponsible,” said ambassador Ronald Sanders of Antigua and Barbuda.
On Tuesday, Gonzalo Espariz, the OAS spokesman, initially said the session would be limited to about 100 people which would have violated recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He later clarified that attendance will be kept to under 50 people to follow guidelines and said the OAS would require delegates to observe social distancing.
The White House on Monday said that meetings should be limited to ten people. Any vote delay, Espariz said, must be enacted by the member states. Representatives from the member states discussed a delay on Monday, he said, but had not come to agreement on changing the date.
Josué Fiallo, OAS ambassador from the Dominican Republic, described that call as simply “informative,” with no vote taken, and called for the OAS to find a way to delay the vote.
“After listening to president [Donald]Trump yesterday, we think we should follow the most recent guidelines for social distancing and avoid gatherings,” Fiallo said.
What happens next is anybody’s guess
This has set-up an interesting scenario, if not conspiracy with a secretary-general backed by the Trump administration, and some Caribbean and Latin American nations. The best option is to elect a consensus-building ‘secretary’ in keeping with the four pronged approach to effectively implement the OAS essential purposes, to than of a confrontational ‘general’.
The contest between Fernanda Espinosa and Luis Almagro, strongly backed by the Trump administration on overriding issues in Latin America to migration, climate goals, progress and challenges of the indigenous peoples, the oil-based economy of Venezuela, Bolivia elections widely denounced as fraudulent, supported by some Caribbean and Lima nations is an opportunity to reset an OAS that “needs urgent renovation” and a “woman secretary-general” building a hemispheric identity with added value for the OAS.
The OAS is prime for a woman secretary-general. The 15-nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) – needs to vote assertively as a unified bloc.
