By Caribbean News Global contributor
KINGSTOWN, St Vincent — Governments of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, (OAS) have begun to coordinate efforts against COVID-19 pandemic, according to prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Coordination of these efforts was discussed at two meetings of the OECS Authority held last week on Tuesday and Saturday, respectively, in addition to a CARICOM heads of government meeting.
Speaking at a press briefing at the ministry of foreign affairs conference room, Dr Ralph Gonsalves said: “These meetings discussed various aspects of our response currently to COVID-19, addressed the economic and recovery aspects,” added that these meetings were held “specifically to the coordination of a resumption to a new normalcy. There was an agreement and a determination to coordinate as far as practicable.”
Prime minister Gonsalves went on to state that it is true that when steps were taken earlier, such as the matter of closing of airports, seaports, curfews, and state of emergency, that there was no coordination.
“In some cases, there was no information in advance shared. In some cases you will get some, in other cases, you sort of got the information after the deed was done,” the Vincentian leader of government added.
During his address to the nation on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, prime minister Gonsalves spoke of four inter-connecting dimensions, namely health, economics, security, and social, which have since been adopted by the OECS Authority as “the HESS Dimensions of the Monumental Challenge.”
Gonsalves went on to state that: “You will notice that all of these dimensions, more and more that governments are talking about and the need for greater coordination.”
