Home » Posts » #BTFocus – Stay on guard . . . UNICEF Official warns COVID-19 pandemic still lurks

#BTFocus – Stay on guard . . . UNICEF Official warns COVID-19 pandemic still lurks

by Anesta Henry
2 min read
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A United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) official is cautioning Barbados not to let its guard down, even as the rest of the world looks at the country’s success in managing the COVID-19 pandemic thus far.

UNICEF Representative for the Eastern Caribbean Dr Aloys Kamuragiye said his organisation was proud that Barbados and other Caribbean countries had managed their cases, prevented community spread, and eventually flattened the curve, while other parts of the world, particularly Latin America and South Asia, had high rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths.

Speaking during a presentation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Child Care Board (CCB) and the Government Industrial School (GIS) at the Ministry of People Empowerment, Dr Kamuragiye said other UNICEF officials across the world found it difficult to believe the region had managed the pandemic so well, even though he had shown them relevant data.

“Of course, it is not time for Barbados and other countries in the Caribbean to let their guards down. This is global, it is a pandemic, and unless in other places it is controlled we cannot rest. In spite of the success, we have got to stay vigilant,” he said.

Dr Kamuragiye also commended the Government for ensuring that the protection of children remained a priority throughout the pandemic.

Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Cynthia Forde thanked UNICEF and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for supporting the nation’s children at this critical time, particularly now that the country is drained because of high unemployment and unstable economic activity.

“We are grateful for the gifts which will safeguard the health of our citizens, especially those of our young children,” she said.

CCB Director Joan Crawford said the assistance from the two entities would ensure that all children in residential care and the staff working at children’s homes remained sanitised and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She also commended the CCB’s staff for reporting to work throughout the national shutdown.

anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

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