Household measures to be announced by end of the week

His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, this morning, said the Government will, in the coming days, announce measures for both the household and Private Sector, which will help to alleviate some of the effects of the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. 

Speaking during an outreach in Canje, East Berbice-Corentyne (Region Six), President Ali said the Government has not forgotten its commitments to the people.

“We know that COVID-19 has brought some hardships on the communities that were already stressed and pressed with hard economic fortunes because of the closure of sugar estates, the downturn of the economy and then these communities in themselves have other issues because other persons would have lost their jobs over the past month. We also know that there were limited interventions in bringing relief at the household and family levels,” the President said.

President Ali said the Government had promised that these issues would be addressed and as such, it remains resolute in this endeavour.  

“In our Manifesto, we had promised to address the issue of the sugar estates, employment and supporting and improving livelihoods and living conditions at the household level. I want to assure you that those commitments are as strong today as the day we … made them. We are going to ensure that we make the necessary investments.  By the end of this week, I will announce measures at the household level that will help you and put back money in your pockets. These are not just for your community, but they will be measures that will be extended to every household and every family in this country,” the Head of State said.  

The President also said that by the end of the week, he will announce the interventions that will be put in place by the Ministry of Education to ensure that students remain engaged and receive tuition outside of the traditional classroom setting, during this period. 

“We have to ensure that they have access to the curriculum and the teaching material. The Minister of Education has been working on this for the past two weeks,” he said.

Further, President Ali urged the residents to play their part and follow the emergency measures, which have been put in place to curb the spread of the COVID-19 disease. Personal responsibility, he said, is as important as the Government fulfilling its responsibilities. 

“You must also do your part and ensure that your family and neighbours take the issues of this pandemic very seriously. You must wear your masks. We have to protect ourselves, our families and our communities. Carry on your activities, keeping in mind that we are living in a COVID-19 environment. We have to take the precautions. It is the only way we can fight this pandemic,” President Ali said.