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COVID-19 Situation Report in the Caribbean - April 2020

Pays
Aruba (Pays-Bas)
+ 5
Sources
R4V
Date de publication
Origine
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• The COVID-19 pandemic reached the Caribbean in March 2020, and the outbreak is expected to increase further over the coming weeks, with refugees and migrants and host communities at heightened risk. As of April 1, a total of 1,452 COVID-19 cases1 and 65 fatalities2 were confirmed in Aruba, Curaçao, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago. Local transmission is being reported in most countries.

• The number of Venezuelans that have been tested positive for COVID-19 in the Caribbean is unknown, but at least two cases have been recorded in the Dominican Republic. There is a limited test kit supply in some of the countries, limited avilability of isolation facilitaties, ventilators and personal protective equipments, and health services may become overwhelmed if the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise.

• As a response to the pandemic, Caribbean Governments have implemented a series of measures to contain, mitigate and prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus and mitigate the financial and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in their countries.

• In Aruba, the Government has restricted entry to all travelers, including Aruba residents, effective 21 March. The Government has issued a “shelter in place” order through April 20, effective March 29. People cannot leave their homes, except for essential functions. Additionally, a mandatory country-wide curfew is in effect from 9:00pm to 6:00am, and violators of the curfew can be fined. Schools are closed until 20 April. The government has also set up a free-of-charge COVID-19 hotline, which is available in Spanish, released a fiscal emergency plan to facilitate the recovery of the economy, and introduced an emergency social assistance fund for nationals and legal residents.

• In Curaçao, the Government has issued a “shelter in place” order through 12 April. People cannot leave their homes, except for essential functions. Additionally, a curfew is in effect from 9:00pm to 6:00am, and violators of the curfew can be fined. Curaçao has restricted entry to all travelers, including legal residents, effective March 30, and is restricting traffic circulation by assigning circulation days based on license plate numbers. All maritime traffic is prohibited to enter Curaçao, with few exceptions. The government has also set up a COVID-19 hotline, which is available in Spanish.

• In the Dominican Republic, the Government has closed the borders for an initial period of 15 days, effective 19 March. A national curfew is in effect from 5:00pm to 6:00am from 20 March until 3 April. Public transportation has been suspended, limiting mobility in urban areas. Events and public gatherings are also suspended. The government has established a hotline to provide information on the novel coronavirus, and is working to expand access to COVID-19 tests through partnerships with private laboratories. Various labour and social security measures have been established to support formal and informal workers, and vulnerable families. These measures will likely not benefit most Venezuelans in the Dominican Republic, as the majority of them face difficulties in regularizing their status in the country, and are consequently undocumented.

• In Guyana, the Government has closed the airspace to all international arrivals from 19 March to 1 May, with exceptions for medevac flights, cargo flights, technical stops, and special authorized flights. A Public Health Ordinance was issued granting the Ministry of Public Health authority to take a number of measures, including mandatory quarantine. The Government has received a donation of 700 diagnostic screening tests and 400 diagnostic confirmatory test kits from the Pan-American Health Organization and set up four quarantine sites. A COVID-19 hotline in English has also been set up.

• In Trinidad and Tobago, the Government implemented “stay at home” measures for the non-essential labour force from midnight 29 March until 15 April. Effective 22 March, the government announced the indefinite closure of its borders to all international flights, while shools and universities are closed until 20 April. In addition, visas for foreign nationals are currently suspended for an indefinite period of time. A COVID-19 hotline in English staffed with doctors have been set up. The government has also put in place various financial and economic measures to provide income, food, and rental fee support to nationals and permanent residents that have been financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and, consequently, most Venezuelans will not benefit from these measures.