 Welcome to NTN Nightly, I am Genelle Norville, this edition's top stories. The ECCB says the COVID-19 pandemic must be approached with a mindset of growth. A committee has been appointed with a view of recommending commercial activity and the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports recognises the youth despite the odds. Hello and thank you for joining us at the Information Command Centre for the national response to COVID-19 as we bring you the latest developments. The Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, ECCB, in his recent address indicated that opportunity lurks amidst the doom and gloom brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that the ECCB has been working assiduously to assist members of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union, ECCU with an holistic response to the pandemic. Details in this report. Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, ECCB, Timothy Antoine in his recent address indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global economic downturn and an almost certain recession, something that he describes as the perfect storm. Governor Antoine noted that like many other crises before, the COVID-19 pandemic will soon be in the world's review mirror, but the stars and lessons will linger forever. The pandemic, according to the Governor, has presented opportunities to enhance the way we live, work and conduct our daily lives, opportunities that can be seized if approached with a growth mindset. The International Monetary Fund, IMF, is projecting that the global economy will contract in 2020 on a magnitude the same as or larger than the global financial crisis. The extent of the economic impact depends on the length and the severity of the pandemic, and those are still unknowns at this time. Governor Antoine indicated that the ECCB has run several scenarios for the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union, ECCU. Based on two such scenarios, economic activity in the ECCU is projected to contract between 5% and 7% in 2020, accompanied by a sharp rise in unemployment. Now keep in mind that prior to this pandemic, economic growth in the ECCU was projected at 3.3%. Member governments have fashioned and announced fiscal stimulus or what may be more aptly described as care and relief packages to help cushion the effect of the pandemic on individuals and businesses. This is an exceptionally challenging time for governments because revenues have plummeted. Since the outbreak, the ECCB has been focused on two priorities, protecting its staff and serving the region. The governor highlighted some of the actions undertaken by the ECCB to date. First, provided financial support to member governments through a $4 million grant, $500,000 for each member country, from the fiscal reserve tranche 2. Second, reached an agreement with the ECCU Bankers Association on a loan deferral program for customers for up to six months. A waiver of late fees and charges is applicable to eligible customers during that period. Third, created a page on the ECCB's website to provide information on the bank's COVID-19 response. Fourth, discussed a loan deferral program for customers with credit unions, the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions, and national regulators. Fifth, increased government share of the credit allocation budget, thereby increasing the central bank's lending capacity to member governments. Six, instituted bank-wide telecommuting working from home. And seventh, reduced the discount rate to 2% from 6.5%. This is a rate at which the central bank lends to governments and banks. The ECCB has also been conducting regular meetings with ministries of finance within the ECCU with a view of lending support to the development of national and regional responses to COVID-19. The ECCB is working closely with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, OECS Commission, in the procurement of critical supplies, assessments, resource mobilization, and coordination. The ECCB has also engaged the IMF and World Bank Group on getting assistance from members of the ECCU. Like many other events and celebrations, activities scheduled as part of the celebration of St. Lucia's youth, such as the highly anticipated youth awards, have been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Observed annually this year's Youth Month is being celebrated under the theme Puvarshenes, the Power of the Youth. Youth Day is observed annually on April 14, during the observance of Youth Month. Despite the odds, Minister of Youth Development and Sports Honourable Edmund Estefan seized the opportunity to convey a message of hope and resilience to the nation's youth. The minister recognized the contributions being made by the youth, from those who volunteer to those who contribute to the various sectors, including the agriculture sector and the green and orange sectors. He said their contributions did not go unnoticed as they are integral to the success of St. Lucia. Honourable Estefan highlighted some new initiatives being embarked upon by the ministry. The Ministry of Youth Development and Sports is working on a virtual youth development platform with the aim of helping young people engage in discussion during this time of limited social interaction with the pairs. We are also considering the provision of psychosocial support to the youth as this pandemic has suddenly taken a toll on the emotional and mental health. The ministry is also in discussion with the international and regional organizations on methods to bring relief to young people and that will be communicated when things are in place. We are also in discussion with young people in trying to develop an e-sports program in St. Lucia. Minister Honourable Estefan called on the youth to join in the fight against COVID-19 as part of the mitigation efforts to reduce the transmission of the virus. The Ministry of Youth Development and Sports will be contributing 35,000 disposable masks to young people across the island. This gesture signals the recognition of April as Youth Month as all celebration activities and events that would have attracted public gatherings have been cancelled. The Ministry of Youth Development and Sports will be assisting in the fight to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, the COVID-19. By distributing reusable face masks to young people across the island. We want young people to model the behavior of wearing these face masks to signal their commitment to haul the transmission of COVID-19. If you will be living your home, please wear a face mask. Youth workers will sensitize the communities at the appropriate time of distribution. Minister of Youth Development and Sports Honourable Estefan added that the disposable masks will be distributed across the island and will target young people in essential services including other places of employment as well as voluntary organizations using the services of young people. This is NTN Nightly. Please stay with the broadcast. We'll be right back. Coronavirus? I am worried Gaza is only old people dying from that. Hold up. Being young does not mean being safe. Yes, it's true that the elderly are at higher risk but anyone can get the virus. The effect is even worse if you have a chronic condition like hypertension, heart disease, lung disease and diabetes or weakness in your immune system. If you are living with these conditions, be extra careful. Wash your hands with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol when hand washing is not possible. Avoid touching your face. Take steps to boost your immunity through proper nutrition, exercise, rest and take your medication as prescribed. Limit being around people who have flu symptoms, even close family members. Our health is in our hands. Together through simple actions, we can stop the spread of coronavirus. This message was brought to you by the Bureau of Health Education of the Ministry of Health and Wellness. Welcome back. The Minister for Commerce, Industry, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs speaks to plans for the operationalization of the commercial sector. Anisia Antoine tells us more. The Government of St. Lucia is currently working with the public and private sectors for a phased reopening of the economy. As St. Lucia prepares for the drought season, hardware stores have been reopened in an effort to facilitate household emergencies and increase water storage capacity. A committee has been appointed to work with the sectors, as well as the public health departments, to put protocols in place for the full operationalization of commercial activity. Minister for Commerce, International Trade, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs, Honourable Bradley Felix, explained that all hardware and home supply stores have to submit an application to the Ministry of Commerce to be vetted before reopening. We continue to send out the message to the hardware store owners that there is a certain protocol that must be followed, whether it's external customers or your internal customers. So that is in place now. With regards to the convenience stores, the home supplies, owners, they do have to apply. We recognize that some of these stores sell a wide range of items, and we want to ensure that they restrict the activity in the store to what is considered to be essential items, which is your sanitary items, your cleaning supplies, health and wellness. We would try as much as possible. And we know that a lot of these stores do have various floors where different things are located. So if it's possible to completely lock off maybe top floors so people can only address the essential needs on one floor, we ensure that we provide that sort of guidance to them. The Minister for Commerce noted that his ministry has engaged all sector agencies in aiding businesses that have suffered disruptions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses have been significantly disrupted. Unfortunately, I believe there are some that will not recover from the current situation. There are those, I believe, that will recover and bounce back even better and stronger. What this has done is hopefully to create an awareness by all businesses that we need to have various systems, various business continuity plans in place, various guidelines enacted within the framework of their operations to ensure that when another such crisis, and I'm sure there will be others, comes up, that they are better prepared to deal with that. Honourable Bradley-Philips expressed gratitude to the sector agencies, including the St. Lucia Business Association and the St. Lucia Manufacturers Association for their contributions during this period. For those who donated graciously in terms of food items so that we could have supported the vulnerable, for those who were able to open under immediate requests by government to facilitate various shopping activities, for those manufacturers also who took advantage of what they saw was a necessary item required by St. Lucia in terms of some of what was produced. We saw nutmeg, we saw St. Lucia distillers, we saw others producing health and sanitary items that could have been used in this crisis. The Ministry of Commerce, International Trade, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs remains guided by the Ministry of Health and will continue to provide updates as it was related to the business community. From the Government Information Service, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. We now join Primers-Hudgingston for today's Nuffel-Oquiole. Thank you so much, General. Thank you, Madam Department, for providing information on this government. This is GIS. It is also a national television company, NTN, which is also a newquiole. This is Primers-Hudgingston. This government has established a programme of social stabilisation to assist people who are affected by the coronavirus. This means that they can work because of the virus. In particular, they can work in industrial, sector and domestic industries. I have lost work and the government is making a lot of money to help people who are affected by the coronavirus. The way we address this programme is Prime Minister Alain Chassny who has a very important initiative. Even if the government has placed a salary on the people who are affected by the coronavirus, they can also help people who are affected by the coronavirus. Prime Minister Alain Chassny has said that the programme of social stabilisation is mainly for people who are affected by the coronavirus and for people who are affected by the coronavirus. For example, citizens and people who are affected by the coronavirus are affected by the coronavirus. The Prime Minister said that the government has paid for the people who are affected by the coronavirus because of the coronavirus. After this, the government has put $6000 and $1,600 per month for the next three months. This is a direct 20% of real estate to be financed by the government in Europe before February 20, 2017. The Prime Minister has said that the government has placed $16.8 million That is, for those who do not want to pay assistance, the National Paying Corporation, NIC, I estimate that it will cost you $3 million, which will cost you $4 million in three months. That is, for those who want to pay assistance. For those who do not want to pay assistance, especially in a situation that exists today, it is important to pay the contribution of the government to pay the assistance of the government to pay the assistance of the government to the National Paying Corporation. That is, for those who do not want to pay assistance, especially in a situation that exists today, it is important to pay the assistance of the government to pay the assistance of the government to the National Paying Corporation. That is, for those who do not want to pay assistance, especially in a situation that exists today, it is important to pay the assistance of the government to the National Paying Corporation. That is, for those who do not want to pay assistance, especially in a situation that exists today, it is important to pay the assistance of the government to the National Paying Corporation. That is, for those who do not want to pay assistance, especially in a situation that exists today, it is important to pay the assistance of the government to the National Paying Corporation. That is for those who do not want to pay assistance, in a situation that exists today, it is important to pay the assistance of the government to the National Paying Corporation. That is, for those who do not want to pay assistance, especially in the economy, According to Dr. Mayer Lanienpil Institute in the West Parwes, he said that he advised not to go to a lot of people to get an initiative like that. Dr. Mayer pleaded and pleaded the educators to support the program for the students who are trying to get a job like that, and to support them in a way that is easy for the Ministry of Education to do to support a co-incident situation for the program for the students who are trying to get a job like that. So we are not going to go to a lot of people to get a job like that because we know that it is difficult. But we want to applaud him, we want to say, we are working together. Not only education, we all have a responsibility for our country. We have a responsibility for our mother, we have a responsibility for the work we are doing. We are not working together to keep the situation going. With us, with all the information we have, we know that we have done better, but we all want to try for you. Go together to do that. The third theme of the school for the students who are trying to get a job like that, started on April 20, 2021. That's why we have to work together. Thank you so much for watching. Thank you for the invitation. I would like to continue. What is life like? We are trying to get a job like that. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much. Nonetheless, emergency surgeries will continue. Effective Tuesday, April 21, 2020, outpatient clinics at the St. Lucia National Mental Wellness Center will reopen. Patients and family members are kindly asked to add hair to the scheduled appointments. That brings us to the end of NTN Nightly. Join us next time at 7pm, with a repeat at 7am. You can also catch up with us anytime on the St. Lucia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I am Janelle Norville.