 Welcome to NTN Nightly, I am Genelle Norvell, this edition's top stories. The Prime Minister of St. Lucia talks economic recovery as the feature speaker on the United Nations e-conference series, government of St. Lucia to launch an economic recovery and resilience plan, and donations made in an effort to build St. Lucia's resilience against natural disasters. The United Nations on Friday hosted its e-conference series, Consultation for Action, a private sector for the COVID-19 response. Features speaker Prime Minister the Honourable Alan Chastney indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed the Caribbean region in a peculiar situation, presenting not only a health crisis, but an economic crisis as well. The Prime Minister explained that while the region has made progress in adjusting to the new norm and co-existing with the virus, it now has to face the economic crisis. Honourable Chastney noted some of the initiatives that must be taken to respond to the crisis at hand. Here is it we're having to borrow monies to make up for tax revenue shortfalls, as well as now having to increase the expenditures of government where everything says you're supposed to contract, but you need to play a role in stimulating your local economy. And we've seen on an immediate basis that construction may be the ICT sector, and then hopefully down the road the development of our small businesses. But how are small businesses going to get off the ground when they themselves have seen a significant loss of market and revenue? The banks themselves now, while very liquid, are giving moratoriums and their balance sheets by the end of this year are going to look very bad. And therefore the amount of revenue or our investments that they're willing to make are going to be curtailed by their confidence in the economy being able to grow. And the genuine growth of our economies is only going to happen in a significant way when we were able to open up our global markets. The Prime Minister noted that while efforts have been made to reopen the borders to benefit from the tourism industry, the government continues to weigh in on the best possible protocols such as testing. He explained that testing in the United States of America, for example, is not readily available, as such discussions have been moved to the possibility of having tourists tested upon arrival. Prime Minister Hon. Alan Shastney noted that there are many benefits to be had from the tourism industry. He also disclosed some of the initiatives to come on stream as the country responds to the economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. This idea that we've had where we've seen tourism segmented away from our businesses on a national basis but deep inside the two are fully already integrated need to take greater advantage of that. So my government is providing several incentives in the short term in terms of job stimulation. We were very lucky that we have several major capital projects, the airport project, hospital, police headquarters, road redevelopments, water projects that we're doing. We're putting an incentive where a contractor can buy five lots. We're allowing them to get all of their products duty free and also a tax holiday to get people to agree to build five homes at the same time. This way we can start going after some of the smaller businesses. The SMMEs, money is going into the Solution Development Bank from the EU as well as looking to see if we can reduce taxes and costs to the banks specifically to be lending money to the SMMEs because this is really where the future is. But the SMEs themselves must recognize that we can focus on the local market for the very short term but they themselves are going to have to start looking more broadly competing on a global basis. That was Prime Minister of St Lucia, the Honourable Alan Chastney. The Department of Health and Wellness continues to play an integral role in protecting the well-being of our citizens. One of the key actions taken at the commencement of in-country cases of COVID-19 was the closure of our national borders to routine travel. The Department of Health and Wellness however has executed discretion to grant permission for the repatriation of 795 St Lucia Nationals who were faced with challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic due to global travel restrictions. In addition, in keeping with statutory instrument number 63 of 2020, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer approved 882 applications for entry which were granted for medical reasons including return to country following surgery, death in families and the return of students as well as to provide urgent support needed in country. 50 applications were approved in March 2018 April 415 May and thus far for the month of June 354 applications have been approved. The arrival of these individuals is permitted through the written authorization by the Chief Medical Officer. The Department has also taken steps to facilitate the option of home quarantine in situations where individuals have health complications, small children and able to function independently and other sensitive situations. The applicants for this discretionary accommodation must meet the necessary requirements including inspection of homes by health officials prior to approval. The Department of Health and Wellness is bearing no effort to ensure that at every juncture there is consultation with all involved and that the established protocols serve as an added layer of protection for all concerned. Government will soon formally launch St Lucia's Economic Recovery and Resilience Plan designed to stimulate overall economic activity. The plan is born out of an aggressive and engaging multifaceted stakeholder process encompassing public and private participation including representation from trade unions. Glenn Simon tells us more. For the past two months, government officials have been working assiduously on the Economic Recovery and Resilience Plan for St Lucia with a focus on stimulating all aspects of the economy. Government employed a three-phased approach to addressing the COVID-19 situation which initially included managing the healthcare component. This involved an increase in the number of healthcare personnel and personal protective equipment, establishment of isolation and quarantine centers, not forgetting local testing capacity for COVID-19. Acting Permanent Secretary and Director of Finance Esther Rigabet stated that the Economic Recovery and Resilience Plan aims to bring about hope and instill confidence at the household and business level. The second phase of the plan focuses on bringing support to the most vulnerable and persons directly impacted by COVID-19 such as those in tourism, agriculture and tourism sectors. Many persons were directly impacted, they lost their income, their jobs and there was a sense of fear and uncertainty looming over St Lucia. So the second phase would be to bring immediate support and some of the measures announced in the Social Stabilization Plan covered areas such as income support, a feeding program and ensuring persons who are out of work for that support are to at least keep going. Under phase three, the focus was on recovery and resilience. Recovery in terms of allowing persons who have either lost their jobs, source of income or they need support to restart their business to get that support either from the government or private sector and financial institutions. Over 30 agencies, including the Chamber of Commerce, banks and credit unions were engaged for their feedback, support and contributions in the formation of the Economic Recovery and Resilience Plan. Chief Economist in the Department of Finance, Jenai Leos, said though the plan takes into account short, medium and long-term initiatives, emphasis will be placed on the immediate to short-term gains over the next six months. Some of the issues in the discussion or the discussions have been how can we reposition the economy, how can we diversify the society and so forth. We also had discussions on food security, agri-processing and also lending to SMEs. So cognizant of those, the plan is going to have some of those elements in there. So persons would hear or see part of government's plan towards incentivising the offering of financial support to SMEs and to also repurpose some of our donor funds towards stimulating agri-processing and also stimulating the adoption of digital technologies. Executive Director for the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council, Fiona Hingson, explained that the planning process was heavily stakeholder-driven and inclusive, with line ministries engaging various stakeholders such as the Chamber of Commerce, manufacturers and other business associations. And internally we met as a government to discuss the various proposals that we got from the various business associations, to discuss them, assess them, to see how government can put together an appropriate response to the needs of the citizenry. She added that the government also established a multi-sectoral committee comprising over 30 stakeholders from the public and private sectors, including representatives from the employers and trade unions. Guided by a framework, the committee made recommendations to government on actions to help the economy recover within the immediate to short term. The framework basically speaks to economic recovery and economic resilience pillars because we felt it was necessary not only to look at recovering the economy, but to also as well building resilience in order to protect us from future events like what we went through. So for the economic recovery, we spoke to the fiscal stimulus that would assist in stimulating the economy. Secondly, the fast-track shovel-ready project that will help to build economic activity, provide jobs for persons who are displaced. And so for the resilience pillars, we have four resilience pillars that spoke to strengthening the productive sectors, strengthening the social protection system, health outcomes, as well as disaster risk mitigation. The Pope and the Secretary in the Department of Finance says the economic recovery and resilience plan will touch every facet of the economy. So there's a bit for each sector, there's a little for the households, some for small businesses, some for property owners. So once it's launched, I'm sure you will get all the necessary detail, but it's to bring about an instant hope, confidence that we can come out of this crisis. I'm a stronger people, a stronger nation. For the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council, Glenn Simon reporting. Testing results for COVID-19 received on June 18, 2020, indicated 35 negative test results. A total of 1,484 tests have been carried out to date and the recorded number of confirmed cases remains at 19. 18 of those cases are fully recovered. Cognizant of the strain and stress that the pandemic can bear, Chief Medical Officer Dr Sharon Belmar George is encouraging St. Lucian to seek help if they feel overwhelmed. The mental health impact of COVID-19 has been well documented. It ranges from anxiety, depression to suicidal ideation. All age groups are affected as life changes have been drastic in many cases. The new reality of working from home, less social contact with family and friends, homeschooling for children and being unemployed is actually a difficult time for most persons. Persons are encouraged to seek help at the National Mental Wellness Center, the 201 Helpline, or from trusted family members and friends if needed. We advise that parents monitor and manage children who may be trying to cope as well. Also, persons should try to provide support to family and friends who may not be managing well to the COVID-19 environment. Chief Medical Officer Dr Sharon Belmar George Several entities partnered to help bolster St. Lucian's resilience to natural disasters, Anisia Antoine has the details. Anisia Antoine With the hurricane season forecast to become more severe each year, it is paramount that St. Lucia takes the necessary steps to mitigate and build resilience against natural disasters such as hydro-materialological events, pandemics and droughts. In that vein, the National Emergency Organization, NEMO, has partnered with the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project to improve water storage capacity. In excess of 300 tanks will be distributed to a number of its affiliated agencies, organizations and individuals. Doreen Gustaf, director of NEMO, stated that the need for more effective water storage is even more crucial during this period. Most of the water tanks will be installed at buildings such as churches and human resource development centers that are used as shelters. And agencies such as the National Council for Persons with Disability, the Blind Welfare Association, and Councils for All the Persons will ensure that the members who are most in need receive these tanks. The need for effective water storage to combat the impacts of drought and other extreme weather events was occasioned by St. Lucia's declaration of a water emergency on May 18, 2020. These newly procured tanks will go a long way in strengthening the resilience of the recipient communities, agencies and individuals. The Ministry of Economic Development, Housing, Urban Renewal, Transport and Civil Aviation and NEMO have signed a tripartite agreement to ensure the tanks are used for the purpose intended. Minister for Economic Development, Housing, Urban Renewal, Transport and Civil Aviation, Honourable Guy Joseph expressed gratitude to the World Bank for its support. Given the COVID situation, we triggered the emergency part of this fund and we were able to go into direct contracting. And I have to compliment Bryce and Company. Over the years, we've had to order water tanks every time we need them out of St. Lucia and it is quite bulky and it drives the cost upward to be able to ship these water tanks from other islands to St. Lucia and then they have to build them in different sizes so they can fit into one. When I looked at the technology being used by Bryce, it is one single tank so everything is cast as a whole so it becomes a stronger, more durable tank that we have. With the low levels of water available and the vulnerability of Wasco's water system during this period, Minister Honourable Joseph also encouraged rainwater harvesting. Since the building of the Roseau Dam, almost every catchment area was abandoned. So those who are from the Wavin Poisson area would know going to the Miami area, there was a water catchment area, but that was abandoned. Then we had the gravity flow from the millet intake. That was abandoned. Hill 20. But what has further compounded the situation for us in St. Lucia is that the water levels in these rivers have dropped so considerably that where you used to get a million gallons of flow a day now you're getting under half a million flow. So I am saying all of this to highlight the importance of rain, water harvesting and storage of water during the dry season. The hand in over ceremony of the water storage tanks took place on Friday June 19th 2020 at the Financial Administrative Centre. From the Government Information Service, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. This is NTN Nightly, up next, Primus Hutchinson with the NTN Novell of we all. Coronavirus? I am worried Gaza is only all 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. We join Primus Hutchinson for the NTN Novell of we all. Lady Boussambdi, U-trep, Midi, and Solidae, Mikai West, the family, the Dimash, the authority, the management, and the set list. We thank the public for their support and for the cooperation they have done with Salah Teoplas. The best thing about me is that I am a musician and I collaborate with three industry music players to organize exchange, your concept, the benefits you will make no-for-awesome music for the life. Special thanks to the first public as a television calabash. Activity has to assist the musicians here. I am an artist, who perform in the city of Teresin, John, Keio, Mechak, Invader, Rashad, and Pamilot. Common business, the DVD, and the one-time music, you have to assist to support the musicians who are affected by the coronavirus. Special thanks to the chain Spectrex Salah, you have established a way of making money for the industry, and also for the health of the country. The Executive Director for the Foundation of Cultural Development, CDF, Madame Ramona Henry, applauded the success of the initiative Salah under the economic situation of the country recently. Ambassador of the Music band here, Teresin, John, DeFouiché, concept la Coyonne qui venait à l'air, et ajouté qu'il y a plus mal à du coronavirus, il y a toujours plusieurs activités à faire sur de la musique. Teresin déclaré qu'il y a un pandémie affecté les musiciens pour tout le monde, comme toute activité qu'on fait sur de la musique, ni un certaine pays international, ni pour la famille. Alors, il y a tout à apprécier les activités des bénéfices Salah. A mon avis, c'est plaisir bénéfice et c'est plaisir business et c'est à juste qui c'est porté. C'était CDF, Bagde Sétlécy, Marcy, Lucilleck, Export Sédeloucher, à mon avis, plaisir les autres. Expo ça. Nous retrouvons vous, Madame, au commissaire Autre, pour qu'il y a des invitations, pour que ce n'ait plus moins qu'un CDF, qu'il y ait plus de nouvelles à croire. Merci à tous les primers. And that brings us to the end of NTN Nightly. Join us next time at 7 p.m. with a repeat at 7 a.m. You can also catch up with us anytime on the St Lucia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I am General Norvel.