PM BROWNE PROVIDES UPDATE ON SOCIAL PROGRAMMES

Report filed by Cherilyn Beazer – News Reporter

The government’s social programmes will continue while some will recommence amidst the financial hardships wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Hon. Gaston Browne made the announcement Saturday as he expects a major blow to the tourism sector from a quarantine policy in the United States.

President Joe Biden has signed an executive order for a 10-day quarantine of everyone arriving in the United States, including US citizens.

This is expected to discourage many would-be tourists from traveling to the Caribbean for a vacation, thereby hurting the crucial tourism sector.

The Prime Minister says he envisions the dollar barrel initiative being extended beyond the end of February.

He says so far his government has facilitated the importation of over 13-thousand dollar barrels and provided a subsidy of approximately 5-million dollars in revenues.

The nation’s leader says his government will also seek to sustain other sectors.

He says the construction sector greatly assisted last year in lessening the extent of the impact on the economy and aggregate demand.

Prime Minister Browne was speaking on Browne and Browne show on Pointe FM.