Dominica PM: Haiti nationals in Dominica sent out $22 million in 2020

Dominica: “I want to say to Dominican people that only Haiti nationals in Dominica have sent out about $22 million in the year 2020 compared to the year 2019 that was $23 million.” said Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit while addressing the monthly Cabinet press conference on Thursday. PM added that people say the economy is affected and there are no jobs, but there are people who have found opportunities in the time of crisis, "This shows the impact of COVID-19 on the Dominican people. It doesn’t matter where you are, but there are opportunities for everyone."

Further, he added that a number of resolutions were passed in the parliament, and one of them was the approval of a loan of EC $67 million from the World Bank as those funds would be available to the country very soon in just the next couple of days.

The funds will be used to advance various government programmes and project. The mobilisation of these funds is critical as the severe impact of COVID-19 on all economies globally, and we needed to ensure the mobilisation of funds to fill the economic gap.

Out of 193 countries in the United Nations, only two countries vote to keep embargo on Cuba, which makes it clear.

Prime Minister said that the request of Opposition to the Parliament Speaker about salaries payment immediately after the election rather than after the Oath ceremony, “We agreed to their request as we do not want to force our decision on them as being the majority in the house.” PM added that this salary payment after the Oath ceremony was happening since we got independence and before.

PM said that the economy hasn’t got back to the way it was pre-COVID-19 as the national economy was projected to grow about 5.6% in the year 2020, following 9.6% in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world in the worst matter as there were lockdowns, travel restrictions bringing everything down.

“Notwithstanding with the economy, we continue to maintain our commitments to our seniors, pensioners as there is no one in Dominica who got his/her pension late. We have maintained the payments of salaries to public officers. We have also made payments consistently to the National Employment Programme (NEP). The government has paid over $22 million for our students who are studying overseas,” asserted Prime Minister.

PM also commended people who have adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic and have changed their style of work according to that or have brought in new businesses. “We are building homes and more homes to come; we are building health centres and more health centres to come; we are building road and bridges in Dominica.”

The international airport is the largest infrastructural project which this country will ever see, and this is being convened in the most challenging period in the world. Additionally, the government is building two additional shelters worth $13 million each. These constructions are self-reliant as it would continue the supply of water and electricity during the period of crisis.

The government of Dominica has gone to tenders for the housing project for the 50 homes financed by the European Union in the Salybia Constituency, in particular in Kalinago Territory. The work will start from early July 2021.

In Dominica, over 18,000 people have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and over 10,000 have received the second dose. PM said that the government encourages people who are 18 or older to get vaccinated as it is the most essential part of getting back to normalcy. There are countries that relaxed the protocols for the people who are fully vaccinated. Soon Dominica will also announce the relaxation in COVID-19 protocols for the people who are vaccinated. The government would reduce the quarantine period for the vaccinated people, and new protocols will be placed for cruise passengers. As in June, the cruise lines will come back to Dominica in 2021. Apart from this, the government of Dominica is going to share the vaccines with the partner cruise lines to help them start their business.

The Dominica government will amend the tourism certification criteria to include the vaccination as an integral part of it. “We are doing all this for the well-being and welfare of the people of Dominica.”

PM also announced that the government would purchase the major shares of DOMLEC (Dominica Electricity Services Ltd), “I believed that by doing this we would address the historic round as fundamentally the matter of water and electricity should be in the hands of the state.”