Let us pray, urges Phillips in the face of coronavirus realities

President of the People's National Party (PNP), Dr Peter Phillips, has indicated that he is going to be asking the governor, Sir Patrick Allen, to declare a National Day of Prayer as Jamaica, just like the remainder of the globe, battles the dreaded coronavirus, (COVID-19) outbreak.

Phillips made his intentions known on Tuesday as he made his contribution to the 20202021 Budget Debate within the House of Representatives.

To support his call, Phillips noted that the bulk of Jamaicans still believe a better power. He posited that the time has come for the country to increase its collective faith “as we seek His intervention to beat (our) current challenges”.

He further stated: “Let us remember the Almighty Power of God who leads forth in beauty overall this fair land, be thou our ruler, guardian, guide and stay. It'd be of comfort to our God-fearing people if this country were to declare a National Day of Prayer at a time like this,” said Phillips.

“I propose to put in writing to his excellency, the governor, hopefully with the support of the prime minister, that he declares such every day,” the Opposition leader added.

Phillips suggested that the day of prayer would be by the principles outlined by the govt in relevancy the assembly of people in specific spaces and locations, and specifically in families and houses across the island.

Based on a directive from the govt and as a part of measures to contain and minimise the spread of COVID-19, public gatherings of over 20 people are forbidden at now.

Phillips decided after he outlined a raft of suggestions to deal with the anticipated COVID-19 fallout. "Except the possibly devastating impact of the physical health of Jamaicans, the economic effects must be considered" said by him.

He said that the island has already begun to determine the impact within the main productive sectors, like tourism, which shows that both stopover and cruise shipping numbers are severely affected.

He added, "demand for bauxite and alumina have already been curtailed, and bauxite prices continuing to fall".

Also, Phillips said port operations are and can be further affected, as they're currently on a downward trajectory. These signals of decline across various sectors would be characterised as an ideal storm of a deep economic recession given the structure of Jamaica's economy.

“Our small and medium-sized companies, our workers and their families are going to be most harshly suffering from the economic disruptions caused by the world pandemic. If we are to stop an enduring fall-out which can cripple the economy even after the immediate health crisis has passed, we'd like to instantly consider and implement an in-depth set of fiscal and monetary responses,” he stated.