Statement on COVID-19 from the CARTAC Programme Coordinator

As the Caribbean region continues to brace for further impact of the Covid-19 virus our thoughts and prayers go out to the members of society who have lost loved ones or are recovering from the debilitating effects of the virus.

In response to this pandemic, which will be a test to our region’s resilience, the IMF and CARTAC have put measures in place to ensure that neither your health and safety nor the health and safety of our staff is compromised.  As such, already in effect is a suspension of non-essential travel.  While this has affected the delivery of in-person Technical Assistance (TA) as well as workshops, we are finding innovative ways to continue to serve you.  Our office remains functional to serve you our members, with staff working remotely from the safety of their homes.

We have activated our response plan and are in the process of refining a COVID-19 Contingency Plan which outlines the Centre’s response at each stage of this outbreak locally. This is intended to be a proactive measure that will ensure business continuity.

Finally, on the subject of business continuity, over the last two years, CARTAC has been delivering TA remotely to help reduce costs and during this period CARTAC has continued to deliver remote TA where possible. CARTAC will continue to closely monitor the situation and make proactive adjustments to our operations as necessary.