PM Barrow’s Latest Address on COVID-19

Since we reported on Wednesday on the COVID Relief Programme, the number of applications submitted has increased by another two thousand persons, though the number of applications has now tapered.  By midday today, sixty-five thousand, seven hundred and sixty-two persons had applied to benefit from the assistance.  Twenty-three thousand, two hundred and sixty-four applications were approved between April ninth and fifteenth and according to the Oversight Committee, it is expected that the relief would reach the banks and credit unions by the end of the day. It is also reported that more than fifteen thousand applicants had been turned back for a number of reasons which disqualified the applicants. Vetting is still ongoing and twenty-six thousand plus applications remain to be reviewed. Late this evening, Prime Minister Dean Barrow issued a recorded statement speaking to several issues resulting from the COVID-19 crisis, including the socioeconomic impact on the country. We received that statement well after the start of the news.   Here’s part of what he said.