Barbados, May 4, 2020 (CDEMA) – Through a tangible demonstration of commitment towards the fight against COVID-19 in the region, the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions (CCCU), the apex regional association for Credit Unions through its Foundation donated US$ 25,000 towards CDEMA’s regional logistical operations for the COVID-19 response to its member countries.
“Many of our credit union members are frontline personnel in the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and our mandate for the Foundation is to provide assistance to affected regional member countries during and in times of natural disasters or emergencies”, said Denise Garfield, General Manager of the CCCU.
As the COVID-19 virus continues to spread across the region, CDEMA continues to lead the coordination of the regional multi-sectoral response through the Regional Response Mechanism (RRM) in support of its Participating States. As at May 4, 2020, CDEMA’s 19 Participating States have reported 1,163 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 62 deaths.
“CDEMA has maintained a high level of support to its Participating States in response to COVID-19. To this end, CDEMA in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) are leading the development and coordination of an Integrated Regional Logistics Hub (IRLH). The concept of the IRLH will make full use of an Air-bridge to provide the Caribbean region with both emergency cargo and passengers movement in response to the current crisis. CDEMA deeply appreciates the support of the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions to these efforts”, said Elizabeth Riley, Acting Executive Director of CDEMA.
The logistics is being undertaken in direct support of the specialized Core Coordination Cell (Health), which has been established for COVID-19, comprising Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), CDEMA, the CARICOM Secretariat and Pan-American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). This cell generates hazard specific (COVID19) information which (i) drives coordination actions by cells of the Regional Coordination Centre (RCC) and (ii) facilitates the interface between existing Health Sector response coordination mechanisms.
CDEMA will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and provide updates as necessary. The Regional Coordination Plan remains activated and CDEMA stands ready to support its Participating States as required.