The Minister for Finance, together with the Permanent Secretary and other officials of the Ministry of Finance met recently with members of the Grenada Bankers Association.
They discussed macroeconomic and financial issues, including the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy, giving special focus to the issue of vaccination. They have issued the following joint statement:
“The Grenada Bankers Association (GBA) commends the significant actions that have been taken thus far and those that are ongoing in managing risks related to Covid-19 to keep our country safe. However, as new variants emerge and countries (some neighbouring islands) deal with second and third waves of Covid-19 infections, accelerating vaccination take-up becomes even more crucial and urgent.
Both sides are concerned about the relatively low vaccination levels in Grenada, which heighten the risk of a second wave of Covid-19 outbreak and its accompanying social and economic ramifications. The harsh truth is that low levels of vaccination lengthen the period of economic downturn as well as social disruptions, and increase the likelihood of more restrictions and lockdowns. Therefore, vaccine take-up must increase now to arrest the rising human toll caused by the pandemic and to halt further strains on the economy and financial sector.
While we understand that in normal times the choice to get vaccinated is a personal one, in the context of the deadly pandemic, the public good supersedes personal choice. These are extraordinary times and as such, extraordinary actions are necessary.
Therefore, we strongly encourage all citizens and residents to get vaccinated, because vaccination is the only sustainable way out of the pandemic and to protect those most at risk in the frontline in all sectors, be it public or private including banking and government services The emerging global evidence suggests that higher rates of vaccination tend to be associated with lower rates of infection, hospitalisation and deaths related to Covid-19.
We also strongly encourage Grenadians to counter misinformation with credible and specific facts from reliable sources, including from family, friends and co-workers who themselves have already been vaccinated. We also encourage everyone to adhere to the health protocols of physical distancing, hand-washing, sanitising and masking.
We all have a responsibility to protect ourselves, our loved ones, our co-workers and to play our part in protecting lives and livelihoods.”
GIS
Bankers..this is all bullshit..this is not a vaccine but a means of coercion and tyranny to control. It has been proven..you lot read the facts..this vaccine has NOT been approved by the FDA..in fact they have stated on media this fact and that they would not be giving this so called vaccine to their family members..not forgetting the disclaimer against any side effects. The numbers of deaths and serious side effects are not being reported..come on now..don’t you think enough profits have been made off the back of this”pandemic” . Welli guess no! PCR tests are making even more money considering the actual virus cannot be isolated to be tested. Genocide is happening across the world and I’m no conspr theorist.
“The harsh truth is…” that this world will never again have peace and prosperity as long as biological warfare controls the agenda and the needs of public health. There is no end of “variants” and “waves” that can be fabricated to coerce the public to accept substances which simply don’t belong in the human body under ANY circumstances. Israel, one of the most vaxxed countries in the world, has now approved a 3rd booster, and when that doesn’t work there will need to be a fourth and a fifth in the coming months or years. Meanwhile, big pharma is laughing all the way to bank (how ironic) as hundreds of billions $ continue to roll in.
Both the Government and banks are glaringly guilty of not taking the effective steps to counter the risks to Grenada’s economic momentum: that is, to deliberately reduce interest rates in the face of the contracting cash flow across the business sectors of Grenada. The ECCB-recommended moratorium on loan repayments is an extremely cosmetic solution that actually increases the debt obligations of borrowers over time and is not a “solution” to the underlying problem.
And now they want to talk about their “concerns about the vaccine”? Unbelievable!
Considering the banks still managed to post a good profit for the period of 2019 and 2020 tells a very different story but like .most financial establishment the key word is money.
Those of us who knows the real reason behind the slow uptake of the vaccine is the way it is being done.
Grenada is a typical example of the old saying “it’s not what you know but who you know ”
The figures speaks volumes as the only Grenadians who get tested are those who been in contact with people who been tested positive and these people are classified as Imported cases.
They have a back to front system in place at the moment by urging citizens to have the vaccine but hardly anyone been tested.
This is why the uptake is so slow because most of the citizens are not sure why they need a vaccine for a disease that they have not been tested for and no one has died except that imported case.
If you been tested positive all you been told is to self isolate and rest for 2 weeks .