The Executive Director of the Saint Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture does not believe shutting down the country will address the COVID-19 issues the Island faces.
Brian Louisy was asked whether the local business community can cope with another such measure.
“More importantly is that I don’t think that another shutdown will address the challenges we face,” was his response.
“It is critical that we consider the fact that what a shutdown means is throwing more people into unemployment, throwing businesses out of business and so we have to, at this time, six months down the road, adopt a different approach which I think is what the government has said,” Louisy declared in an interview Tuesday.
“When we met with the Prime Minister on Thursday of last week he opined that a shutdown of the economy was not on the cards and was not an option.”
” I think if we try to understand what it means to have persons out of work – 13,000 people out of work, plus others who have lost their livelihoods, the different sectors which have been unable to earn a living, we have to find another way,” the Chamber official asserted.
“I think the other way is for us to follow the protocols, be smart about what we do, know our risks, build our own immune system by eating healthy, exercising,” Louisy explained.
“I think the approach has to be a lot more nuanced. We have seen other countries have adopted it. We have seen that the virus, when people get infected, there is a chance that the percentage that really get very sick is very low and I think we have to deal with and address the matter that way. I don’t think the country will approach another shutdown I don’t think it is something that anybody is looking towards,” he stated.
Louisy said the business community is concerned about the COVID-19 situation and has adopted the approach of encouraging the guidelines set by the Ministry of Health.
Headline photo caption: Executive Director of the Saint Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture, Brian Louisy.
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