Prime Minister Allen Chastanet has urged Saint Lucians to assist each other as this country confronts the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chastanet says the government can’t do it alone.
“If you see somebody that’s in need or you have a neighbour or a family that’s struggling, please share,” was his appeal Tuesday.
The PM spoke during an impromptu interview with reporters outside parliament.
“It’s for all of us to make it through this unprecedented time as well as we possibly can and making sure that everybody is making it through,” Chastanet asserted.
He expressed the view that there’s great appreciation for the psychological fallout that COVID-19 has caused.
The PM mentioned children, who, among other things, have had their schooling disrupted and are faced with uncertainties.
He also spoke of economic pressure on individual households, uncertain as to the future of their income and whether their businesses will reopen.
“It’s a tremendous amount of pressure,” Chastanet, who is also Minister of Finance declared.
“Sometimes we think of help only by way of food, but company and being able to allow somebody to speak to you and to be able to give them that kind of mental support is also just as important during this period,” the PM explained.
He said government support to the marginalised and needy has been ongoing.
“Our social stabilisation programme and income support have been continuing and as I said, once we ended the NIC programme, it was to really now focus on the persons who need the most,” Chastanet told reporters.
He said the government has put more money into the Ministry of Equity.
“We have also seen the NGOs and many of the other organisations – the churches etc getting additional resources to help those who are marginalised,” Chastanet pointed out.
“But even at a constituency level we have told the MPs that the normal stimulus programme that we would have done, to use those resources to be able to get additional food and supplies to persons who are really in need this Christmas.”
Headline photo caption: Prime Minister Allen Chastanet (File image)
Comments are closed.