Page 49 - The Presidency may 2020

The President’s Digest May 2020 Surmounting CV-19 Challenge

More briefs by the President on CV-19 pandemic

The KEY to returning to normal life is keeping our in- we will allow a few restaurants and eateries that show
fection rates falling and raising our testing rates. So the highest levels of health regulation compliance, and
far, we have tested over seventeen thousand samples the ability to arrange for employee testing, to under-
(17,492) and are proceeding with mass targeted test- take minimal operations while maintaining measures
ing. This is giving our experts the data and insights to that mitigate against the spread of the coronavirus.
guide our policy decisions. The Cabinet Secretary will announce and release the
protocols.
I will not delay de-escalating the measures we are tak-
ing - the moment our experts inform us that the risks Any report by the public or authorities that these estab-
have reduced sufficiently on the basis of how we re- lishments are not following the measures, will lead to
spond. their instant closure and prosecutions.

I have directed the National Response Emergency Re- We will reopen this economy but it must be in a way
sponse Committee to map out the economic sectors that does not endanger many thousands of lives.
and activities on the basis of infection risk. This map- Some countries had initially succeeded in suppressing
ping exercise when combined with increased testing the pandemic, only for them to open up without a prop-
and more exact contact tracing will inform how we reo- er process and suffer a huge spike in infections.
pen the economy progressively.
Finally, the long rains are here. And whilst we are
One immediate step from the work done so far is that grateful for the blessings, heavy rains in many parts of

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