According to the World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2021, the Caribbean is set to face a fragile and uneven recovery as the COVID-19 pandemic may leave lasting scars on the economy of the Caribbean. With the Caribbeans GDP declining by 8% in 2020, people in the Caribbean have been forced to cut costs.

The Caribbean’s GDP

The report by WESP has warned governments that the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic may be felt for years to come. This can be prevented with smart investments in economic, societal and climate resilience in order to ensure a robust and sustainable recovery of the economy. The Caribbeans GDP has declined by 8% in 2020 due to prolonged national lockdowns, weaker merchandise exports and a collapse in tourism.

The Caribbean’s tourism-dependent economies have been severely affected. This has led to these economies suffering double-digit contractions of GDP. The UN has been able to provide a baseline scenario which has projected a growth of 3.8% in 2021, and a further growth of 2.6% in 2022. The pandemic, and drop in GDP, has resulted in millions of jobs being lost. A large majority of these jobs originate from the informal sector. Retail and hospitality sectors are known to hire women, younger people and workers with low education. These sectors were hit the hardest, resulting in not only job losses, but also income loss. Due to this, people in the Caribbean have had to find ways to stretch their money and save on expenses.

Here are five ways to save on expenses in these unsure times:

1. Determine a budget
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People should create a rough idea of what their spending is for the week and month – a lot of research is available on budgeting. This will lead them to forming a plan on how to cut costs. People should consider their income and expenses, and then categorize the needs from the wants. Luxury or unnecessary items should be highlighted. Examples of this would be subscriptions to streaming platforms or the purchasing of cosmetic products. People should consider how much they use these luxury items and aim to eliminate as many luxury items as possible. This will lead to significant savings. 
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2. Cooking

Although cooking has become a hobby for many during lockdown, it is also a way to cut costs. Buying processed food, takeaways or easy-prep food is known to cost more than fresh ingredients. This is because customers have to pay for the ingredients and cooking processes in these mentioned food options. To cut costs, people should buy the raw ingredients and cook their own food. 

3. Save before spending

Many people have the habit of saving after they have spent their salary on goods, services and bills. To save more successfully, people should consider their salary and their disposable funds, and then dedicate an amount to their savings. There are ways to save besides the conventional savings fund, such as investing in stocks or cryptocurrency. This may prove to be wildly fruitful, but it is also a risk. 

4. Avoid panic buying

Panic buying, which may seem like the correct choice at that moment, leads to the unnecessary loss of valuable cash on hand. Panic buying has proven to cause buyers to purchase unnecessarily large amounts of items, or items that they won’t or cannot use. When it comes to panic buying food items, many of these items end up spoiling. Ultimately, panic buying results in people losing money unnecessarily and wasting resources. In times of stress, people should determine what is needed and should look for the best prices. 

The bottom line
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Saving on expenses during a pandemic, which has resulted in economic uncertainty and struggle, has been proven to be a double-edged sword. Saving is simple if the person knows how to do so, but consistent saving requires determination and control. Additionally, not all people in the Caribbean will be able to follow all five ways of saving due to financial constraints. In this case, people should implement ways of saving which are possible and suited to their situation. Every cent counts. 

A human skull dating back some 200 years has been found in St Vincent.

The skull was found on Petite Mustique, a small island in the Caribbean nation off St Vincent and the Grenadines, south of the mainland according to the University of Oregon.

Researchers say it shows signs of leprosy and could be the first-ever recorded case of the disease in the Americas. Leprosy is a medical condition that causes dramatic disfigurement of the hands, feet and face. These changes also leave a trace in the bones of the patients.

The skull dates back to the late 18th or early 19th century and was first found in 2003.

The research published in the International Journal of Paleopathology on November 13th, was conducted by three researchers from the University of Oregon: Greg C Nelson, Taylor Nicole Dodrill, and Scott M Fitzpatrick.

According to the statement issued by UO, historical records hinted that the island might have been the site of a leprosarium in the early nineteenth century when people with leprosy could be quarantined to prevent further spread of disease. UO archaeologist Fitzpatrick, who is also the associate director for research at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History said in a statement, “There are a number of pretty well-known cases in the Caribbean and Pacific where smaller islands were used as places to segregate people with leprosy, such as Molokai in Hawaii.”
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Although the spread of leprosy has been documented in the Caribbean through written evidence beginning around the mid-17th century, they have remained incomplete. With the recent study, archaeologists have found skeletal evidence of the disease that could help trace its pattern of spread in a more efficient manner.

One Caribbean country is seeing a sharp spike in deaths from the dreaded COVID-19 virus, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said today.

Trinidad and Tobago has seen a sharp rise in deaths as intensive care unit (ICU) beds fill with COVID-19 patients, PAHO said. T&T’s death toll is now 1,885. Fifteen new deaths were reported on Tuesday lone. The cases of infections stand at 63,084 with 7,171 listed as active cases.

There are 414 additional covid19 cases as of Tuesday afternoon, from samples taken between November 11 and 15. This is the highest number of cases since the 535 reported on November 12th.

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 461 covid19 patients warded in hospitals, with 86 at the Couva Hospital and Multi-Training Facility.

The total number of people who received the first shot of a two-dose vaccine are 633,715; 590,144 people have received their second dose; and 39,237 people have received their only shot of a single-dose vaccine.

Meanwhile, overall, in the Americas, COVID-19 deaths have decreased 17% in the past week. However, the most populous countries like the United States, Brazil and Colombia are seeing a leveling of new infections after weeks of declining trends, PAHO said.

Countries across Central and South America have seen a decline in new infections, except for Bolivia, it said.
Additionally, half of the people in Latin America and the Caribbean have now been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, though coverage remains below 10% in Nicaragua and Haiti, PAHO Director Carissa Etienne said.

Mexico is, like T&T, reporting an increase in new deaths as Uruguay and Chile have relaxed pandemic restrictions, COVID-19 cases have spiked, even with their high vaccination coverage, the health agency said.
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“The COVID pandemic is still very active in our region,” Etienne warned in a webcast news conference.
Etienne urged people in the region to get vaccinated and stick to social distancing and mask wearing as the holiday season approaches.

​Turkish authorities have arrested a man considered a suspect of “great interest” in the July assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, Haiti’s Foreign Minister Claude Joseph said late on Monday.
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The 53-year-old former businessman Moise, who took office in 2017, was shot dead at his private residence and I wound his wife in the attack. A group of Colombian mercenaries emerged as the main suspects though nobody has been charged or convicted in connection with the case.
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“I just had a phone conversation with the Turkish Minister, my friend Mevlut Cavusoglu, to thank Turkey for the arrest of Samir Handal, one people of great interest in the investigation into the assassination of the president,” Joseph said on Twitter.

Turkish media reported on Tuesday that Handal, who was being sought with an Interpol Red Notice, was detained at the Istanbul Airport by authorities as he was flying transit from the United States to Jordan.
Turkey’s Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.