1st address by President Danny Faure on COVID-19

1st address by President Danny Faure on the situation of COVID-19




President Foure Press release of 27.03.2020

Today, just under two weeks have passed since 14 March 2020, the day on which we received concrete evidence that the coronavirus had entered our country.

27.03.2020

Author:
Karl Schnürch

In my first speech on coronavirus, I said that if the virus were to arrive in the Seychelles, we would take all the necessary measures to bring the situation under control at an early stage and contain the transmission of the virus. When I spoke to you last week, the number of patients here in the Seychelles who tested positive for coronavirus was 7; today it is still 7.

This means that fortunately no one here in the Seychelles has tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week. Health workers, volunteers and many others continue to work extremely hard day and night to do the necessary work. At the moment there are no signs of community transmission, i.e. spreading of the virus from an unknown source.

It is extremely important that we continue to exercise caution and implement preventive measures in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Health.

Dieses Virus kennt keine Grenzen, keine Rasse, keine Religion und keine finanziellen Mittel: Es ist ein unsichtbarer Feind. Damit wir in einer solchen Situation diesem Virus entgegentreten und als Sieger hervorgehen können, müssen wir immer auf der Hut sein. Es ist unerlässlich, dass wir die Autorität und die geltenden Maßnahmen respektieren.

We need to realign our everyday habits while maintaining physical distance. Social distancing practices are behavioural changes that can help to stop the spread of infections.

Tonight I would like to announce that from Monday, March 30th, all shops will be closed from 1830 to prevent people from gathering outside.

Another legal measure, which will come into force on Monday, 30 March, is the ban on gatherings of more than 4 people in public places.

In view of this public health emergency, we will continue to review existing legislation to ensure that the Public Health Officer can continue to take the necessary measures to protect our health.

Our country is taking measures appropriate to the specificities of our context and in line with the public health emergency in which we find ourselves.

I know that these measures are not easy. It is important that we realise that all these measures have been taken for our protection and safety.

Die Regierung hat eine Sonderzulage für alle Mitarbeiter des Gesundheitswesens genehmigt, die an der vordersten Front dieser Pandemie arbeiten. Dies gilt auch für das Personal der Einwanderungs- und Zollbehörden im Hafen und am Flughafen.

We have 3800 home care workers who take care of our elderly people. They will also receive a special allowance during this period, on condition that they continue to work and continue to look after our elderly people.

For those children who receive financial assistance from the special fund, the Social Protection Agency will make a direct referral to the parents during this period to ensure that no child is affected.

We have made arrangements for those citizens who receive social security benefits with a special STC card so that petrol can be bought with the same card.

It is precisely in challenging times such as those we are experiencing today that we can appreciate the social protection system we have created. More than ever, we need to consolidate it and make it more effective.

We are continuing to expand our treatment capacities. On Wednesday, March 25, we received more equipment and medicines from the United Arab Emirates and the Jack Ma Foundation. On behalf of the Government and people of the Seychelles, thank you very much.

We have also received support from the governments of Kenya and Tanzania for additional health workers when we need them.

Seychellois brothers and sisters,

I am pleased to note that our citizens are making great efforts to adapt and to take new measures in the face of this situation in which we find ourselves. We must remain consistent in our efforts. We must all continue to maintain our discipline and cooperation.

Let us stay well informed. Let us remain calm. Let's stay united.

Seychellois brothers and sisters,

It took 67 days for the number of people in the world who tested positive for this disease to reach 100,000. It then took only 11 days for another 100,000 people to test positive for the disease. And then it took only 4 days to reach 300,000 people. Today more than 500,000 people in the world are infected.

As a result, after this past week, it is clear that the impact of COVID-19 on the global economy will be worse than expected. The world as a whole is facing a new economic reality.

It is also clear that even if we survive the coming months without the spread of COVID-19 among our population, the Seychelles will enter a new reality full of uncertainty.

When I gave the State of the Union address earlier this year, I was proud to share the economic achievements of our country. These were all achievements that we achieved together. We were doing very well.

We started the year 2020 with the great hope that our country would make even more progress. Unfortunately, COVID-19 happened without any warning and had a dramatic impact on our socio-economic development. As a result, we must consolidate our social protection system and take action to meet this major challenge we face.

In 2008 our country was in a precarious situation. Our reserves were very low and our indebtedness extremely high. In November 2008, when the global financial crisis began, we initiated our economic reforms.

Since 2008, the government has generated a primary budget surplus every year and we have used this money to repay our debts. Last year, for the first time in ten years, we had a current account surplus, i.e. more foreign exchange flowed into our banking system than was left over.

We have worked very hard together, all of us, to bring our economy to where it is today. We have made sacrifices, we have endured, and we have made progress. It is as if we have been climbing a mountain for 12 years and almost reached the summit. In less than two weeks, we are watching ourselves slide down, and today the top of the mountain is much further away.

That coronavirus has set us back. But it won't stop us.

We're going to realign ourselves. With our experience, determination and discipline we will rise again, and together we will climb even higher. I am confident that we as a country will master this challenge.

The difference between 2008 and today is that in 2008, despite the uncertainty in the global economy, international travel was not restricted. Today, as a result of this global pandemic, many flights no longer come to Seychelles and we no longer have visitors. As a result, our economy is no longer functioning at its usual level.

We need to review our spending. We need to review our priorities. In this context, the Finance Minister will present a new budget on 31 March to take account of this new reality we are facing.

We will all have to make sacrifices in the coming months. We must all take our responsibilities. As President of the Republic, I have decided not to draw a salary for the next three months.

Things won't be the same. With the decline in tourism, our foreign exchange earnings have fallen, and as a people we must strive to reduce our consumption of imported goods.

On a macroeconomic level, we are much more resilient today. In addition, there are many factors working in our favor at the moment:

The fuel price on the international market has fallen. As a result, the amount of foreign exchange we need to import fuel for transportation and electricity is less.
With the reduction in fuel prices, the costs for logistics and transport have also fallen. This means lower operating costs for companies and local producers.
Electricity costs will be lower in April, further reducing operating costs for businesses and local producers.
We as a people have the opportunity to increase our fish consumption and reduce our dependence on imported meat.
We have agricultural land available to increase the production level.

The government is working with the fisheries and agriculture sectors through the Committee for Food Security Surveillance I, which I have established, to raise the level of local production and effectively manage the food supply.

I am confident that we as a people are able to overcome these challenging times. We must keep the hope that our future will be bright. Our fate is in our hands. We are a resilient, innovative people. It is precisely at times like these that our strength and ability to adapt are most evident.

Together we will get through this. We did it in 2008, and we will do it in 2020.

Let us maintain this spirit of hard work. Let us maintain this spirit of cooperation. Let us preserve our unity.

I was touched to hear about the large number of individuals and companies that offer the Ministry of Health assistance in many ways. There are many people on various media platforms who offer words of encouragement to our health workers and staff from other sectors who are working overtime to respond to the situation we find ourselves in.

Tonight I would like to thank all those who are working on the front line of this pandemic. We owe sincere thanks to all our health workers and volunteers. My thanks also go to all the other staff who support these national efforts, for the professionalism and dedication they demonstrate every day.

We must all continue to work together in the same spirit of solidarity. When we act together, our joint results are much more effective than the sum of our individual efforts. Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much. Our little Seychelles are getting bigger and stronger.

I was particularly moved by the action of a 12-year-old girl who gave 230 rupees to the Ministry of Health to buy something for children in quarantine. What I see in her gesture is human kindness - altruism, compassion and generosity in spirit and deed. Her gesture is a bright light in a moment of darkness in the world - and that should inspire us all.

May God continue to bless our Seychelles and protect our people.

I thank you and wish you a good evening.

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