Solidarity in Action – Health, Security working to protect Frontline Workers in COVID-19 Response

(CARPHA and IMPACS Joint StatementPort of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. 15 May 2020)   The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) both members of the CARICOM Security Cluster; and part of the coordinated regional response to COVID-19 recently delivered a virtual training session for frontline security officers on measures to protect themselves in the line of duty.

The training was designed for frontline security officers who continue to go above and beyond to protect the health and safety of citizens and visitors, while ensuring their own security and to provide confidence across systems as some Member States move into the recovery phase from COVID-19.

The main objective of the live training, which was held last Thursday, May 7, 2020, was to equip national security officers in CARICOM Member States on the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).  Lt Colonel Michael Jones, Executive Director (Ag), IMPACS, emphasized the importance of these skills to security professionals and stated, “they are critical to officers in the completion of their daily duties at ports of entry and with investigations.”

The training hosted in collaboration with the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative – Connect (CBSI-Connect) programme, reached more than 500 frontline workers from various security divisions – Police, Prisons, Customs, Immigration and Military; from 17 territories across the Caribbean namely Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos Islands.

According to Dr. Joy St. John, Executive Director, CARPHA, “CARPHA has had excellent support from all of the members of the Security Cluster of CARICOM in the fight against COVID-19. These officers are critical members of the CARICOM frontline and their safety is essential, as they must preserve Regional Health Security and safety in order to keep persons in the CARICOM States optimally protected.”

The course continues to be available to all national security professionals on the CBSI-Connect platform, which includes a forum for questions.

For the most current information on what you can do to keep yourself and your loved ones safe from COVID-19, please visit the CARPHA website:http://carpha.org/What-We-Do/Public-Health/Novel-Coronavirus.