(CNS): Government voted an additional CI$28.4 million for managing and administrating protocols surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic for this year, including quarantine and testing costs. In addition to paying people who are out of work as a result of the closed borders and supporting small businesses, the government is spending a significant amount on the isolation programme, secure transport, contact tracing, administering the vaccine and thousands of tests every month.
As members of Parliament voted for the extra funds for Travel Cayman, the Health Services Authority and private hospitals, they heard how the money was being spent and the pressure on the current budget. Government is expected to spend over CI$10m on testing alone this year.
As the members voted on the money, Finance Minister Chris Saunders, who chairs Finance Committee, explained that the COVID-19 response and recovery line item was going through his Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Labour (FEDL) to try and control the large sums of money.
He said everything that is being spent under this budget would pass across his desk, and that the questions raised by members on Wednesday were valid and what was expected from those managing the people’s money.
During the proceedings looking at this one line item, Accountant General Matthew Tibbetts explained that the government owes the HSA more than $6m as the authority has been using its own funds to cover the cost of testing at the hospital. It has also...
Read Full Story: https://caymannewsservice.com/2021/09/budget-creaking-under-weight-of-covid-costs/
Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.