Honduras: Government and private sector join efforts to safeguard the health and life of the population

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, March 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Honduran government and the private sector joined efforts and resources to work as a team to confront COVID-19.

President Juan Orlando Hernández met with Juan Carlos Sikaffy, President of the Honduran Council of the Private Enterprise (COHEP), and other representatives of its membership such as banking, production, maquila, power generation and commerce, to build a roadmap to move the country's economy forward in the face of the negative impact of COVID-19 worldwide.

The road map will consider key milestones related with biosafety, economy aid, employment, production, food and health. The parties also agreed in providing progressively assistance to 800,000 families living in the most vulnerable areas of the Capital City Tegucigalpa, Choluteca, La Ceiba, San Pedro Sula and wherever new outbreaks are emerging.

"We join the Government's efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19. As the private sector (of Honduras), we are aware of our commitment to guarantee employment, food and health guidance for the people in this crisis, for which reason we have decided to actively participate in all issues of social nature so that the negative impact on production is as little as possible," said Sikaffy.

The businessman chairman of COHEP recognized that the containment of COVID-19 is of vital importance. In this sense, he praised the Government's work to flatten the curve and stressed that it is important to comply with biosecurity measures so the productive sectors gradually incorporate themselves into their labor activities.

From his end, Pedro Barquero, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Cortés (CCIC) and one of the main critics of the government of President Hernández, highlighted that for the first time we are united as one, the unions and chambers of COHEP to face this crisis. "Our resentment and differences are in the past. I think the differences I have had should be erased from our memory and we must work together to face this crisis in the best possible way."

Barquero reaffirmed that the focus in both sectors, government and private, should be on issues of health, protection, jobs, good governance and financing assistance.

The Honduran Government has estimated an investment of 25 million dollars to face the national emergency, aimed at reinforcing health personnel, medical supplies and construction of 90 hospitals. President Hernández stated that the Government is working on obtaining financial aid for COVID-19 crisis from with the multilateral financial institutions.

For more information on COVID-19 in Honduras visit:
www.covid19honduras.org  

SOURCE President of the Government of Honduras