Description

COVID-19 cases are decreasing. A third of the population has been given at least one jab of a COVID-19 vaccine. There's talk of the return of regular flights and cruise calls. In this episode we talk about how optimistic we ought to be about the economic outlook for the rest of 2021.

Eleven thousand were made directly unemployed by the effects of COVID-19 according to the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda in his January budget speech. Scores and scores of businesses, small and large, have shutdown. The idea that business activity might pick back up again is news well received by everyone.

But with the pandemic still not totally arrested in our main source markets, and with the problem of vaccine hesitancy in Antigua and Barbuda, just how optimistic can we afford to be?   

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

1. Vernon Jeffers, Chairman of the Antigua Hotels and Tourism Association (AHTA). 
2. Cassandra Simon, a chartered accountant in Antigua and Barbuda.
3. Everett Christian, who worked for many years in the banking sector.

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on May 16th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.