Caribbean pandemic economy

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the Caribbean overnight. Borders are closing, hotels emptying, and tourism — the lifeblood of most island economies — has ground to a halt. Emergency measures are racing to protect workers and property markets.

The WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, transforming the Caribbean overnight. Borders have closed across the region, hotels are emptying, and governments are scrambling to implement emergency fiscal measures as the tourism industry faces an unprecedented crisis.

As COVID-19 spreads rapidly in Europe and Asia, Caribbean tourism operators watch nervously. Trinidad Carnival 2020 concludes, Jamaica sees steady arrivals, but warning signs are building in key source markets.