Ways sought to address people’s health, livelihood: Treasurer

By HELEN TARAWA
THE global coronavirus pandemic is costing the nation greatly, according to Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey.
Ling-Stuckey said the Government was working on how best to get the balance right between the health of the people and their livelihoods.
“The Covid-19 war is hard and how to manage our response is difficult as there are no clear, simple answers,” he said.
“We still know so little about this enemy.
“There is great uncertainty. We know, based on fighting viruses in the past, that measures such as social distancing, washing hands with soap, coughing and sneezing into a cloth or elbow are vital.”
He said the Government was trying to “strike the right balance between protecting our health and protecting our livelihoods”.
“This information and analysis is being used as the basis for some major announcements in coming days,” Ling-Stuckey said.
“There is a lot of action going on to try to get the right balance.
“It is important that our people understand what is going on behind the scene to manage Covid-19 and the struggle we face as a government.”
He said the decrease in global oil prices would slash the Government’s revenue by over K1 billion.
“If our economy (had been) in better shape, we would have more money to directly respond to the crisis.
“We are not in the same position as most other countries to respond.”