Minister warns Covid-19 and Brexit are the makings of a ‘Perfect Storm’

THE Gibraltar Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia who represents the Gibraltar Liberal Party said during a virtual panel discussion at the UK Liberal Party Conference that the combination of leaving the European Union and the Covid-19 pandemic have the potential makings of a ‘perfect storm’, the consequences of which will be felt for years to come.

The discussion was entitled ‘Brexit in times of COVID-19’ and Dr Garcia shared the panel with Alistair Carmichael MP, who is MP for Orkney and Shetland and Lib Dem Shadow Home Affairs spokesman, having previously been responsible for Foreign Affairs.

The discussion, which was sold out, was chaired by the Director of Gibraltar House in London Dominique Searle but missed Lord David Chidgey who was unable to chair the meeting as originally planned and Stephen Farry MP due to technical problems.

Dr Garcia explained the challenges posed to a small administration in having to deal both with the pandemic and the E.U. departure at the same time and made the point that this was not easy given that the same people were often intensely involved in both areas of Government activity.

He outlined the way in which the pandemic had evolved in Gibraltar since the first positive case was confirmed on March 3 and said that he was convinced that the decision to advise the elderly to self-isolate early on had saved lives whilst the different measures taken to protect the elderly had been praised by international experts – the “Golden Hour” in particular.

The number of hospital beds, swabs, ventilators and PPE held had in Gibraltar had all increased despite the worldwide challenge to make supply meet demand.

Dr Garcia went over the success of the aggressive testing and contact tracing regime in Gibraltar.

He told the panel that over 45,000 tests had been carried out in a population of 32,000 and that this placed Gibraltar third in the World.

He went on to highlight the serious economic impact of the pandemic and pointed to the provision of £150 million to fight Covid-19 in the budget extension promised last week.

The Deputy Chief Minister said that the irony was not lost on him that the discussion included elected representatives from Gibraltar and Scotland two countries that had voted for the UK to remain in the EU.

He then explained that the stockpiling of medical supplies in the face of a no deal Brexit had actually proved to be very useful when dealing with the pandemic. He also gave a general outline of the ongoing negotiations for a future relationship between Gibraltar and the European Union and explained the importance of border fluidity going forward.

Gibraltar had always enjoyed a differentiated relationship with the EU to the UK, he pointed out, given its geographical position and distinct interests.

He also went over the plans for no agreement, in the event that it was not possible to conclude a deal.

“Europe is in uncharted territory, in the sense that we face a pandemic with a threat to life and Brexit at the same time,” said Dr Garcia.

“This is a time of uncertainty. However, we can be certain of one thing – that the economic, social and political effects of the situation we find ourselves in will be felt for a long time to come,” he added.

Written by

John Smith

Married to Ophelia in Gibraltar in 1978, John has spent much of his life travelling on security print and minting business and visited every continent except Antarctica. Having retired several years ago, the couple moved to their house in Estepona and John became a regular news writer for the EWN Media Group taking particular interest in Finance, Gibraltar and Costa del Sol Social Scene. Currently he is acting as Editorial Consultant for the paper helping to shape its future development. Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews

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