Business View Caribbean | February 2020

11 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN FEBRUARY 2020 T he Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) is urging Member States to continue to be vigilant and to step up surveillance at their ports of entry, although the risk of the novel Coronavirus is still low. The advice comes on the heels of the World Health Organization declaring the outbreak in Wuhan, China, as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). RISK OF CORONAVIRUS REMAINS LOW FOR CARIBBEAN BUT CARPHA URGES VIGILANCE AT PORTS OF ENTRY OPENING L INES A PHEIC is defined in the International Health Regulations (2005) as “an extraordinary event which is determined, as provided in these Regulations to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease; and to potentially require a coordinated international response.” This definition implies a situation that: is serious, unusual or unexpected; carries