Business View Magazine | June 2020

21 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JUNE 2020 OECS DISTILLERIES SUPPLY MUCH NEEDED ALCOHOL TO FIGHT COVID-19 B ridgetown, Barbados: As the world continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, OECS (Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States) rum distillers have modified their production lines to play their part, producing alcohol and hand sanitiser and making donations of sanitation products. Across the Eastern Caribbean, contributions have been made to governments, institutions and frontline healthcare workers and to support local communities impacted by the virus. Some of the initial actions taken by OECS producers, all members of the West Indies Rum & Spirits Producers Association (WIRSPA), to support COVID response in their various countries include: • Antigua Distillery in Antigua & Barbuda has made 70% alcohol readily available to produce hand sanitiser and disinfectant. The company has further made donations to Emergency and Essential Workers in Antigua and Barbuda to include Health & Medical Personnel, EMS, the Police & National Guard, Her Majesty’s Prison, and other persons on the front line. In addition, the company has supported the Government’s social initiative to provide care packages to the most affected in the society by providing the aforementioned sanitising products and bottled water to those in need. Antigua Distillery is also producing the gel type hand sanitiser utilizing local aloe and intends to export to neighboring countries. • Belfast Estate in Dominica, shifted from rum production for human consumption, as a result of the ban on sale of alcohol and produced a 70% alcohol sanitizer which assisted to alleviate an island wide shortage of alcohol and sanitizers for the citizens of Dominica. This was made available we saw it was our duty, as part of this community, to come out and to keep operating to produce these much-needed supplies