LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN: COVID-19

KEY FIGURES

13.5M CUMULATIVE COVID-19 CASES IN LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN AS OF 29 NOVEMBER

8% DECLINE IN REMITTANCES TO LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN PROJECTED FOR 2021

REGIONAL: REMITTANCES

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean in March 2020, the World Bank estimated that remittances could drop by as much as 20 per cent in 2020 due to expected losses in employment and/or salary reduction. While the pandemic led to decreased remittances from March to May, losses that ranged from 2 per cent (Mexico) to more than 70 per cent (Bolivia), remittances rebounded from June onwards, with several countries now reporting remittance flows that are even higher than 2019 levels. Mexico, Colombia, Jamaica, Brazil and the Dominican Republic have reported months with remittances more than a third higher relative to the same month in 2019.

Moreover, some countries have registered record highs in remittances during the pandemic, including Brazil with US$317.6 million in August, Colombia with $715.9 million in March, the Dominican Republic with $827.7 million in July, El Salvador with $571.4 million in October, Guatemala with $1.1 billion in October and Mexico with $4 billion in March.

KEY FIGURES

500K PEOPLE IN HONDURAS WITH HEALTH NEEDS AFTER ETA & IOTA

267K FAMILIES IN GUATEMALA AFFECTED BY ETA & IOTA'S DAMAGE TO CROPS

HONDURAS

According to PAHO/WHO, more than 400 health facilities across Honduras have reported damage after Eta and Iota. At least 120 health facilities are inoperative, 27 are collapsed and 12 report damage to cold chain equipment. Nearly 100 health facilities report personnel that have been directly affected by the storms, further complicating the continual provision of badly needed health services.

PAHO/WHO estimate that approximately 2 million people have either limited or no access to health services due to these impacts to the health services network and that at least 500,000 of these people have health needs.

GUATEMALA

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock indicates that damage to the agriculture sector has so far affected more than 164,000 hectares of crops and more than 267,000 families.

WFP reports that Eta and Iotas damage to crops will create a high risk of food insecurity for vulnerable families who were relying on subsistence crops for food supply through the September 2021 harvest cycle, leading to estimations that families in affected communities are facing, or will soon face, hunger. WFP further reports that nearly 70 per cent of local markets are not fully y supplied due to the storms impact.

See the original post:

Latin America & The Caribbean - Weekly Situation Update (30 November - 6 December 2020) As of 7 December 2020 - Honduras - ReliefWeb