Oversight Board launches COVID-19 information web page
The Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico launched a web page providing information on the emergency measures by the U.S. and Puerto Rico governments, and how individuals and businesses can access the funds provided by several agencies.
The Oversight Board created a page on its website to consolidate the information on the various government emergency programs, organized by their target audience: government agencies; individuals; the healthcare sectors; businesses and nonprofits; and education.
The page has links to the agencies providing the funding, fact sheets, and application material. Further, the page has a tracker monitoring how the Puerto Rico government is spending the funds available from the Emergency Reserve Fund and the $787 million Emergency Measures Support Package, providing the transparency required by the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act’s mandate of fiscal responsibility.
“Notwithstanding the need to move quickly with procurement, it is also critical in this time of emergency that any simplified procurement delivers value for the money, equal opportunity and fairness, transparency, integrity and accountability,” the Oversight Board stated.
“The COVID-19 crisis has touched all of our lives, and those fighting the pandemic on the front line or those who lost their jobs and business income because of this crisis deserve our support,” said the Oversight Board’s Executive Director Natalie Jaresko, adding the COVID-19 web page “will support transparency and integrity of spending.”
“The two governments have made unprecedented funding available to help those affected, and it is important that all are aware of the various programs.
These funds should go from governments to the people and businesses as fast as possible to help those in need and to mitigate the tremendous effect on the economy.”
“That is why we created this web page,” Jaresko said. “We hope it will help nurses and doctors, police officers and paramedics, hospitals and nonprofits, restaurants and other businesses to navigate the government programs that apply to them. We have made a specific effort to analyze how federal programs apply specifically to Puerto Rico. We will update the site regularly as information change and new programs become available.”
