In a recent press conference, Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley announced that Rihanna has just pledged a massive donation to her home country in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Through her Clara Lionel Foundation, Rihanna has offered to purchase BB $1.2 million ($700,000 USD) worth of ventilators to help the citizens of Barbados tackle the coronavirus.
Barbados is also taking other measures to ensure that residents stay above water during this pandemic including implementing a national stimulus package that involves $600/month provided by the government for each household, an Adopt-a-Family program, and more.
As of Thursday, March 19, there have been six confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Barbados. The latest cases were a male in his 20s and a female in her 60s, both of which had just returned to Barbados from the United States.
As for Rihanna, her CLF charity has donated $5 million to coronavirus relief efforts across the United States, Caribbean, and Africa. The money has gone towards donating to food banks in at-risk communities in the U.S., and purchasing medical supplies and speeding up testing in areas like Haiti and Malawi.