Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said the government is preparing for a possible second and third wave of the Covid-19 virus and has secured 838 beds across the five regional health authorities at ‘tremendous cost to the country in this time of low economic activity’. The increased capacity of the RHA’s, …
Read More »Daly: Don’t cry for us, Mayaro; a very different Easter
This is a very different Easter Sunday. There are no gatherings to celebrate the resurrection and no congregation to hear sermons of hope. Pope Francis in Rome will be a solitary figure silhouetted against a vast, empty St Peter’s square. We may be unfamiliar with the Jewish Passover, a celebration …
Read More »T&T has 12 recovered Covid-19 patients; 19 released from Balandra despite three more positives
Trinidad and Tobago now has 12 persons who have successfully grappled with and recovered from the novel coronavirus Covid-19. Four of the recovered patients came from the Couva Hospital and Multi-Training Facility while the other eight were at Caura Hospital. The Ministry of Health has asked the released patients to …
Read More »Griffith: Lawmen can enter homes to stop Covid-19 parties, three held for hanging dog
Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith has warned citizens that lawmen have the authority to enter their homes without warrants, through section 133 of the Public Health Ordinance. The clause, according to Griffith, gives police to right to ‘enter any land or building to save lives’. The Trinidad and Tobago Police …
Read More »Camacho: Covid-19 crisis shows urgent need to develop T&T’s healthcare system
“[…] The point I want to make here with respect to Covid-19 is that this crisis has brought to the forefront a whole new concept that prior to now was not one that we gave a lot of national attention. This concept is that of ‘National Healthcare Security’. “I draw …
Read More »Health Ministry prepares to start ‘surveillance testing’ across country for Covid-19
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said that, for the first time, the government will begin the process of testing persons for Covid-19 who did not present with symptoms and were not located through contact tracing. The procedure, described as ‘surveillance testing’, was recommended by chief medical officer Dr Roshan Parasram and …
Read More »‘If you did not hear, then you would feel’, Griffith busts ‘Covid-19 party’ in Cascade
The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service arrested 16 persons this morning under the Public Health (2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-Cov) Regulations, in what was described as a ‘Covid-19 quarantine party’ at the Alicia’s Guest House in Cascade. The arrests were made at around 12.30am. Half of the persons held were Venezuelan—seven …
Read More »CTU: Ignore misinformed commentaries, no link between 5G and Covid-19
“[…] This misinformation has triggered inappropriate responses from citizens resulting in the burning and destruction of infrastructure towers in some parts of the world, including Jamaica in the Caribbean. “CTU believes that this is an unfortunate development since the telecommunication infrastructure is essential to our ability to maintain communications and …
Read More »‘Apparently T&T feels safe enough…’ Young ends state-funded neighbourhood watch, mum on procurement
National Security Minister Stuart Young’s initiative to put four security firms into residential areas across the country lasted barely 48 hours. At a virtual press conference this morning, Young told the national community that the programme was cancelled due to public feedback. The four firms were: Allied Security Limited, Amalgamated …
Read More »A state-sponsored ‘neighbourhood watch’; Griffith explains gov’t decision to use security guards
Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith described the Ministry of National Security’s latest initiative, which will put security guards from four firms into residential neighbourhoods, as a state-sponsored ‘community watch’. This afternoon, a National Security release declared that the government has hired four private security firms to ‘provide mobile security patrol …
Read More »Health Ministry Update: T&T’s Covid-19 counter climbs to 107
Trinidad and Tobago’s tally of persons infected by the novel coronavirus Covid-19 now stands at 107, after one more person tested positive today. The patient, according to a release from the Ministry of Health, was a ‘contact of a Covid-19 positive patient’. At present, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) …
Read More »Private labs to be accredited for testing, gov’t yet to bring PCR machines on-stream
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh is encouraging private labs to be certified by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), so they can begin doing valid tests for Covid-19. Validated private labs must report cases directly to the chief medical officer, so as to contribute to a national database, and can be …
Read More »