Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has asked Trinidad and Tobago to accept another 14 days of economic restrictions and floated the possibility of a lift within 10 days if all goes well. Rowley, accompanied by chief medical officer Dr Roshan Parasram and epidemiologist Dr Avery Hinds, confirmed that the twin …
Read More »Barbados ‘deeply disturbed’ by Young’s statements, points to ‘recognised international humanitarian practice’
“[…] The Government of Barbados did no more nor less than simply convey to Port-of-Spain requests for assistance made by citizens of Trinidad and Tobago who were stranded in Barbados. “This diplomatic correspondence, issued to the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, was in keeping with the …
Read More »Noble: ‘Them is people to watch’; let science—not big business—rule on lifting lockdown
“What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.” CS Lewis. Different views abound about the need to stay or not at home. Some bristle at the restrictions and I will confess my …
Read More »Deyalsingh’s dilemma and Prior’s milestone: gov’t reaches reflection point in Covid-19 tussle
“We have gone seven days without a new case of Covid-19,” said AZP News journalist Prior Beharry, a former government advisor during the tenure of the UNC-led People’s Partnership, “is this you think an indictment on the way that you are handling things so far in this crisis; and have …
Read More »MSJ: Police roadblocks are more nuisance than useful; Griffith: We’re saving lives
“[…] As has been repeatedly stated by the Prime Minister, ‘Stay at Home’ is an appeal to the good sense of citizens to do the right thing. However, it is not a legal requirement. The TTPS therefore cannot stop anyone from being in their car or force anyone to turn …
Read More »Rowley: Time to chart T&T’s new course; the framework for post-pandemic road map
“Trinidad and Tobago must now plan for its post peak Covid-19 future within the confines of the ‘new normal’, at least until such time that a vaccine is developed and tested—which could take between 12-18 months. “[…] An important first step in developing the Recovery Road Map must be to …
Read More »IEA: Low oil prices threaten ‘weaker producing countries’, but policy makers are working on fix
“[…] The measures announced by OPEC+ and the G20 countries won’t rebalance the market immediately. But by lowering the peak of the supply overhang and flattening the curve of the build-up in stocks, they help a complex system absorb the worst of this crisis, whose consequences for the oil market …
Read More »Cudjoe: Don’t play games with me! Minister rebuts Wallace as gov’t shapes up Home of Football in one week
It took just one week and a small army of private sector companies, according to Robert Hadad, to get the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s Home of Football ready for use. Or rather, as the South-West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) re-christened the facility, the ‘Home of Football-Wellness Centre’. The controversial …
Read More »Nakhid: Level with us on testing shortcomings, health minister; there’s a Vegas trip at stake
“You have to answer for Santino, Carlo,” said Michael Corleone, as Carlo Rizzo protests nervously in iconic mob film, The Godfather. “Ahhh… That little farce you played with my sister, you think that could fool a Corleone? “[…] I’m putting you on a plane to Vegas; I want you to …
Read More »Daly Bread: Contemplating the road to recovery; gov’t must prioritise the arts
In August 1959, at the peak of his fame, Miles Davis was taking a break from a recording which he was making downstairs an equally famous club called Birdland Jazz Club. He was on the pavement when a white policeman told him to move on. “Move on for what? I …
Read More »Noble: Insanity is contagious; forget race, politics and scaremongers and focus on the virus
Joseph Heller’s book ‘Catch-22’ is a satirical novel about war and demonstrates how circular thinking (such as ‘you cannot find your glasses since you need to wear your glasses to see where they are’) does not lead to solutions but dredges up memories that prove to be debilitating. The main …
Read More »We’re all in this together, so gov’t needs more compassion for small businesses
Over the weekend of 15 March 2020, the Minister of Labour pronounced on the need to implement Pandemic Leave in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. To date, approximately one month later, we are yet to see what is the policy for Pandemic Leave, which has become more relevant now than …
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