NEWS
Commissioner Griffith is back; self quarantines for 14 days
Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith is back from London. Griffith returned to TT on Saturday, and has put himself on a 14-day self quarantine. He was in London for a commissioners' conference and said, on his return, he passed through the London and Miami airports. As a precaution, he said he put himself on a 14-day quarantine. Read more here
T&T now up to 4 COVID-19 cases
The Ministry of Health has announced that Trinidad and Tobago is now up to four cases of coronavirus COVID-19. The following is a statement by the ministry. The Ministry of Health, Trinidad and Tobago, advises the population of two more confirmed cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Read more here
POLITICS
PM to convene special cabinet meeting Monday
Prime Minister Dr Rowley will convene a special Cabinet meeting on Monday at 9 am. A statement from Office of the Prime Minister said Dr Rowley will also host the post-Cabinet media briefing at 11 am. Read more here
Utilise leave but not on criteria suggested— Duke
Public Services Associations (PSA) President Watson Duke is calling on public servants to utilise Government’s proposed pandemic leave today, but not based on the criteria suggested. In a live video on his Facebook profile after the special leave was announced by Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus, yesterday, Duke appeared to call on all public servants, not just those who could not find supervision for their children, to claim pandemic leave today. “Call tomorrow pandemic holiday and when you go write a letter and say you were on pandemic leave. Write a letter. Challenge them,” Duke said. He suggested that such public servants should use the free time to “prepare” their households for the virus. Duke described the proposed leave and the guidelines given to public servants, State enterprises/private-sector employees as confusing. Read more here
BUSINESS
COVID-19, energy prices
During 2019, the global crude markers West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent crude traded within the range of US$50-66/barrel and US$56-74/barrel, respectively. Read more here
REGIONAL
Preliminary Results Show Five More Coronavirus Cases In Jamaica
Preliminary results have indicated five additional coronavirus cases in Jamaica. This would move to 15, the number of cases here. In a statement, the Health Ministry said two of the cases are linked to a patient who travelled from the United Kingdom. The third patient has a travel history to Trinidad and Tobago and was on the same flight as a confirmed case. The fourth patient is an American child who travelled through Miami. The third and fourth patients are from western Jamaica. Read more here
COVID-19 poses threat to tourism sector, as country records four cases
With the number of confirmed cases of the dreaded Coronavirus in Guyana pegged at four, there is fear in some quarters that several sectors will suffer a blow from the growing pandemic, specifically the tourism sector. Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) Mitra Ramkumar said the disease will most likely cripple the tourism sector in Guyana. While all ports of entry remain open, the Ministry of Public Health has said that it is aiming to significantly ramp up its COVID-19 response efforts. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
'Challenging few months ahead' for Scotland - Sturgeon
Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the next few months are likely to be "very challenging and unprecedented in our lifetimes". She said that the Scottish government will have saving lives and protecting the public as the priority. Monday is the first day that the Scottish government's advice to cancel mass gatherings for more than 500 people comes into effect. Ms Sturgeon said advice on smaller gatherings and whether to close schools was under constant review. Read more here
UN steps up support for refugees in Iran during virus outbreak
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has enhanced its emergency support to refugees in Iran following the coronavirus outbreak there, it said in a statement on Sunday. The UNHCR has begun “distributing items such as soap and disposable paper towels to some 7,500 refugee households living in refugee settlements across the country,” according to the statement. Read more here
16th March 2020