TTMA IN THE NEWS
Businesses, Govt meet on phased reopening based on reduced cases
Energy Minister Stuart Young said yesterday that when the Government begins reopening the country, it will be done on a phased basis, similar to the system used during last year’s first wave of COVID-19. Young was speaking at a media conference after a joint-ministerial meeting with the Confederation of Regional Business Chambers to discuss the issues facing businesses that have been shut down by the recent Public Health Regulations. Read more here
Start curfew earlier
Businesses yesterday called for tougher lockdown measures, with some going as far as proposing a long curfew spanning from 6 p.m to 6 a.m. The curfew now starts at 9 p.m. and goes till 5 a.m. Businesses also called on the Government to free up the importation of Covid-19 vaccines to allow private sector participation and to allow people to travel overseas to get vaccinated. These were among the proposals put to Ministers Stuart Young and Paula Gopee-Scoon at a virtual meeting with representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, AMCHAM, Confederation of Business Chambers, Supermarket Association (SATT), T&T Coalition of Services Industries, T&T Contractors Association, Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association (TTMA) and Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA). Read more here
NEWS
17 more dead from covid19, 582 new cases
Some 17 more people have died from covid19, the Ministry of Health reported in its daily update on Wednesday. Another 582 more people were reported infected from last Thursday to Tuesday. TT now has 8,710 people infected with covid19. Read more here
Local business offers discounts for COVID jabs
The health benefits of getting the COVID-19 vaccine may not be sufficient to convince some members of the public to get vaccinated. That is why one local business has found a creative approach that may help the country move a step closer to achieving herd immunity. Much like how businesses in the United States have offered free taxi rides to those on their way to get vaccinated, discounted purchases and even free meals right after people have got their jabs, St Christopher’s Service Station is following suit. Read more here
POLITICS
Rowley: Comments on vigils being misrepresented
The Prime Minister on Wednesday said his recent remarks in Parliament chiding the UNC for allegedly promoting vigils were being misrepresented as an attack on the anti-crime cause, when in fact he had simply said gatherings were not a good idea yet the UNC was organising them. Dr Rowley sent a statement via WhatsApp to Newsday to reply to allegations by the UNC and the Candle Light Movement (CLM) on Tuesday criticising comments he made on Monday in the House of Representatives. Read more here
PM meets with US official to lobby for vaccines
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley will today have a virtual meeting with US House Majority Whip Congressman James Clyburn to continue lobbying for vaccines from the US for T&T. Foreign Affairs Minister Amery Browne confirmed this yesterday concerning T&T’s latest efforts to get vaccines. T&T has obtained vaccines so far from Barbados, India, China, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Bermuda. This country is also seeking jabs from the US, European Union, African Medical Council, Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and awaiting approval regarding Cuba’s vaccines. Read more here
BUSINESS
Tobago Wyck: Gizelle Drue creates the scents of Tobago
Gizelle Drue, 34, has gained a reputation for providing a premium line of scented candles locally. Drue, the owner of Tobago Wyck, said her candles capture the varied essences of Tobago's unique and scenic sites. When she spoke with Business Day recently, Drue shared her inspiration as well as the story of how the business was formed. Read more here
Please get on with economic transformation
The International Energy Agency (IEA) last week released its report, titled Net Zero by 2050—A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector. It is a forward-looking report on how the organisation sees the world getting to its stated goal of net zero-emission by the middle of the century, as has been committed to by most countries, including T&T, in the Paris Accord. While the IEA acknowledged that there were many pathways to net zero, and so far countries have engaged in more rhetoric than action, it charts a way forward that its authors feel is the best course for the world to move to a sustainable energy future. Read more here
REGIONAL
More jobs, wealth creation expected across Guyana
The creation of numerous jobs and the generation of wealth for citizens can be expected across Guyana, according to President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, who highlighted that efforts are being made by the government to realise its national development agenda. During an interview aired on the News Room on Wednesday night, President Ali highlighted that the government, which has been in office for about 10 months, has a national development agenda that is guiding its developmental plans across the country. In this agenda, he related that Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) has been earmarked for the expansion and creation of essential services to support Guyana’s burgeoning oil and gas sector. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
The Covid-19 origin story has massive political consequences
A growing storm over the origins in China of Covid-19 has explosive political implications for the United States at home and abroad, as well as the dueling legacies of two presidents that will be defined by the pandemic. President Joe Biden on Wednesday told Americans he had ordered US intelligence agencies to report in 90 days on whether the virus originated not in animals and spread to humans but might have escaped from a Chinese laboratory. The move deepened a mystery encompassing the pernicious spread of a deadly pathogen, an intricate epidemiological puzzle, the opacity of a totalitarian system and the bitter overtones of a superpower rivalry. It will fan doubts about the World Health Organization's capacity to tease out lessons from the current crisis in order to prevent future pandemics. Read more here
DR Congo: Thousands flee Goma after second volcano warning
Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo over fears of another volcanic eruption. Local authorities have said Mount Nyiragongo could erupt once again with little warning. The volcano, 10km (six miles) from Goma, spewed lava over the weekend, killing 32 people and leaving thousands homeless, the UN says. Thousands fled then but some residents had started returning. The area has been rattled by aftershocks, destroying several buildings, and two cracks several hundred metres in length appeared in the ground. Read more here
27th May 2021