TTMA IN THE NEWS
TTMA administers 5,000 vaccines in one day
Over 5,000 vaccines were administered in one day to personnel from the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association (TTMA). In a release issued on Sunday, the Association noted that it had reached another “milestone” with the commencement of vaccination sites for second dose Sinopharm vaccines for the business community. President of the TTMA, Tricia Coosal stated, “TTMA is pleased to have contributed to 5,000 fully vaccinated persons in the business sector. The public-private partnership between TTMA, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Trade & Industry, has worked well for mass vaccination to ensure safe working environments in the business community.” Read more here
NEWS
Non-nationals must wait 2 weeks after second vaccine to enter Trinidad and Tobago
Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram has issued a gentle reminder to non-nationals travelling to Trinidad and Tobago that they must wait two weeks after receiving the second dose of a covid19 vaccine. Only then will they be considered fully vaccinated and meet the criteria to enter the country. TT's borders will reopen on July 17. Non-nationals who try to enter before the end of the two-week window, after getting their second dose, will not be allowed to in. Returning nationals travelling before the two-week window after receiving their second shot will have to pay the cost of state-supervised quarantine for 14 days. Read more here
CMO on border reopening: Stringent measures to guard against new COVID infections
As the Government moves to reopen the borders on July 17, Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram has assured that stringent measures are in place to guard against new COVID-19 infections, regardless of the variant. Parasaram made the comment during the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 media conference yesterday, on how comfortable the medical team is about the opening of the borders given that the Delta variant has been detected in the region. Parasram said, “In terms of the reopening of the border, as you saw and in terms of my presentation on Saturday, there is a pretty stringent category for those who are unvaccinated. As you know, non-nationals who are unvaccinated will not be allowed entry in the first instance. Those unvaccinated persons now have to do 14 days in a state- supervised scenario, which will allow us to get any positives that come out of that cohort at day seven and allow us to ring-fence it as best as we can.” Read more here
POLITICS
Education Minister: Laptops more than just learning device
Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said on Monday the distribution of laptops to students was an important step towards the full digitisation and transformation of the local learning environment. At a laptop distribution ceremony to primary and secondary school principals at the Ministry of Education, St Vincent Street, Port of Spain, Gadsby-Dolly said the gesture marked a critical moment in the digital transition of the education system. She was optimistic the laptops would better facilitate the learning experience by giving children an important tool to succeed in a post-covid19 world. Read more here
BUSINESS
Digicel Business helps T&TEC with technical services
The COVID-19 pandemic has fast-tracked digital transformation for most businesses and it was no different for the T&TEC as they had to work out how to maintain operations safely during the pandemic. The company required a single reliable communication solution that would allow them to offer the level of service their customers’ deserve. This meant a PBX environment, which offered the ability for remote workers to maintain customer service relations; fixed pricing structure and unlimited data; internet as a facilitator across all locations; and 24/7 technical support. “Through the introduction of hosted PBX by Digicel Business, we foresee expanded growth in areas such as ICT support, software development, mobile device management and smart systems. We were particularly impressed by the Digicel FreshDesk Portal, providing us the security of round-the-clock technical support,” Navin Rampersad, TTEC’s Communications Engineer said. Read more here
REGIONAL
CARICOM abated ‘heat’ between Guyana, Venezuela
Venezuela’s ‘threatening’ posture in the ongoing border controversy with Guyana had increased tensions among the countries earlier this year, but outgoing Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Keith Rowley, believes that the bloc’s principled position on the matter contributed significantly to the ‘heat’ being abated. From all indications, Venezuela early this year seemed bent on arbitrarily laying claim to Guyana’s territory, with its naval forces intruding on Guyana’s maritime space. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
US left Bagram Airbase at night with no notice, Afghan commander says
The US military left Bagram Airfield - its key base in Afghanistan - in the dead of night without notifying the Afghans, the base's new commander said. General Asadullah Kohistani told the BBC that the US left Bagram at 03:00 local time on Friday, and that the Afghan military found out hours later. Bagram also contains a prison, and there are reportedly up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners left in the facility. The Taliban have been advancing rapidly in Afghanistan as US troops withdraw. General Kohistani said on Monday that Afghan forces were expecting the Taliban to attack Bagram. Speaking to reporters at the airbase, he said he was already receiving reports the group was making "movements in rural areas" nearby. Read more here
6th July 2021