TTMA IN THE NEWS
Chambers seek more COVID-19 relief from Govt
Trinidad and Tobago’s main business chambers are calling on the Government to help them save jobs by implementing a tax credit on salaries for companies that do not make any profit over the next three months. The call was made yesterday, following a meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago, Energy Chamber of T&T, T&T Chamber of Industry & Commerce, T&T Manufacturers’ Association and the Confederation of Industry and Commerce on Monday to discuss the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on local businesses and the wider society. “With the majority of businesses suffering from a near-total collapse of sales and therefore thousands of individuals facing a fall in income, we appeal to the Government to support the retention of employment through a tax credit on salaries for companies who realise no profits during this period,” a joint release from the chambers said. Read more here
Joint Chambers ask Govt for tax breaks, help for self-employed
Business Chambers are asking the state to intervene with tax credits to companies and income support to the informal economy as the country faces economic constraints as it attempts to mitigate the covid19 pandemic. In a joint statement, the country’s biggest business advocacy groups, the American Chamber of Commerce, the Energy Chamber, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the Manufacturers’ Association, along with the Confederation of Regional Chambers, noted that while they appreciate the government’s current interventions, more is needed in light of the “unprecedented nature of the crisis facing the world and the complexity of dealing with the fallout.” The groups highlighted five issues in particular it believes must be considered. Read more here
NEWS
CoP: Police did not discriminate against doubles vendors
Police Commissioner Gary Griffith says there was no discrimination by police towards doubles vendors and sought to clarify the police’s stance on roadside vending in response to accusations of bias. According to a police media release on Tuesday, Griffith said officers were given directives to inform all relevant food suppliers that both mobile and roadside vending was to stop. He stressed that no police officer was given instructions to ban doubles specifically, as other vendors were told to stop as well. Read more here
Regional bodies to distribute Govt face masks
The Disaster Management Units (DMUs) of the various regional corporations are assisting the Health Ministry in the distribution of face masks in all municipalities to help curb COVID-19 spread. And as the long Easter holiday weekend approaches, there’ll be increased municipal police patrols across all beaches and rivers, plus recreation grounds, markets, abattoirs, cemeteries and cremation sites to ensure the law is obeyed and gatherings are discouraged under anti-COVID-19 measures. This was announced by the Local Government Ministry yesterday. This followed Government’s recent recommendation for members of the public to wear face coverings to prevent COVID-19 spread and tightened restrictions on public gatherings. Public gatherings have been cut from 10 to five people to prevent virus spread. Read more here
POLITICS
Pos Mayor: It's work as usual
Although the capital city is somewhat locked-down, Port of Spain mayor said he is doing everything to ensure the city remains cleaned and secure. On Tuesday, while discussing measures the corporation is putting in place to deal with the spread of the covid19 in the city, mayor Joel Martinez told Newsday working from home, the demand is high while keeping within the “stay at home policy.” “I am trying to do a lot of work while I am at home. This morning I had to go out to the Central Market so I put on my mask and attended to my duties. Read more here
Private labs get green light to test for COVID-19
Private labs are being encouraged to obtain validation to bolster testing availability for COVID-19 in Trinidad and Tobago. Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh made the call for private labs to come on board during the Ministry of Health’s daily press conference on COVID-19 matters yesterday. “We are asking all private labs, once you have your PCR machines, to approach CARPHA for validation,” Deyalsingh said. “The new regulations under section eight now puts a positive requirement, a positive duty of care on private labs who are certified by CARPHA to have a positive reporting obligation to report their results directly to the chief medical officer and not to individuals.” Read more here
BUSINESS
TSTT seeing 40% hike in broadband demand
Homes into offices. Homes into classrooms. Homes into entertainment centres. It all happened in March 2020, when the T& Government’s stay-at-home directions came into effect to curb the spread of COVID-19. Read more here
REGIONAL
Cancer test - Paulwell backs Phillips as leader set to undergo chemo
Vice-president of the People’s National Party (PNP), Phillip Paulwell, has sought to rally supporters worried about the health of Dr Peter Phillips that the party will not suffer as he takes a two-week break from active political duties. Following mounting concerns about the health of Phillips, the PNP president yesterday confirmed he had been diagnosed with Stage Three cancer of the colon, for which he underwent a medical procedure to treat. Phillips underwent complete and successful surgical removal of the cancer on March 23 and is now recovering, the PNP said. Read more here
Focus on our children in fight against COVID-19
Recognised doctors, Dr. Hardat Persaud and Dr. Narendra Singh, have highlighted that great focus should be given to children in the fight against COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, since they can be ‘carriers’ of the virus and aid in its transmission. “Children can have (COVID-19), but they have such mild symptoms that you wouldn’t notice and they can then pass it on to adults,” local paediatrician, Dr. Hardat said at an online forum organised by American Chamber of Commerce Guyana (AmCham) on Monday night. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Coronavirus: Marathon talks over EU virus rescue package stall
EU talks on how to help southern Eurozone countries badly affected by the coronavirus epidemic have stalled after 16 hours. The European Central Bank says the bloc may need up to €1.5tn ($1.6 trillion; £1.3tn) to tackle the crisis. European finance ministers were close to a deal, but the talks broke down amid a dispute between Italy and the Netherlands over how to apply the recovery fund. Negotiations will resume on Thursday. The coronavirus pandemic has exposed deep divides in Europe, where Italy and Spain have accused northern nations - led by Germany and the Netherlands - of not doing enough. Read more here
Chaos rocks Trump White House on virus' most tragic day
The chaos and confusion rocking President Donald Trump's administration on the most tragic day yet of the coronavirus pandemic was exceptional even by his own standards. Trump set out Tuesday to cement his image of a wartime leader facing down an "invisible enemy" at a dark moment as the country waits for the virus to peak and with the economy languishing in suspended animation. "What we have is a plague, and we're seeing light at the end of the tunnel," the President said, on a day when a record number of Americans succumbed to the wicked respiratory disease. Read more here
8th April 2020