TCWN April 25 - May 1, 2020

Weekly News Volume 34 | No. 17 | April 25 - May 1, 2020

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TURKS AND CAICOS

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LOCAL COVID-19 TESTING TO BEGIN

Widespread community testing for Covid-19 will be rolled out soon in the Turks and Caicos Islands, according to Minister of Health Hon. Edwin Astwood.

Tourist Board launches destination video MAN SHOT DEAD AT BLUE HILLS DUMP STOP CUDDLING PETS TO AVOID VIRUS SPREAD, SAYS HEALTH MINISTRY

PNP LEADER CALLS STIMULUS PACKAGE A LIE AND A JOKE

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21 Find us online at

tcweeklynews.com

Until the end of the lockdown the full edition of the TC Weekly News will be available online only. Visit our website www.tcweeklynews.com for all the latest news and views from across the TCI.

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April 25 - May 1, 2020

April 25 - May 1, 2020

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April 25 - May 1, 2020

Man shot dead at Blue Hills dump A MURDERED man whose lifeless body was found at Blue Hills dump site has not yet been identified, and has been named by police simply as ‘John Doe’.

Just before 11.15am on Saturday (April 18) officers and ambulance workers were called to the Providenciales dump after reports were made of shots being fired in the vicinity.

“Upon arrival, they met the

lifeless body of a male on the ground with a gunshot wound,” a statement from the police press office said.

“The man, age unknown, was pronounced dead at the scene.”

Investigating officers soon after discovered a second man on Mary Jane Lane in Blue Hills who also had gunshot wounds.

Police believe that the second man was also shot at the dump site

Business licence renewal extended to July 31 BUSINESS owners can renew their licences up until July 31, thanks to measures announced in the Government’s economy stimulus package.

Previously licences were due to be renewed from March 2 to April 30, but the Emergency Powers (Covid-19) (Economic Relief Measures) Regulations 2020 has added a grace period.

Following this, anyone not holding or properly displaying a valid business licence in their premises may be fined $1,000 in accordance with the Business Licence Ordinance.

Registered companies are required to submit a copy of their register of members or shareholders and demonstration of good standing with their application for renewal.

Sole traders and partnerships must present a valid Business

Name Registration Certificate from the Financial Services Commission along with their application for renewal.

Establishments requiring annual inspections from the Environmental Health Department or an Accommodation Licence are reminded to seek inspection ahead of the renewal deadline.

Applications will not be accepted until all relevant information is received.

The Revenue Department reserves the right to request further documentation and conduct inspections.

Business owners are urged to collect and display their business licences prominently in the place of business.

More information is available at the website http:// gov.tc/revenue or via email at tcirevenuedepartment@gov.tc

Published by Turks & Caicos News Company Ltd. Cheshire House, Leeward Highway, Providenciales P.O. Box 52, Turks & Caicos Islands, BWI W. Blythe Duncanson - Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Olivia Rose - Senior Reporter Faizool Deo - Sports Editor (At Large) Cord Garrido-Lowe - Graphics Consultant (At Large) Dilletha Lightbourne-Williams - Office Manager Email: (Advertising) tcnews@tciway.tc, (News) tcweeklynews@gmail.com Tel. 649-946-4664 (office), 649-232-3508 (after hours) Website address: www.tcweeklynews.com Follow us on: Facebook: facebook.com/tcweeklynews Twitter: twitter.com/tcweeklynews1

but ran from the scene in search for help.

He was taken in an ambulance to the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre where his condition is listed as stable.

Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting said: “This incident has resulted in the tragic loss of another life from gun crime and serious injuries to another man.

“Our sympathies go out to the loved ones of the man who was killed.”

He explained that investigations are ongoing and anyone with information into this incident can call 911 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1-800-8477.

“No matter how small, please use the confidential line and let us know.”

According to Botting, a video had been circulated in the TCI of the dead man which he described as “inhuman and unacceptable”.

“Please do not circulate any such video and refrain from

speculating on the circumstances of this incident,” he said.

The police commissioner added: “We cannot accept these senseless acts of violence as the new norm for the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“This is an issue for us all. We have to come together. Police, communities, faith leaders, all political parties, businesses; everyone has a part to play. We can change this situation together.”

On Thursday, the police press office issued a request for public assistance in identifying the murdered man who was described as “a Haitian national and dark in complexion”.

“Anyone, specifically the Haitian community with information regarding the man’s identity are encouraged to call 2328752,” it read.

The death is the territory’s seventh murder of 2020.

On April 13, Martin Barga, a 44-year old construction worker from the Dominican Republic,

was tragically shot and killed on Millennium Highway in Blue Hills.

On March 18, Acyjeune Brunorlien, 57, was shot dead during a home invasion in Five Cays, making it the third murder in just over a week.

Godly Petiote, 21, died in hospital on March 12 after he was shot several times on International Drive in Providenciales.

Sheen Dean, 26, was shot dead on Bay Road in Blue Hills on March 10 - in an incident that left two others with serious injuries.

Twenty-two-year-old Horace Wignal Junior, known as DJ Spookie, died from gunshot wounds on January 21 following a home invasion in Long Bay, Providenciales, earlier that month.

The first murder of the year was that of a 29-year-old who died in Providenciales from gunshot wounds on January 17.

In 2019 the TCI recorded a total of 13 murders across the territory.

Illegal migrants captured on land grows by 62%

BY DELANA ISLES THE COST of repatriation continues to grow as the flow of illegal migrants to the Turks and Caicos Islands borders continues unabated.

This was noted by Hon. Vaden Delroy Williams, Minister of Immigration, Citizenship, Labour and Employment Services, during his presentation of his ministry’s budget.

Expenditure on repatriations for the fiscal period April 2019 to March 31, 2020 was $2,070,000. During this same period, 2,329 illegal immigrants were repatriated from eight landings, 14 interceptions and 1,486 on land apprehensions.

During the 2018-2019 period there were 914 apprehensions, this represents an increase by 572, or 62 percent in the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

“This target is much in excess of the projected 50 percent as proposed in last year’s budget and the officers should be applauded for their stellar efforts,” Minister Williams said.

He added that although the 2019-2020 budget allocation for repatriations will not increase from $2,070,000 in this new fiscal year, it is the Government’s intention to increase enforcement and removal programmes.

“We will continue working with the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, the US Coast Guard and the Bahamas Defence Force to try and mitigate the illegal vessels from making landfall here in the Turks and Caicos Islands.”

Also enhancing the department’s work is the procurement of four drones to assist with the detection and arrest of illegal immigrants.

While no provision has been made in the current budget, Minister Williams said his ministry will continue to review the building of a purpose-built detention centre in the medium to long term.

“The detention of persons who have infringed the laws of this land remains a prime function.

“Despite the costs and other issues aligned with detention, we have legal obligations to ensure that the Detention Centre operates at

minimum international standards,” the minister observed.

He disclosed that a tender has been awarded to upgrade the centre, inclusive of creating appropriate user friendly space for families and children.

In addition, the fencing and lighting facilities will be included, as well as amenities for recreation.

Williams said the project is being done at a cost of $50,000.

The minister said that under this budget, the Immigration Department will again be responsible for the food, security and cleaning at the Detention Centre, and that they will continue to agitate for new buses and vehicles for the Immigration Department.

He said these purpose-built vehicles will greatly assist officers in more efficiently carrying out their duties.

April 25 - May 1, 2020

NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Polymerase chain reaction analyser

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Minister of Health Hon. Edwin Astwood

Covid-19 testing to begin in the TCI

BY OLIVIA ROSE WIDESPREAD community testing for Covid-19 will be rolled out soon in the Turks and Caicos Islands, according to Minister of Health Hon. Edwin Astwood.

In a press statement on April 19, he announced that the Ministry of Health has received its first polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyser.

Prior to this, blood samples from those suspected to have the virus were sent to the Trinidad based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Bahamas.

The results from these tests were returned to the TCI during a one week time frame, and many residents including local politicians and health experts bemoaned the lengthy process.

Now that the Ministry of Health is able to test for the virus locally, measures are being put in place to conduct testing on wider scale.

Speaking about this significant breakthrough for the territory, Astwood said: “The Ministry of Health is jubilant that the Government now has the ability to immediately carry out additional testing on persons currently in quarantine, contact persons of positive or suspected cases, persons in need of urgent medical care, and persons who may qualify to be placed in quarantine.

“In addition, the Ministry of Health is now in the position to roll out the strategy and protocols for widespread community testing

throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands.”

He pointed out that this will give the Government and health officials accurate information on the prevalence of Covid-19 in the territory.

He further revealed that since the territory has developed the capacity for testing, the Government will embark on a rigorous multi-sector partnership.

“It’s my Government’s mandate to fully form and coordinate, local and international multisector partnerships with all key stakeholders, in our local fight of this global Covid-19 pandemic.

“This includes private healthcare providers and private laboratories.

“To this end, my ministry is finalising the regulations, protocols, and guidelines aimed at ensuring there are proper reporting and notifying, and that the necessary provisions are in place for ensuring the that all Covid-19 testing carried out for TCI residents are carried out in accordance with accepted international guidelines and quality standards, and that the relevant public health protocols are adhered to.

“As Minister of Health, I am committed to continued strengthening of the response to Covid-19.

“As such, the ministry will be receiving more PCR analysers and is actively reviewing all Covid-19 Antibody Quick Test for procuring the most reliable testing system, for inclusion into our existing

testing protocols.”

The machine, which is in high demand around the world, was cleared out of customs on April 17 and is now secured in the Government’s Public Health Laboratory.

Virtual training of local laboratory staff on operating, care, and maintenance of this particular machine is ongoing.

The device will be operated by skilled clinical laboratory personnel specifically instructed and trained in the techniques of real-time PCR and in vitro diagnostic procedures.

Astwood stressed that before the general use of this analyser begins, the laboratory is mandated to perform all quality assurance measures.

Negative and positive controls must be run, validation of the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the testing system, he added.

“The PCR test is the gold standard throughout the world for testing and confirming the presence of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

“It detects the genetic information of the virus, the RNA. That is only possible if the virus is present and someone is actively infected.”

The health minister further explained that in contrast to antibody testing, PCR tests directly detect the presence of the virus, rather than the presence of the body’s immune response.

He said: “By detecting viral

genetic material, which will be present in the body before antibodies form or symptoms of the disease are present, the tests can tell whether or not someone has the virus very early on.

“The first batch of patient samples tested on the PCR analyser would also be sent to the respective reference laboratories for comparing and contrasting

results, which is also a part of our quality assurance.

“The PCR analyser can perform 48 test per batch, each batch can be analysed in the fast time of 25 minutes. Additional time would be required for sample extraction and preparation.”

PCR testing is hailed as the most accurate and conclusive test for early detection of Covid-19.

Masked men rob Blue Hills home TWO masked gunmen kicked open the door of a home along Millennium Highway in Blue Hills on Monday (April 20) and demanded money.

The incident took place at about 3.20am, according to the police press office. The men made off with electronics, jewellery and cash.

The Criminal Investigations Department of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is investigating the burglary.

Meanwhile, a 43-year-old man is in remand at the Her Majesty’s Prison after pleading guilty to burglary.

On Sunday (April 19) at about 3am he burgled a restaurant in Providenciales and stole a number of items.

The man was identified on camera footage and was subsequently arrested and charged for burglary and breach of curfew.

He was taken to court on Monday where he pled guilty to burglary but not guilty to the breach of curfew charge.

Anyone with further information on either crime can call 911 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1- 800-8477.

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April 25 - May 1, 2020

Stop cuddling pets to avoid virus spread, says health ministry Animal owners express upset at Government advice

BY OLIVIA ROSE PET owners in the TCI have been advised to avoid bodily contact with their pets in an effort to prevent transmission of Covid-19.

According to the Ministry of Health, they should refrain from petting, snuggling, being kissed or licked, and sharing food with their furry companions during this critical period.

The advice, issued in a text message to Digicel and Flow users on April 16, caused an upset to animal lovers - one of whom who called the guidance “nonsense”.

When the deadly virus was initially declared a pandemic earlier this year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said pets have no role in the spread of coronavirus.

However, on April 8, the World Organisation for Animal Health said it was “aware of instances of animals and pets of Covid-19 patients being

infected with the disease”.

It continued: “There is a possibility for some animals to become infected through close contact with infected humans.

“Further evidence is needed to understand if animals and pets can spread the disease.”

In a statement on April 17, the Ministry of Health said it would like to ease public concern regarding the text message.

“According to guidelines from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), as per their

website, evidence has shown that it is possible for humans to infect animals with Covid-19.

“However, there has been no confirmation of passing the virus from animals to humans.

“As investigations continue and new information is being learnt about Covid-19, it is still recommended that pet owners continue to practice good hygiene when handling and interacting with their pets.

“We love and care dearly for our pet companions, so let’s safeguard

them and ourselves.

“The Ministry of Health trusts that this advice will help to ensure that pets and their owners continue to have a loving and healthy relationship that last beyond the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Following the release of the text, the Weekly News was contacted by pet owners who said they feared this new development would upset their relationship with their animals.

Susan Wilson from Grand Turk who has two indoor-outdoor cats said the advisory made her anxious about her own safety and the safety of her beloved pets.

“I think the ministry should have explained it better because there’s so much misinformation about the whole animals to human transmission and people are genuinely concerned.

“I was really worried when I read the message. I thought I’d probably have to give up my cats

Dominican boat captains sent to jail FIVE Dominican boat captains caught fishing illegally in TCI waters have been sentenced to prison for at least 30 days.

They were charged with taking marine products without a licence, using unlicensed vessel for fishing, using any vessel for commercial fishing, using a breathing apparatus to take marine products and breach of curfew.

The men appeared before Chief Magistrate Jolyon Hatmin on April 11 via virtual court at the Chalk Sound Police Station where they pleaded guilty to all charges.

On Friday, April 17, Hatmin handed down their sentences.

Richard Lopez, Andres Flore, Dubel Jimenez and Luis Miguel Pena Jimenez were imprisoned for 30 days for each offence to run concurrently with 10 days credit for remand time.

Luis Jose was sentenced to 45 days’ imprisonment for each offence to run concurrently and

10 days credit for time spent on remand.

The men will be deported to the Dominican Republic after their prison sentences.

On April 8, five vessels were spotted by police officers on board the Police Airwing, fishing near Bush Cay and White Cay - an area within the Fisheries Limits of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The Marine Branch, assisted by RTCIPF tactical unit, the DECR and Customs Department, was immediately called in to arrest those on board and seize the vessels.

Various items of prohibited fishing equipment and a significant quantity of conch were seized.

Also on board were 15 crew members, all Dominican nationals.

They were handed over to the Department of Immigration for repatriation.

The men were charged under the Fisheries Ordinance and the Emergency Powers Ordinance.

Five vessels were spotted fishing near Bush Cay and White Cay

because of this virus.”

Patti Salerno DesLauriers told the Weekly News that she believed the text message was fabricated by the phone company. A claim that was later denied.

“This is not true,” she said of the text, “this message was sent to everyone that has Flow telephone service in Turks and Caicos.

“It was sent by Flow themselves.

Flow is claiming that the Ministry of Health sent it out.

“Please do not believe this nonsense. It is absolutely false.

You cannot get the virus from your dog or cat.”

Flow explained to the Weekly News that all information regarding Covid-19 sent to customers is authorised by the Government.

“We have partnered with the Ministry of Health to share regular updates via our text blast platform. We are not the author of the message by any means. We are simply the messenger.”

April 25 - May 1, 2020

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Patient transferred to Jamaica tests positive to Covid-19 A HOSPITAL patient who was transferred from the TCI to

Jamaica for advanced critical care later tested positive for Covid-19.

No more positive cases of Covid-19 THE NUMBER of people who have tested positive to Covid-19 in the Turks and Caicos Islands has not risen in over a week.

The figure remains at 11 according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health on Wednesday (April 22).

The amount of positive cases rose to 11 from 10 on April 15 – seven days before the latest count.

The recent statistics also confirm that four people have recovered from the virus and two positive cases remain under hospital care. There is still just one Covid-19 death recorded.

The number of suspected cases is now at five. These are TCI residents experiencing relevant symptoms - two with and three without a history of contact with confirmed cases.

They all met the World Health Organisation case definition for a suspected case of Covid-19. Samples have been collected and sent for testing. Contact tracing is underway.

Meanwhile quarantine and observation numbers have decreased to 94.

These include five active confirmed cases (patients in the TCI that are currently infected), 30 contacts of confirmed cases, 31 indirect contacts of confirmed cases, five suspected cases, 12 relatives/contacts of suspected cases, and 11 symptomatic persons not meeting the case definition and their contacts.

Those under observation/quarantine are either not displaying symptoms or have not met the case definition for Covid-19.

The decrease in quarantine/observation numbers is primarily as a result of the recovered individuals and their contacts being removed from quarantine/observation status.

The quarantine/observation period has also expired for several individuals.

A total of 437 people have been released from quarantine/ observation status.

No new positive or negative confirmations have been received in the 24 hours prior to the release of the figures.

To date, the TCI has received a total of 83 test results, with 72 confirmed to be negative and 11 positive confirmations.

Anyone confirmed not to have Covid-19 and their contacts, were moved from quarantined status and asked to continue following proper guidelines from the Ministry of Health.

Those cases confirmed positive are in isolation with contact tracing aggressively continuing.

“The public is hereby reminded that lockdown measures have been extended and you are to stay at home, only leaving for essential travel under the specified guidance,” the ministry said.

“The Ministry of Health also takes this opportunity to remind the public of offences committed under section 18 of the Emergency Powers (Covid-19) Regulations 2020 in regard to false statements/information.

“You do not have to be the originator of the statement/ information in order to be charged under the law.”

The public is advised to wash hands for 20 seconds or more, practise social distancing and sanitise their home, office and other surroundings.

Visit the Ministry of Health website www.gov.tc/moh/ coronavirus, email covid19@gov.tc or call the hotline numbers 232-9444 and 333-0911 if you or someone you know has symptoms or signs of Covid-19.

In a joint statement, TCI Hospital, the Government and the National Health Insurance Board (NHIB) said they are in stable condition at the University Hospital of the West Indies.

The patient was originally admitted to the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre for an emergency surgical re-operation.

This was life-saving and required a transfer overseas for Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and other tertiary level support not currently available in the TCI, the April 18 statement said.

An overseas referral was therefore generated and forwarded to the NHIB. The overseas medical facility was contacted by the NHIB and was provided with the required clinical information on the patient.

This information was reviewed, and the patient was accepted by the overseas medical facility. The same process was followed to engage the air ambulance companies, the statement added.

The Ministry of Health in Jamaica in consultation with other

relevant authorities granted the standard approval to accept the critical and time-sensitive medical transfer via the treatment abroad programme (TAP).

“There was an obvious reason for the patient’s medical condition and the patient did not meet the case definition for suspected Covid-19 in the TCI or Jamaica,” the statement continued.

“Based on the UHWI’s prescreening form, there were no clinical suspicions related to Covid-19.”

The patient was fully isolated shortly after arrival on April 16 and tested within 12 hours out of “an abundance of caution”.

The results returned as positive for Covid-19 and all parties involved in the delivery of medical services to the patient have been notified.

The patient remains in stable condition in the Covid-19 ICU. “TCI Hospital, the TCI Ministry of Health and TCI National Health Insurance Board wishes to extend best wishes to the affected patient for a speedy recovery given the diagnosis.

Under the tree

“Due to patient confidentiality, no further details can be released.”

The TCI Hospital in collaboration with the TCI Ministry of Health is currently reviewing the timelines leading up to the patient’s diagnosis.

Contact tracing was immediately activated in collaboration with the public health team to identify anyone who required screening or quarantine based on their exposure risk level.

The overwhelming majority of patients who have tested positive for Covid-19 locally and globally present with symptoms in accordance with the case definition established by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“However, there is increasing scientific speculation into the occurrence of atypical presentations as the global pandemic evolves,” the statement said.

TCI Hospital continues to monitor the latest evidence-based findings related to Covid-19 case definitions, conduct risk assessments and adjust infection prevention and control procedures accordingly.

By Benneth Williams

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April 25 - May 1, 2020

Multi-agency UK team gets to work

BY OLIVIA ROSE THE TWENTY member UK Security Assistance Team recently deployed to the TCI is finally out of quarantine and ready to get to work.

Several members of the team were virtually introduced to the public via a video on Monday (April 20) by team leader Lieutenant Colonel Steve Jones.

Jones, in the brief introductory video, said: “We’ve now completed 14 days quarantine and are ready to work alongside our Turks and Caicos Islands Government colleagues.

“We have a team drawn from across the UK government with highly developed expertise in the fields of health, logistics and security.”

The multi-disciplinary team which consists of a doctor, medical planners, logisticians and security planners is led by the Standing Joint Force Headquarters.

It includes personnel from the Standing Joint Force Headquarters, the Royal Marine Commandos, the British Army and the UK police.

On Monday, after 14 days in quarantine, the team continued working with the TCI Government but with a more hands-on approach.

During the quarantine period the team conducted virtual meetings and planning with a range of TCI officials.

Members are applying expertise developed on operations around the world to help the territory to overcome the health, logistics and security challenges posed by Covid-19.

Governor Nigel Dakin met and briefed the team on Monday.

In a social media post following the meeting, Dakin said they have been working remotely since their arrival and have touched base with the relevant departments.

The team will liaise with local officials to provide medical, operational and security expertise to help the Government tackle coronavirus, illegal migration and assist with the TCI’s disaster preparedness efforts, he explained.

“Bearing in mind they are a planning team, the work breaks down into four areas and it’s worth saying what they are.

“The first sits around health and a team, under a surgeon commander from the Royal Navy, has come in in support of the top level of our national health team.

“They have experience of building health capacity rapidly and they are here to help build

capacity, capability and resilience.

“Secondly they bring logistic planning. That’s important across almost every area - including health and particularly at a time when the nature of the world’s supply chains are hyper-competitive.

“We are exploring how we open up an air bridge that can bring in humanitarian supplies not just for us but for other Caribbean OTs.” Dakin continued: “The team is looking at our counter-immigration operations at a time of Covid-19 and how those might be supported.

“There’s now a set of practical recommendations the UK can consider.”

The governor said a part of the team is also working with the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) as the country prepares for the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season which has been forecast to be above average.

“We have been through hurricanes but not hurricanes at time of pandemic.

“How we manage both crises if they occur together is complex not least because a hurricane would bring a greater risk of a Covid-19 surge.

“We are docking into RFA Argus who will be in our waters to

Private Covid-19 tests may be ‘hugely negative’ for TCI Health ministry warns against using unauthorised tests TESTS for Covid-19 being offered by private health companies may not be accurate and can provide false negative results, the Government warned this week.

In a statement on April 17, the Ministry of Health said it has been made aware of testing being offered by the private sector in the TCI. However, no formal application for testing has been sent to the ministry from any private medical facility.

“Many quick tests are being marketed for the purpose of Covid-19 testing. These quick tests require a sample of blood and can provide rapid results,” the ministry wrote.

These tests look for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 which are produced by the body in response to the infection.

They are not recommended to diagnose Covid-19, as antibody tests require confirmatory testing by

polymerase chain reaction.

“Many of these tests are not accurate and can provide false negative results or false positive results which would have a hugely negative impact on Covid-19 containment efforts being undertaken in the TCI. “The Ministry of Health does not support testing with unapproved methodologies based on recognised international guidance as having value for diagnostic purposes.”

The testing currently carried out through the National Public Health Laboratory (until local capacity is established) is being performed by the internationally accepted gold standard method to identify SARSCoV-2, the virus which causes Covid-19.

Covid-19 is a notifiable disease in accordance with the TCI Public and Environmental Health (Infectious and Notifiable Diseases) Notice

2020 (Legal Notice 9 of 2020).

The authority to screen and quarantine persons suspected of having Covid-19 lies with the Ministry of Health, it explained in the statement.

The ministry, along with its partners Public Health England, Pan American Health Organisation and Caribbean Public Health Agency, is constantly reviewing updated information and guidance on new and emerging technologies related to testing for Covid-19.

Based on the best available evidence, the health ministry through the National Public Health Laboratory will recommend the appropriate testing modalities to be used in the TCI. It will make the necessary provisions to ensure that all Covid-19 testing carried out for TCI residents is carried out in accordance with international guidelines and quality standards.

Members of the UK multi-agency team begin work in the TCI

rehearse support for us in May.” Turning his attention to the team’s support to local law enforcement, Dakin said the team will basically be conducting reconnaissance in this regard.

“The team are equipped, if the commissioner requests, to support our police force, but much of their

initial focus has been at what the military would call a ‘recce’.

“Working out what more we need on the areas I mention above.”

The highly skilled military group includes two UK Home Office advisors who will be working with the TCI Police Executive team in their fight against serious crime.

InvestTCI agency encourages creatives to apply for funding INVEST Turks and Caicos is encouraging practitioners in the territory’s creative industry to apply for financial relief from the Caribbean Development Bank before the end of May. The relief comes in the form of $2,500 up to $20,000 grants each, which can be accessed through the bank’s Cultural and Creative Industries Innovation Fund (CIIF).

Posted to the agency’s Facebook page this week, InvestTCI said the emergency relief grant is a means of assisting creative entrepreneurs in light of the loss of revenue due to the effects of Covid-19.

The entire allocation under the CDB grant is $100,000.

Fifty thousand dollars is allocated for the music subsector and the other $50,000 for the festivals and carnivals sub-sector.

The grant is targeted at creative industry entrepreneurs who can demonstrate loss of income for music, festival and carnival events that have been cancelled as a result of

Covid-19.

This grant is to be used for one of the following: Product development: to produce an online/virtual product or event on an existing platform external to CDB, that leads to revenue generation.

Market distribution and channelling: to on board and promote new Caribbean content from emerging and established producers through existing regional and international electronic platforms.

Digital disruptive technologies for music and festivals and carnivals: to support the further development of an existing electronic solution that will facilitate revenue generation through online CI showcases, exchanges and performances.

Projects should be community oriented where possible with a percentage of funds raised going towards associations of healthcare workers or sanitation workers or registered charities.

Applications close on May 20. (By Delana Isles)

April 25 - May 1, 2020

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

PNP leader calls stimulus package a lie and a joke

BY DELANA ISLES OVER the past four days, members of the House of Assembly have been engaged in intense debate over the provisions of the national budget and the responses to challenges currently being faced by the territory.

In a lengthy delivery of scathing criticisms of the PDM Government’s budget and Covid-19 provisions, Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Washington Misick, first took issue with the continued physical sitting of parliament.

He noted that while the other two branches of the Government have taken the initiative to host meetings via the internet, members of the TCI legislature continue to be put at risk with in person meetings of the House.

“To what end then is the premier’s refusal to a virtual sitting of the House? This is duplicity of the highest order.

“It is characteristic of the autocratic leadership style of our premier and a pattern of infringement on the rights of the legislative minority,” the PNP leader stated.

“We love the people we serve and we swore to represent them, and are willing and prepared to do so safely for their sake and ours by conducting the business of parliament virtually – in the same manner that the Cabinet has done for the last month,” he proposed.

STIMULUS PACKAGE Misick stated that while the PNP has supported the Government in times of disaster and crisis, the party cannot and will not support the stimulus package put forth by the Government.

“Our position is that the stimulus package does not go far enough to support lives and livelihood, and we have offered an alternative that can stimulate the local economy and add value to the public.”

He stated that despite claims by the Government that the budget needs to be passed for the stimulus to be disbursed, the Government does not need the Opposition to form a quorum to pass the budget.

Misick suggested other reasons why the Government has been delaying the disbursements to those who stand to receive relief under the package.

“The stimulus package was hastily conceived for political reasons. The one-off payment was there to gain popularity.

“It was not conceived out of a well thought out plan to tie in employers so that we can preserve jobs and businesses as the economic fallout continues.”

He said that in fact, it seems to have been “a political opportunity to buy votes for the next election”.

“A discretionary package which will be distributed with the oversight of the premier.

The usual checks and balances will be removed.

“The people of this country will be left to the emotional whims of the premier. A frightening thought,” Misick stated.

He noted that in announcing the package very little was done to examine the revenue projections that underlie the proposed expenditure.

“In fact, listening to the Appropriations Committee lightly touch on the revenue projections that underlie this stimulus package it seems that there’s very little appetite from the committee to consider that the underlying

Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Washington Misick

foundation of this package is made of sand.

“Sand which will wash away as the waves of the economic recession crash onto the shores of these Islands.”

The party leader stated that it is a myth propagated by the Government that the cash reserves that they hold are the result of prudent and conservative cash management.

Pointing to a portion of the budget book, which refers to the TCI’s overall cash position of $210 million, Misick said this is the people’s money.

“The Government holds this money in trust for Turks and Caicos Islanders.

“When our money is given to us by way of services or directly, we do not have to be grateful to anyone, because it is our money and belongs to the people of these Islands.

“I just wanted to be clear because recently there seems to have been some confusion about whose money it is.”

He also highlighted two major balances in the budget - that of the $25 million in the National Wealth Fund and the $46 million in the Development Fund.

He noted that the money in the wealth fund is not the result of prudent and conservative cash management, but is actually the result of a law passed by the PNP administration that requires the Government to set aside certain sums of money.

As for the Development Fund, Misick said the claim of conservative financial management by the PDM administration is another lie.

“The number is just to the left of the $46 million under a column designated original estimate 2018-2020.

“You will see it is not $46 million, nor $36 million or $26 million, the budget book clearly states that the minister of finance planned and budgeted for there to be nothing in this fund.

Zero, zilch, null, nada, a big fat duck egg.”

He said the fact that there is currently $46 million in the Development Fund, is because the Government could not manage to spend the money - not through prudent planning, but through incompetence.

“The money is there because of good luck and that should not be confused with good management.

“It is time for this Government to face reality. The PDM stimulus package is a joke.

A bad one at that.”

NEWS

9

10 OPINIONS NEWS

April 25 - May 1, 2020

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Slow down, be still and get to know the Lord

We were moving too fast, Covid-19 slowed us down

B

ECAUSE of the economic crisis that Covid-19 has created in the world, all of our lives have been changed.

Perhaps some of us are asking why God has not stop the spread of Covid-19 as yet.

I don’t know the answer but if the truth be told, we were in an environment where everything and almost everyone was moving too fast and we had no time for God. We were always on the run whether walking, travelling on a plane or driving in cars rushing to and fro.

Some of us spent more hours at the workplace then at their homes.

We were so caught up in pursuing money and material things to keep up with the Joneses and to maintain our lifestyles. We did not have time for family meals at home so we ate out a lot.

Some of us were hardly getting adequate sleep as we were so busy doing other things.

Prior to Covid-19, we wished over 24 hours were in a day. Now we

BY DREXWELL SEYMOUR

Drexwell Seymour is a certified public accountant and is the managing partner for HLB TCI. His favourite hobby, however, is writing. He has a personal website, www.drexwellseymour. com, where all of his writings are posted. He also has a YouTube channel where you can find inspirational videos. Drexwell has a BA in Accounting and an MBA in Finance.

wish there was not 24 hours in a day because we can’t stand the fact that we are confined to our homes all the time.

If we were to truly take a look at our lives, something had to slow us down and Covid-19 has accomplished that.

Psalms 46: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, will not we fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.

“Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the

mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

“There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most high.

“God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

“The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

“Come, behold the works of the

Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth.

“He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”

During this time, let us be still and use this opportunity to study the word of God, meditate on the word of the God and listen to the voice of God. Remember God is our refuge and strength and all of our help comes from God. Despite how the economic outlook appears, be still and watch the move of God. Be still and watch how families are coming together. Be still and hear the many stories of people who are now getting the opportunity to sleep adequately.

Be still and hear the stories of many persons now eating better and healthier. Be still and watch how

people are turning to God for answers.

Be still and do not be afraid.

Your boss may have notified you that he or she can no longer retain you. You may know some friends and family members who were tested positive for Covid-19.

Whatever your situation is, do not be afraid. God is right there in our midst. Be faithful to the end. God will work it out for all of us.

Be still and recognise that God is in control and has the answers.

It is not the politicians, it is not the employers and it is not the wealthy people.

Let us be still in the presence of God and watch to see how God will be exalted among the world.

As a result, we can change our world. A world that worships God. A world that that fears God. A world that puts God first. A world that trusts God. A world that will slow down and listen to the voice of God. A world that will have compassion and love for one another.

COMMENTARY

Looking at economic and viral realities

P

RIOR to the emergence of ‘the virus’ the economy of the USA, our biggest market, was in great shape.

However, that economy was in my opinion not based on solid ground - manufacturing. One only has to watch US television to see the weakness.

Numerous advertisements promote lawyers suing corporations or whole industries.

The legal industry sucks the wealth out of the economy.

Other advertisements promote insurance of one type or another.

Insurance is necessary because lawyers do not want to sue people or firms.

By collecting from insurance firms, the movement of wealth is hidden. The cost of insurance moves upward and clients

pay attorneys through their rising insurance premiums.

Nowhere is this more evident than auto and health insurance.

Once the virus is under control with a vaccine this basic problem will remain in place. The USA government, elected and hired is composed of - lawyers!

Trump and his businessman cabinet is hated by the whole legal industry.

Real business is value added.

The steel mill uses iron ore, processes it and out the other end comes huge steel beams and all types of steel sheets, shapes and sizes.

They are then formed, welded and fastened together into everything from toasters to automobiles, buildings and bridges.

All this happened in 20th century USA. In my hometown steel was manufactured, so were auto engines,

transmissions and men’s suits. Plants now closed.

The cost of wages and government mandated insurance became unaffordable, high.

Since the cost of living, gasoline, electricity, food, everything also went up - the working man did not enjoy the higher wages.

Products had been flowing into the USA from Japan. Then came cheap Chinese products.

Soon the biggest corporations in the USA were retailers selling Chinese made goods. Walmart, Amazon, the internet.

During the same period the American auto industry suffered the same fate.

The USA now has more Asian made autos than American. Not that long ago, 90 percent of cars were American designed and made.

BY DAVID TAPFER

David is a retired mobile hydraulic engineer and business executive. He has been married to Middle Caicos native Yvette Robinson Tapfer for 30 years and has lived in Conch Bar, Middle Caicos, since 2002. David formerly served as branch chairman of the PDM from 2008 to 2011

No sympathy was shown by the USA government. The door was wide open to foreign products and more regulations were loaded on American businessmen.

The government grew larger.

The federal, state, county and city governments. Taxes were raised and prices kept going up.

Soon the southern border of the USA was open to an unlimited number of illegal immigrants.

They took away remaining jobs by competing with low wages and not registering to pay taxes and regulatory fees. The trade unions died.

Take away the virus and the citizens must start to take this new economy apart to solve the economic aftermath.

Could we be heading for a war?

No one anywhere in the world wants another Vietnam, Korean or Middle

Eastern shooting, bombing war.

Perhaps this virus is a war, a bio war? All the countries of the world are losing.

It started in communist China and in a matter of weeks had shut down the democracies of the entire world.

China has the largest population. Three times the size of the population of the USA. In a communist mind-set, a nation of one billion people can afford to lose millions. If they have a vaccine they care less.

The unanswered questions remain: Why was the Chinese lab experimenting with all those bats.

Why did they let the virus infecting humans spread around the world in a couple of months?

How do we fight back?

April 25 - May 1, 2020

OPINIONS NEWS 11

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Facing twin perils: Coronavirus and UK colonial oversight L

PART TWO

ISTEN, the curfew, travel restrictions, social distancing and other measures are very much in order in the TCI. They are some of the more effective ways to limit spread of this viral menace.

However, the long-running negligence of the British towards its centuries old so-called ‘dependency’ of the TCI, as spot-lighted by this event, which has been a never ending illegal migration parade is something they now have to own.

It has exposed them politically.

But worse yet, it is exposing the TCI to new arrival and spread of coronavirus among its citizenry.

They, the British, are 100 percent responsible for any such escalation in this viral battle.

Reports in the TCI are that arrived in the territory days ago on British Airways was a 20 man-strong military contingent, along with a doctor from the UK. This is beyond outrageous! Who authorised these people to come to the TCI at this perilous time?

Was it the governor, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or the Foreign Affairs Committee? Who in TCIG knew about and signed off on this?

As a TCI citizen strongly concerned about the well-being of my fellow

BY BEN ROBERTS

Ben is a Turks and Caicos Islander living in Maryland, USA, and published author of ‘Jackals of Samarra’. He is also a founding member of the NGO Turks and Caicos Forum.

Ben can be contacted at grandt730@aol.com.

citizens, I ask that the chief justice, the governor and any pertinent local official with guts, immediately sign an order to send this contingent right back to their point of departure before they get to mixed anywhere into our local community.

For all who think this position is extreme here is some sobering information: As of April 6 [at time of writing], the UK had 52,279 total confirmed coronavirus cases, 5,385 total deaths, and a growth rate of 20 percent with a curve that is moving steadily upward.

Moreover, the UK minister of health tested positive for this illness and the prime minister is in intensive care. Questions anyone?

Every nation is wisely closing its borders in this perilous time in an attempt to control the coronavirus spread.

That being the case, it is most outrageous, irresponsible and reckless, that individuals in TCIG

and the UK have decided that people from a locale where the illness is raging should be coming to the TCI at this time.

And it matters not that these arrivals are symptom-free, as a whopping 50 percent of those showing no symptoms often test positive for this virus.

Unless every member of this team tested negative for this virus at the airport immediately upon departure, and have such documents to hand over to the TCIG health department, they should return home forthwith.

The British have a propensity for callousness and recklessness where the wellbeing of other people is concerned.

The action of these arrivals might very well turn into a court case or a call for a commission of inquiry into the actions of all involved in such a poor decision.

Moreover, we do not need the British here at this time. We have sought their help for decades, all to

no avail. And now they want to help?

At this time they should be staying at home or assisting Islas Malvinas (Falklands) as they always do in their discriminatory and prejudicial treatment vis a vis the TCI. No. This is an offer we would be quite foolish to accept. A better option would be for Turks and Caicos Islands Government to look at the proposal that has been sitting on the desk of the pertinent minister and in all likelihood the governor for over a month now.

In that proposal, a highlyqualified TC Islander who moved smartly up through the ranks of the US Army, is offering his skills of security and intelligence training, and cadet instruction to enter into an agreement to contract with TCIG to protect our citizens, borders and

valuable assets.

This would ensure that the TCI gets the best of what its people have to offer, as called for in that long ago dust laden UK commissioned Kairi report.

Should we not be wondering why after decades of pleading for assistance, within a month of an indigenous citizen submitting a proprietary proposal to provide what is needed, the UK suddenly sends a contingent of military personnel to do the very things proposed, and in a time that the TCI is in a state of confusion and darkness resulting from coronavirus?

The UK and TCIG had better be careful they do not end up in a court of law explaining this anomaly.

When sly foxes are around we need to stay woke!

We welcome letters from all members of the public on a variety of topics Please note that all submissions are subject to editing in keeping with defamation laws and newspaper style. Letters should be accompanied by the author’s full name, location and phone number. Names will be withheld if requested.

Send letters to tcweeklynews@gmail.com

Unite and fight this fight together

T

HE COVID-19 pandemic has demanded previously unheard of nonpartisan, joint cooperative consultations between the Government and Opposition in the mutual interest of both political entities and most importantly in the national interests of our entire populace.

Mature, genuine and prudent minds would understand the urgency of forward, visionary planning to salvage and restructure a now devastated economy that has forever been fragile and volatile having been based almost solely

on tourism.

One would like to think that there are oodles of ideas and recommendations among politicians from both sides, private sector entities, nongovernmental organisations and the general public at large, regarding possible alternate industries that would provide for serious, sustainable economic diversification.

Of course, all will not be workable but obviously, some will.

We as a Turks and Caicos Islands people need to understand that political jostling and self-serving

BY OSWALD SKIPPINGS

interest amongst politicians are no longer acceptable at this time when our social, economic and local political sovereignty are in serious jeopardy, hence threatening not only the well-being of citizens and residents alike, but threatening our very survival.

We need to unite and pool our intellectual resources whether they be academic, technical or street wise, for the good of all of us.

Right now, before this pandemic is under control, even the unwise would have realised that we are already living in a different

world that will demand different approaches and perspectives that would demand cooperation among our population beginning at the governmental level.

I am hereby in all sincerity, calling on our citizens, residents and political parties, to unite and fight this fight together with visionary strategy, with love and mutual respect for our mutual benefit.

May God bless us all as he abundantly blesses our ‘beautiful by nature’ Turks and Caicos Islands.

12

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

April 25 - May 1, 2020

Covid-19 and a viable long-term solution AN OPEN LETTER TO THE TCI GOVERNMENT Dear Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson and members of the legislature, We are in a time of both crisis and challenge brought on by the coronavirus. A crisis requests a viable solution - that is the challenge. I believe that I have some ideas to assist.

Social distancing and lockdowns are an approach but are not a solution, because flattening the curve does not go far enough if the virus re-emerges and lockdown again cripples the earnings of the individual and cripples the economy.

These measures are but temporary designed to achieve necessary short-term goals.

What of the long-term probable

challenges, such as making the best of the lockdown or planning for a resurgence of the virus?

I’m a lawyer, not a doctor or a scientist, but I listen to what the best doctors say and I try to decipher what brilliant scientists’ findings reveal and I try to process and understand.

Based on that introspection then my suggestion. What if one observed what all the best efforts from all the countries of the world reveal?

Consider Germany. In Germany there has been massive testing and the testing seems to have impressive results of both identifying and containing the virus.

So, what if the Turks and Caicos Islands emulated best practice?

While the TCI is isolated under lockdown from the rest of the world, would this not be the ideal time to test (at no fees to the individual because the social benefits outweigh the monetary costs) the entire population for early identification of a virus which can be asymptomatic and still be transferrable?

But, don’t stop there. Keep the testing programme in place for fully six months after the initial round of testing.

Why? Because the experts tell us that the virus will not suddenly disappear.

So when the lockdown ends and the ports reopen then again potential infections from overseas visitors re-enter.

Therefore, we will need to keep a check on the spreading beyond merely waiting for symptomatic cases being identified.

There would be attendant monetary and social cost considerations.

I had recently written at some length why legally under sections eight and nine of the West Indies Act 1962 it is Her Majesty’s Government which has a responsibility to attend to the needs of these Islands and underwrite same.

There will also be political, immigration and social costs.

Politically, the politicians will instinctively assess if there will be any political fallout.

Yes, if the virus is allowed to reemerge when the politicians could have taken timely steps effectively to address the problem.

If the testing is used as a

secretive means of targeting illegal immigrants, then this undermines the broader medical objective.

The social cost as a potential challenge would be a return to lockdowns and the direct impact on normal daily functional life coupled with a further crippling of the economy.

No, I am not going to give up practising law for any advisory offer coming from the healthcare professionals (just joking).

However, quite seriously, I think I have something to share and trust that I may have made a little sense and a small contribution to be either discussed in Cabinet or the legislature or both.

Thank you for considering.

Respectfully, Courtenay Francis Raymond Barnett, Providenciales

April 25 - May 1, 2020

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Premier commends district administrations for enhancement of communities

BY DELANA ISLES THE GOVERNMENT’S territory-wide community enhancement programme will be further boosted this financial year with the injection of more cash from the national budget.

This programme falls within the remit of the Office of the Premier, Sharlene Cartwright Robinson.

She gave an update on the programme’s successes throughout the past year and plans for further enhancements in 2020-2021.

This was delivered during her second budget address in the House of Assembly on Monday (April 20).

She disclosed that well over $600,000 has been invested in community and enhancement projects throughout the TCI, and residents can expect this trend to continue in the new financial year.

Key community enhancement projects GRAND TURK In the TCI’s capital over the past year, these projects include reconstruction and painting of walls along Pond Street and beautification of the Salt Pond salinas.

The premier said that in the next few weeks there will be the erection of a ‘Welcome to Grand Turk’ lettering sign, construction of a windmill in the Salt Ponds, erection of a JAGS McCartney statue and a retainer wall to avoid the Salt Pond from entering the roadway adjacent to the clock tower.

“In addition to the completed and pending projects, Grand Turk will experience a newly renovated CrabTree Corner Park, renovations to the Emancipation Square and comfortable benches on Governor’s Beach among other projects.”

SOUTH CAICOS During the 2019-2020 fiscal year, district administration for South Caicos had an annual budget of $294,974.

Of this amount, $89,555 was allocated to civil servants’ employment cost and the balance of $205,419 as operating cost. $128,000 of the operating cost was allocated to maintenance of the cemetery ($8,000), roads and drains ($25,000), schools ($10,000), government buildings ($20,000), street cleaning ($50,000) and beautification projects ($20,000).

The premier stated that these works for the district administration were done through petty contracts. “This is employment creation.”

She added that a total of 56 contracts were awarded in the areas of street cleaning, drain maintenance and cemetery cleaning.

Three beautification projects were also carried out in the Big South, as well as the installation of 65 street naming signs throughout the southern community of that island.

Meanwhile ongoing works and new initiatives for 2020-2021 include phase two of the Cow House refurbishment which will see

Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson

fencing and information signs about its history erected.

The premier said efforts will continue to clean up the conch ground bay area including the land side.

In addition to the street naming signs, there are plans to erect road safety signs throughout the island and repaint road markers on the roads, such as ‘SLOW’ and ‘STOP’.

Ongoing street cleaning, road and drain maintenance, maintenance of cemetery, and maintenance of schools and government buildings are also part of the plans for the upcoming year.

They will be placed under a new management structure that will support the Government’s objective to stimulate the island’s economy.

“Within the new financial year, my Government will be exploring a works programme for residents in the fishing industry and identify strategies by which we can stimulate our fishing industry,” Premier Cartwright Robinson stated.

She said it is expected that these projects will continue to create employment for the populace. According to the premier, there continues to be an upward trend in the number of requests for business licences from South Caicos, which she attributed to the Government’s commitment to ensuring residents are given employment opportunities.

NORTH CAICOS There is a community enhancement plan underway in the island of North Caicos aimed at promoting island pride, showcasing the myriad of talents, while fostering a climate of entrepreneurship among residents.

“Through the community enhancement programme, my Government was able to engage residents from each of the four settlements to perform maintenance on government buildings and other properties,” CONTINUED 

15

NEWS 13

14 NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

April 25 - May 1, 2020

Attacking the WHO has further diminished US global influence

I

T IS hard to imagine an action more likely to accelerate the decline of US influence in the world than deciding in the middle of a global pandemic to attack the one body that is coordinating the global fight against it.

That however is what the US president decided to do last week.

Announcing that he was suspending and reviewing the $400 million in contributions Washington makes annually to the global health body, almost as if it were some recalcitrant construction company, president Trump confirmed the near bankrupt state of US global leadership.

Few with any international experience would suggest that Beijing is blameless in the way in which it hid the outbreak of the pandemic in Wuhan, nor would they claim that the World Health Organisation (WHO) is well-run and apolitical, is different from any other global multilateral institution, and not in need of reform.

However, to pursue a vendetta aimed at China through the one body that every country in the world is trying to work with for the sake of all humanity is verging on the immoral; especially because it relates to the US president’s desire to apportion blame in an election year when his response to Covid-19 has been demonstrably maladroit.

The almost universal condemnation of president Trump’s announcement was swift. The UN secretary general António Guterres said it was not the time to reduce resources for the WHO, Bill Gates

BY DAVID JESSOP

David Jessop is a consultant to the Caribbean Council. He has worked on Caribbean issues for over 40 years. David is the editor of Caribbean Insight and Cuba Briefing publications. He can be contacted at david.jessop@caribbeancouncil.org

Tweeted, “Halting funding for the WHO during a world health crisis is as dangerous as it sounds…no other organisation can replace them”, and the European Union said that “there is no reason justifying this move at a moment when their efforts are needed more than ever”.

Many others including Caricom’s heads of government commented in a similar vein.

The broader effect is that day by day, event by event, insult by insult, a self-interested US president is ceding the influence his country once had in the world.

This was indirectly evidenced this week in a high-level online exchange on future post-virus transatlantic policy towards China hosted by ‘The Policy Exchange’, a conservative UK think tank.

The accuracy of the speakers’ analysis was striking, but the absence of any serious thought about what practically the US, and by extension its erstwhile and increasingly incredulous allies around the world, should be doing to respond to Beijing’s pervasive projection of soft power, was disturbing.

The debate indicated how out

of touch influential participants including William Hague, a former British foreign secretary and Lt Gen H R McMaster, a former US national security advisor, were with the independent non-aligned thinking of Africa, the Caribbean, India and many other nations.

General McMaster may have been right to have said that China is pursuing a subtle policy globally of co-option, policy coercion and concealment.

However, it was not good enough for him to say the west “should compete” without indicating how the US intends doing so in a manner that takes others with it, or where the resources will come from.

He was also wrong to frame the issue as if it were a cold war confrontation, without reflecting on the consensus-based actions the west undertook at that time, in part through programmes that enhanced development, and which sought to share its values and aspirations for all.

What is missing in today’s world is any serious recalibration by the US with its allies of what it will take to win the soft war that China, Russia and others are so

successfully undertaking.

Unfortunately, Europe alone offers no alternative. While relatively powerful economically and a force for good in terms of values and mediation, it has little heft when it comes to acting as a counterbalance to the actions of either the US or China.

Many nations would privately welcome a well-considered reassertion of US moral authority and values through the delivery of government programmes that encourage reciprocal trade, investment, development, education and public health support in ways that are not transactional and that genuinely match or better those offered by China.

Caribbean nations cannot ignore the US. It is a neighbour, a major trade partner, is a principal source of visitors, investment and remittances, and despite China’s rise, for a while longer is still the world’s most powerful economic and military actor.

It can still be a force for good.

There is evidence of this in the US response to the disgraceful failure of the Guyanese electoral authorities to finalise the outcome of its general election, in the vital regional security assistance and support it provides with NATO allies, and what is left of US programmes related to energy, education and agriculture.

However, the Trump administration has also sought to divide the region over Venezuela, has failed to offer medical programmes of its own while

encouraging the Caribbean and other developing countries to reject Cuban medical support, has continued to sanction the region’s neighbours with potentially destabilising social consequences, has recently strengthened its military presence in the southern Caribbean, has instituted trade wars, and has abandoned its previous commitments on climate change.

Nations will always disagree and seek advantage.

The US along with Russia and China and many others continue to find ways to manipulate global decision-making bodies whether they be the UN, the OAS, the WTO or the International Olympic Committee, but there has to be a common purpose, and an interest in convincing others that what is being done is for the wider good.

If the coronavirus proves anything, it is that the Caribbean together with most of the rest of the world requires multilateral solutions, dialogue, predictability and to be treated equitably on issues from public health, to trade and financial flows.

By seeing the US as one against the rest when an issue touches all of humanity suggests a profoundly dark world view.

The global reaction to the US president’s ill-timed and unwelcome decision on the WHO shows how far respect for the US has diminished in the world and how difficult it will be for Washington to turn the tide of Chinese soft power.

US Coast Guard urges Haitians not to journey to the TCI MARITIME smuggling operations are dangerous and too frequently end in tragedy and death at sea, the United States Coast Guard warned this week.

In a strongly worded statement on April 17, the military branch urged Haitian citizens against undertaking unlawful journeys to the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“As we continue to join efforts to combat Covid-19, we are concerned by the increase in unsafe, illicit maritime voyages and smuggling operations in which individuals risk their lives and that of their families,” it read.

It continued: “While there are many different reasons that migrants attempt such unsafe voyages at sea, none of them are

worth the risk of life.”

The US Coast Guard warned the dangers of migrant ventures at sea are multi-faceted.

“The vessels intercepted by the US Coast Guard and the marine branch of the TCI, and its partners, are often severely overloaded, of poor quality and lack safety equipment.

“These vessels are often operated by smugglers, who have demonstrated little to no regard for the lives of Haitians nationals, in their pursuit for profit.

“Smugglers have been even known to throw passengers overboard, or abandon their vessels.”

In some cases, smugglers are actually human traffickers, who exploit migrants through some form of servitude, sexual

exploitation or other criminal activities, the statement added.

“Numerous US agencies and their international partners are working full-time to deter and stop these unsafe voyages to mitigate against tragedy.

“We urge all to remember that these dangerous voyages are very risky, not worth the loss of life, and are occurring at a time when the Haitian and other governments, including the TCI and Bahamas, are working hard to combat the spread of Covid-19.

“As a long-time partner and friend of Haiti, the United States, like the Turks and Caicos Islands shares Haiti’s desire for a better future for its people, and join in urging anyone against undertaking

these voyages.”

The Ministry of Immigration, Citizenship, Labour and Employment Services and the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, supported the US Coast Guard in its statement.

A staggering 225 illegal migrants from Haiti were flown home from the TCI on April 5 after several overcrowded vessels entered the territory’s waters.

At the time, Immigration Minister Hon. Vaden Williams said: “I have had enough of this illegal problem and vessels landing and I am sure the people as well.”

He stressed that repatriating illegal migrants puts a financial strain on the territory.

“This is an expensive task but

one that must be taken in order to protect the lives of our people.”

Illegal vessel landings and repatriation has cost the TCI Government in excess of $2.5 million during the financial year 2019-2020.

It is an offence to harbour illegal aliens and that anyone found guilty is liable to a fine of $20,000 or a term of imprisonment of four years, or both.

Anyone with information on illegal migration can contact police on 911 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1-800-8477.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously in English, French or Spanish on www.crimestoppers. tc or on Facebook as a fan of Crime Stoppers Turks and Caicos. Crime Stoppers tips are received in the USA.

April 25 - May 1, 2020

NEWS 15

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

TCI’s hurricane preparation gets underway

BY OLIVIA ROSE AS THE 2020 Atlantic hurricane season draws nearer, early storm preparations and risk assessments have begun in the territory.

A series of meetings were held this week between the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) and the UK Security Assistance Team.

In a state of preparedness meeting held on Tuesday (April 21), DDME Director Dr Virginia Clerveaux sat down with members of the team.

They discussed preparations for disaster management and planning, and how the team can best support the territory.

According to a statement from the DDME, the virtual meeting, chaired by Governor Nigel Dakin, focused on preparing the TCI for the hurricane season amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

All subcommittees of the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) attended the virtual meetings.

The NEOC was activated as a ‘command centre’ in 2017 in response to hurricanes Irma and Maria.

It consists of local and regional partner agencies and is tasked with coordinating disaster response and recovery services.

With less than six weeks until

DDME Director Dr Virginia Clerveaux sits down with members of the UK Security Assistance Team to discuss preparations for disaster management

the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, the Colorado State University (CSU) Department of Atmospheric Science has predicted it to be above average.

On April 2, in a document posted to the university’s website, it named 16 storms, including eight hurricanes in its early predictions for the season from June 1 to November 30 Experts at Colorado State University said four of the hurricanes will become major storms of category three to five, with sustained winds of at least 111 miles per hour.

The university said: “We

anticipate that the 2020 Atlantic Basin hurricane season will have above-normal activity.

“Current warm neutral ENSO conditions appear likely to transition to cool neutral ENSO or potentially even weak La Niña conditions by this summer/fall.

“Sea surface temperatures averaged across the tropical Atlantic are somewhat above normal.

“Most of the tropical Atlantic is warmer than normal. We anticipate an above-average probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the continental United States coastline and in the Caribbean.

Governor Nigel Dakin chairs virtual meeting with National Emergency Operations Centre and DDME

“As is the case with all hurricane seasons, coastal residents are reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for them.”

The university urged hurricane prone states and countries in the Caribbean basin to begin storm preparations early.

Premier commends district administrations ... the premier reported.

“Under the community enhancement programme, my office has launched several island beautification projects.

“Notably, we have built a gazebo in the settlement of Kew and will build gazebos and benches in parks and erect children’s play equipment in Bottle Creek and Hollywood Park in Whitby.”

She listed the purchase of recreational equipment for the abovementioned parks, completion of park beautification in all of the communities and oncoming erection of street signs naming each settlement, as more transformative work being undertaken in North Caicos.

“My Government initiated a facelift to the Kew basketball court by painting the court and adding restrooms because the youth of North Caicos deserve nothing less... notably, my Government has injected $120,000 in North Caicos under the community enhancement project through petty contracts.”

MIDDLE CAICOS Similarly, there has been an increase in

business licences resulting from an increase in contract work available in Middle Caicos, as there is in North, the premier revealed.

However, she said this past year the Government’s focus was on increasing community engagement - efforts that brought 250 individuals to the community of Lorimers.

In this financial year, the district administration for Middle Caicos will focus on the creation of community gardens to aid in providing food sources for residents and provide green spaces to increase the quality of life, the premier disclosed.

“This also includes a proposal to build nature observation decks for birdwatching to increase the engagement of visitors and provide more opportunities for locals to showcase the island of Middle Caicos.”

She added that through these community and enhancement projects, some $60,000 has been invested in the sister island.

SALT CAY “The little island of Salt Cay can no longer be referred to, in this era, as the island time

forgot,” the premier said.

“Given the significant accomplishments by my Government, the community of Salt Cay, visiting guests and others are enjoying the fact that they are landing on a brand new runway.”

And very soon, the premier added, the travelling public of Salt Cay on emerging from the aircraft, will enter into a well refurbished terminal building with excellent facilities.

The firemen of Salt Cay are now in possession of a brand new fire truck and they too, will soon be enjoying a well refurbished fire station.

She added that the Government is working towards ensuring that Salt Cay maintains its cleanliness, re-establishing garbage bins in strategic areas, erecting the traffic signs, renovating the cabanas and the continuation of refurbishing walls on the main streets.

Residents on this island have also been able to benefit from petty contracting.

Through the community enhancement project, there has been an investment of $50,798 in addition to the projects under the capital programme.

“They should prepare the same for every season, regardless of how much activity is predicted,” it said.

The last season with four or more major hurricanes was the record-breaking year 2017 which saw hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria wreaking havoc in the US and Caribbean.

CONTINUED FROM 

13

PROVIDENCIALES In Providenciales, there is expected to be a continuation of government projects under the community enhancement programme.

These include rebuilding of the Five Cays cemetery wall, recreational equipment for Kew Town Park, clean up and the erection of benches and children’s playground equipment on Wheeland Park.

A clean up and tree planting project on Bay Road in Blue Hill, placement of garbage bins in the Bight and a children’s park for the Long Bay community.

The premier said her office was also able to support the Ministry of Tourism by funding a portion of the Maritime Policy’s programme as well as by purchasing a much needed DJI Matrice 210 drone with thermal camera for the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR).

This equipment is for surveying coal kilns as a measure of protecting staff at the DECR and addressing issues head on.

The premier noted that this equipment allows staff to capture an aerial view of affected areas before proceeding into vulnerable areas and before they are ablaze.

16 NEWS

April 25 - May 1, 2020

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Mass testing one of best lockdown exit strategies - PNP

BY DELANA ISLES THE PROGRESSIVE National Party (PNP) has proposed five possible exit strategies the Turks and Caicos Islands can employ as it comes out of the Covid-19 imposed lockdown.

The strategies, presented by Leader of the Opposition and PNP leader Washington Misick, suggest: mass testing and contact tracing, herd immunity and cocooning the vulnerable, alternating between tighter and looser lockdowns, antibody tests and immunity passports, and the New Zealand model.

MASS TESTING AND CONTACT TRACING Misick stated that when the coronavirus reached the TCI, each suspected case was tracked down and tested.

Those found positive self-isolated, while their recent contacts were traced and asked to do the same.

“The Government seems to have done a good job of this on the face of it,” he observed.

He added that the World Health Organisation has stressed throughout that testing, contact tracing and quarantine are vital steps towards bringing the pandemic under control.

But there are now doubts about the proper monitoring of persons in self isolation in the absence of a dedicated quarantine facility.

He pointed to a news piece in the Guardian on Sunday, in which

Professor Neil Ferguson - whose outbreak modelling team at Imperial College London is advising the UK government - said that if the lockdown sufficiently reduced new cases then mass testing and contact tracing would “almost certainly” be introduced to try to keep a lid on the pandemic.

“This strategy has its challenges for Turks and Caicos Islands.

“The TCI is building up its testing capacity, but the expansion needed is unprecedented and other countries are competing for the same equipment and chemicals, and to date TCI is in a very vulnerable position from a protective equipment and medical capacity point of view.

“Contact tracing is also labour intensive.”

He noted that while the internal and external lockdown seems to have worked, the big concern is what happens when it is lifted, and tourists and returning residents are let into the territory.

HERD IMMUNITY AND COCOONING THE VULNERABLE Misick stated that in the absence of a treatment or protective vaccine, the TCI’s initial approach to weathering the outbreak was to keep people cocooned.

He said it might be possible to relax the lockdown for the less vulnerable and let them catch the virus and this would build the kind of herd immunity that is normally

created through vaccination.

“If more than 60 percent of the population developed immunity, the outbreak could be brought under control.

“One of the problems with the strategy is that no one knows who is vulnerable.”

He said as the deaths of doctors, nurses and young children have shown, it is not only older people or those with underlying conditions who fail to recover from the virus.

This option puts a staggering number of lives at risk.

ALTERNATING BETWEEN TIGHTER AND LOOSER LOCKDOWNS The lockdown and physical distancing are intended to spread the epidemic out so that health systems do not face thousands of sick patients at once, but rather a steadier stream over time.

The party leader said this “flattening of the curve” can save lives if intensive care units can treat and discharge the most seriously ill patients before new cases arrive.

However, the problem with the existing lockdown is that if there is a second wave of the virus the same issues will arise thereby requiring another lockdown.

ANTIBODY TESTS AND IMMUNITY PASSPORTS Antibody home-testing kits have yet to be proved reliable, and some senior scientists say the tests may pick up only half of those who have

had the virus.

This is in part because people with milder infections tend to have lower levels of antibodies in their blood.

Misick said this poor performance appears to dash hopes for using the tests soon to issue “immunity passports” so that the immune can return to work – an idea that is under active consideration in the UK and Germany.

He noted that even if accurate tests can be obtained, they may not be the “game-changer”.

“No one knows whether antibodies in the blood mean full or only partial protection against the virus, nor how long any protection would last, making immunity passports a shaky reassurance.”

THE NEW ZEALAND MODELS The PNP leader reported that New Zealand is seeking to eradicate the virus.

The New Zealand government has announced that all international travellers including citizens and residents would be placed in compulsory quarantine for 14 days upon arrival and a network of up to 18 hotels are to be commandeered to house them.

“In the long term this is unworkable given the TCI’s dependence on tourism,” he stated.

“We believe that given the circumstances, there are very few people contemplating a Caribbean holiday.

“In that regard, to open the border

in May to a trickle of potentially sick tourists could result in the worst of both worlds.

“TCI current infection rate according to our national dashboard is low, but, if there is a second wave of infection that is much more damaging, then we are unlikely to be high on anybody’s holiday list for a long time.”

He stated that for this reason and for the protection of the Islands, the PNP believes that the Islands should remain under quarantine and its borders closed at least until June 1.

He said that assuming an opening date of June 1 for TCI airports, the Government should engage stakeholders in a debate around alternative strategies and methodologies for opening the airport and processing incoming residents and visitors.

He suggested that the airport should not be open until this is done and a comprehensive protocol agreed; also, key to the discussion must be the advice of clinicians.

“TCI can emerge in the next two weeks with a flat curve based on existing statistics; we should then begin to market TCI to our property owners and high net worth returning visitors with an earliest return date after June 1.”

Misick stated that a version of strategy five combined with strategy one, offers the best outcome with the least damage, and the PNP is prepared to work with the Government in exploring the best exit strategy.

Schools remain closed as lockdown continues SCHOOL children have had to start the new term in their own homes as lockdown is set to continue until May 4.

Since Monday (April 20), pupils up and down the country have been making the most of online learning platforms and their parents’ guidance as they wait for schools to reopen.

Hon. Karen Malcolm, Minister of Education, Youth, Culture and Library Services, asked for patience and selfdiscipline from students over the coming weeks.

“I can imagine that it has been very difficult for you since March 20, especially since you have had to recondition your minds from being in an environment with desks, chairs, your classmates, teachers and friends to a virtual learning environment,” she said on Sunday.

“This required a tremendous amount of self-discipline to connect to the class sessions with your teachers and complete the assigned work with the help of your parents.”

The minister said this would continue to have that effect as they began online classes on Monday - the start of term three.

“This means that you are expected to return to online classes and engage with your teachers and fellow students to learn all that you can.

“I call on you to make the most of the learning opportunities made available to you,” she urged.

She spoke of online learning platforms such as Microsoft OneNote Classroom, Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams and Zoom for face to face instructional delivery and learning.

“To our committed teachers and school administrators, without you this process would not be possible. You are our frontline workers and we cannot express how grateful we are.

“The ministry commends you for driving this mandate and engaging our students in online instruction.

“We are mindful that this time is extremely

challenging for you, and I dare say stressful, as you cope with designing engaging lessons, the psychological and emotional trauma because of Covid-19, staying in touch with your families and friends, and keeping yourself safe and active.”

The education minster spoke of the hotline services provided by the Department of Health, the Red Cross and a small team of guidance counsellors for coping strategies.

“I use this medium to impress on our parents the significant role you will play over the next two weeks,” she continued.

“Parents, we have a duty to you, your children and the community to ensure that there is continuous learning as we traverse through this turbulent, uncertain period.

“This cannot be successful unless we appreciate that it is a collaborative effort.

“While schools are organizing this process and are committed to continuing this mandate, it will be incumbent on you to provide the support in your home for our students, your children, to be logged

on at the times they are scheduled to be connected for classes or to ensure that they complete the assigned work on the specific days.”

She said that in the ministry’s feedback report from schools, it was informed of challenges with internet connection and devices.

However, agreements have been finalised with the two telecoms companies which have offered discounted data plans and a donation of some Mifi devices for online instruction.

“I close this address with the reassurance that you are not alone. We are not alone,” Malcolm said.

“During this time, we must strengthen our faith experience and lean on the wisdom of the almighty God to provide guidance and direction to our officials who make decisions on our behalf.”

She concluded: “We applaud you, we are here for you and we support you. Let us work together to provide a high quality educational experience for our children.”

April 25 - May 1, 2020

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

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18 NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

April 25 - May 1, 2020

Videos highlight successes of women in ICT

Flights available for non-residents to return home NON-RESIDENTS, work permit holders and temporary visitors who wish to leave the Turks and Caicos Islands and head home during the Covid-19 pandemic can apply to do so.

This includes, but is not limited to, citizens of the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom and Caribbean nations.

The Ministry of Tourism and Tourist Board has partnered with the Ministry of Health to put on the flights. Provo

Air Centre and Blue Heron Aviation are joining to facilitate airlift.

Flights details can be obtained from Provo Air Centre at debby@provoaircenter. com or from Blue Heron Aviation at concierge@blueheronfbo.com Those wishing to travel must have available their name, number of people in travelling party, contact information and country of origin or destination.

“Please note that during the operation of any flights all Public Health Protocols

relating to Covid-19 will be strictly enforced,” a statement from the Tourist Board on April 17 said.

A one-off British Airways flight is also being put on for British citizens wishing to return home.

It will leave the Cayman Islands and stop in the TCI on April 29 before heading to London.

Those wishing to book can find the flight details at www.otairbridge.com/ trips/tci-repatriation

A SERIES of videos featuring women working in the information communication technologies (ICT) sector in the TCI has been released online.

The short films showcase four “brilliant and beautiful young women” who have volunteered their services to talk about their work and career opportunities available in their field.

“The presentation will also aspire and motivate young women and girls to pursue career opportunities in the technical field,” a Government press release said on Thursday (April 23).

The women featured are Ordemia Hall, field services technician with Flow Turks and Caicos, Lavern Bassett, system administrator with the TCI Financial Services Commission, Cathrice Williams, director of information technology with the TCI Financial Services Commission, and Anshuquine Williams, information technology coordinator with Building Materials.

The Department of Gender Affairs partnered with telecoms company Flow to release the videos in recognition of International Girls in ICT Day. The global initiative of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) was held this year under the theme, ‘Expanding horizons, changing attitudes’.

The day is set aside to raise awareness on empowering and encouraging girls and young women to consider studies and careers in ICT. Joanne Missick, acting country manager of Flow Turks and Caicos, said: “ICT is central to the world we live in today and women have always been at the helm of technological advancement. Today we join in celebrating their accomplishments.”

Since 2011 International Girls in ICT Day has been celebrated in 150 countries around the world with participation from more than 177,000 girls and young women.

The event is in keeping with the United Nations Sustainable Development (SDGs) goal five, which is to achieve gender equality by supporting women and girls in education.

“We believe that it is time to consolidate good practices and focus on action and results, in paving the way, by uplifting, cultivating, fostering and empowering women and girls through technology,” the Government statement said.

“This will be done by highlighting female role models and mentors in the ICT profession who have advance their respective organisations in this discipline.”

The day is usually observed as an open day event through various platforms, however, the Covid-19 pandemic has presented a radical challenge.

In keeping with the Ministry of Health social distance policy, the Department of Gender Affairs decided to host a virtual event that will showcase women in the ICT profession.

“We remain true to our mission of improving the quality of life within our communities and enhancing educational and economic opportunities for all.”

The videos were uploaded on TCI Department of Gender Affairs and Flow Facebook and other media platforms on April 23.

April 25 - May 1, 2020

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

THE SALT CAY NOTE

NEWS 19

TOUGH TIMES AND TOUGH DECISIONS

I

Salt Cay braces itself for extended lockdown measures

T PROBABLY came as no surprise to many when on April 11 the Government announced the extension of the lockdown measures. “...we will be continuing with all the regulations we have had in place to date until 6am on May 4...In other words, we will continue steadily, as we are.”

Continue steadily, as we are. The words of the governor were compelling, as he reminded us: “The last two and a half weeks have saved us from the very worst ravages that this epidemic could has [sic] brought.

“We may not have reached the highest number of infectious cases yet - but we should be getting close.

“And we’ve bought ourselves some time to not only dramatically reduce the numbers that might have overwhelmed our hospitals but also some time for those hospitals to increase their capacity to manage a problem that has probably not yet reached its peak.”

He signed off with the words “we are much stronger today than we were three weeks ago”.

I think very few listeners could argue with these sentiments on a national and communal level, even as many of them no doubt reflected on their personal, financial, mental and physical wellbeing.

These are, after all, worrying times and some of our fellow citizens are stronger than others.

Strength of character defines life on Salt Cay. If prolonged periods of solitude,

BY TITUS DE BOER

Titus was born in Hamburg and has lived in the Turks and Caicos Islands since 1989.

He works as a general business consultant and has been based in Salt Cay since 2016.

the absence of retail shopping, a lengthy period of water shortages and limited availability of fresh fruits and vegetables aren’t your cup of tea, then taking up residency on the second largest of the Turks Islands wouldn’t suit you either.

In other words, it’s the perfect place to sit out a pandemic and effectively not really take any notice of it.

As one Grand Turk hotelier recently said to me: “Hey, the world has become Salt Cay!” While it’s probably not as simple as that, I know exactly what he meant.

On Salt Cay, to make do and adjust to adversity by applying common sense and pragmatism are a way of life and not something that comes along just during a

hurricane or a global pandemic.

Therefore, out of necessity Saltans (Salt Cay natives) are tough and not easily discouraged by misadventures.

The Salt Cay system. No sooner had the Salt Cay residents been informed of the pending lockdown, the island and its population, like a well-maintained piece of mechanical equipment, switched to ‘emergency mode’.

A supplies system was swiftly devised and certain people took on certain roles.

From the deputy district commissioner making his rounds to regularly check on residents (especially the ones living alone) to the local business owner organising the food shipments, the local merchants keeping shelves stocked to the Salt Cay Ferry creating a WhatsApp group for community updates and running the essential supply trips to the nation’s capital.

A week into it and Salt Cay had defined its new normal and how to make the best of uncertain times.

Of course, utopian the Salt Cay system is not- nor does it strive or claim to be.

And yes, mistakes will inadvertently be made, like someone not receiving the message regarding grocery orders and feeling left out, or the group of people who landed on the island unannounced in a small boat to slaughter a cow and make off with the carcass. No lockdown is fool proof.

There are also technical and mechanical challenges, which in times of a pandemic

take on a whole new dimension.

Salt Cay’s RO plant packed up only days after the initial lockdown came into force, which severely impacted the water supply on an already drought-stricken island.

Thankfully the plant was successfully repaired this week.

As I write these lines, word reaches me that the FortisTCI bucket truck is down.

Pre-corona, someone would have flown in at a moment’s notice to repair it.

Now, given that there appears to be no Covid-19 on Salt Cay we faced a dilemma.

Do we bring in a mechanic from one of the other islands and with him possibly the virus, or do we leave the truck in a state of disrepair thereby risking a power cut which could last for days on end should a transformer blow?

Tough times. Tough decisions.

In the end the decision was made to allow a mechanic to come onto the island, provided that “all health and safety measures will be fully observed, namely conducting a medical screening of the employee prior to departure from Grand Turk.

“Making sure that social distancing between the Salt Cay employee and the employee travelling from Grand Turk is practiced and that the employee will wear the relevant personal protective equipment including gloves, N95 masks and eye shields.”

Welcome to the ‘new normal’.

Welcome to tough times and tough decisions.

20 NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

THE WRITING NOOK  Creatively accessing your words through knowledge, vision and wisdom

Preparing to publish your book YOU’VE progressed from planning your writing to editing your first draft and now it’s time to think about publishing.

Before you approach the final stage of publishing your masterpiece there are several points to consider.

These tips will help you organise your written piece and prepare it for publication: UNDERSTAND YOUR GOALS AND AUDIENCE “Before starting, it’s important to deeply understand your goals and your audience.

“Ask yourself, What do I need to accomplish for this to be worthwhile? and Who do I need to reach to accomplish those goals?

“Answering these questions, you’ll be able to discover what that audience needs, and ensure your book is properly positioned to reach them and solve their problems.” Zach Obront, Book in a Box. FIND A STRONG EDITOR “Find the best editor available to help you polish your manuscript into the best possible shape.

“An editor can help you find gaping holes that need filled and ways to get your message across succinctly and persuasively.

“To help you save money, make sure that you’ve performed your own self-edits before you send it to your editor so she doesn’t have to correct punctuation and grammar.” - Nicole Munoz, Start Ranking Now. FIND A LITERARY AGENT “Most large publishers will only work with agents.

“If you are writing your first book, you want to work with an expert that will help you clearly outline your objectives and already has the connections and knowledge within the industry.

“Be the master of the subject you are writing about and hire an expert that will have the best chance at putting in the hands of your future readers.” - Hillary Hobson, Highest Cash Offer.

PACKAGING IS EVERYTHING “While the contents of the book are important, the most important part of publishing a book is making it look professional and polished.

“Spend money to get a great cover design, get influencers to comment on the book, and promote it heavily.

“You are not going to make money from your book. Publishing a book establishes credibility for yourself

BY TATIANA HANDFIELD

Tatiana Handfield is a trained English language and literature high school teacher, an author and a poet who enjoys teaching and nurturing young people to embrace and enhance their creative abilities.

Handfield has penned two book series and a magazine: Merilla City (a children’s adventure story), the TCI Word Search Puzzle Book and the Let’s Create TCI Youth Magazine.

She was recently shortlisted for the London Book Fair Trailblazers Award 2020.

As the owner and creative director of local independent publishers Cyril and Dorsie Publishing, she hopes to gather and share the stories of the TCI with the world.

that you can then leverage in the future.” - Ryan Shank, PhoneWagon.

BE PREPARED FOR THE WORK AHEAD “Publishing your first book means creating the biggest deliverable of your career. It’s important to know that creating, editing, publishing and marketing a book is a long and arduous process.

“No matter how much you rely on others to do ghost writing and promotion, if the book is published under your name, the creation and sale of the product will require serious time and a commitment to success.” - Joey Kercher, Air Fresh Marketing.

RESEARCH THE RIGHT PUBLISHER FOR YOUR BOOK No two publishers are exactly alike, so it’s important to spend some time researching which publishers make a good fit for your book.

THERE ARE TWO MAIN METHODS OF PUBLISHING: Traditional publishing: This is when you submit your work to a large publisher who publishes the book on your behalf.

Examples of well-known publishers are HarperCollins,

Penguin Random House and Macmillan.

Self-publishing: In selfpublishing, you are the publisher.

You are in charge of every aspect of the book, including the printing and fulfilment of orders.

Fortunately, today it’s easier than ever through services such as Amazon’s Kindle Direct.

WRITE YOUR QUERY LETTER A query letter is what you send to publishers or agents to convince them to request more of your work.

Most publishers and agents require a query letter before you send them a full manuscript or book proposal.

If you are self-publishing, you might think to yourself you don’t need a query letter, but I suggest you write one anyway. It will help prepare you to easily talk about your book with others.

Writing query letters can be an eye opening and fun experience even if you have no intentions of getting an agent or traditional publishing.

It gives you a good idea of how ready you might be, to seriously publish a book.

Sources: smallbiztrends.com and thinkwritten.com

April 25 - May 1, 2020

Planning Department nets $100k in enforcement fines

BY DELANA ISLES OVER the past financial year, the Planning Department netted more than $100,000 in fines through enhanced enforcement activities across the Turks and Caicos Islands.

This was one of a few significant achievements recorded by the department, which falls under the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing, Planning and Development.

Heading that ministry is Deputy Premier, Hon. Sean Astwood, who presented the department’s achievements during his budget address this week in the House of Assembly.

Astwood said the department continues to fulfil its mandate to facilitate sustainable national development in the TCI. This is through effective land use planning and regulations, thereby ensuring the optimal use of the territory’s limited land resources, he said.

The department has been quite busy during the last financial year: processing a vast number of residential and commercial planning applications, hosting a number of consultation meetings with developers, inspections of liquor, business and tobacco licence sites and illegal development training.

It was through several investigations, monitoring and enforcement activities that the department was able to collect in excess of $100,000 in fines for violations.

Another key achievement of the department, the deputy premier said, was the amendment to the Physical Planning Ordinance.

This amendment now allows the Physical Planning Board to delegate authority to the director of planning, to approve minor development applications.

These applications include: residential planning applications, planning applications to display signs, planning applications to erect boundary walls of more than three foot six inches high to a maximum six foot and the subdivision of land of six parcels or less.

“Applicants will no longer have to wait on the monthly scheduled physical planning board (PPB) meetings for all types of applications to be processed.”

Astwood noted that the benefit of this change is the ability to offer a fast-track service, reducing the backlog of applications and the number of applications tabled at each board meeting.

“However, should the director refuse an application for development, the recommendation of such refusal will be submitted in writing to the board for consideration, and they will make a determination.”

This amendment was passed on Monday (April 20).

As it relates to the preparation of the new National Physical Development Plan, Deputy Premier Astwood reported that the working sessions of the EDSA consultancy team began in January.

Ten members of EDSA visited the country in January and February of this year, as part of phase one, the data gathering phase and held a series of informative meetings with department heads and other relevant agencies involved in the preparation of the plan, he further advised.

The team is expected back in the country as soon as it is safe to travel.

Meanwhile, additional funding has been secured in the capital programme for the extension of the project coordinator and for the consultants to prepare three additional area development plans, inclusive of Blue Hills.

Astwood said the contract for the National Physical Development Plan will expire at the end of October 2020.

The department lost the services of the deputy director last year, and as such the ministry will be recruiting for that position as soon as practical.

The Planning Department is also actively involved in a number of major development projects, the deputy premier outlined.

These include: South Bank Development in Long Bay, condominiums, marina, private villas and restaurant.

Andaz Hotel Development Outline Development Permission they recently completed public consultation for their environmental impact assessment and are expected to submit detailed development permission in the upcoming months.

Ritz Carlton continues to progress and is about 40 percent completed with the expected completion date of December 2021.

The dredging of the North Caicos channel was recently approved, and works should commence shortly.

Finally, submissions of Windsong Hotel Development phase two, off Grace Bay Beach, will be considered within the next two months.

April 25 - May 1, 2020

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

NEWS 21

The Tourist Board commissioned local media firm Caya Hico to produce the video which showcases Flamingo Pond, the Island Fish Fry, Mudjin Harbour, friendly potcakes and Jojo the dolphin

Tourist Board launches destination video THE TCI Tourist Board has launched a new marketing campaign and with it a destination video titled ‘We are Turks and Caicos’.

The positive imagery has been released in an effort to keep the destination in the forefront of the minds of potential visitors, the board explained on Thursday (April 23).

The promotional campaign will be rolled out in a phased approach over the next six months.

It is focused on digital marketing through social media, streaming platforms,

redesign of the destination brochure and website, and an updated strategic public relations plan.

Director of Tourism Pamela Ewing said: “During this difficult time, while a global health crisis affects the travel and tourism industry, we are using the video to send a message to our industry partners and visitors to remind them that we’re all in this together.

“We are encouraging them to stay safe and when the time is right the Turks and Caicos Islands will be waiting to welcome them once again to our world class

destination.”

The Tourist Board’s new video promotes wanderlust for paradise with the use of breath-taking imagery that highlights the ‘beautiful by nature’ Islands and its hospitable people.

The board commissioned local media firm Caya Hico to produce the video which showcases Flamingo Pond, the Island Fish Fry, Mudjin Harbour, friendly potcakes and Jojo the dolphin.

The Turks and Caicos Tourist Board is encouraging the public to share positive images and memorable experiences

in the islands using the hashtag #weareturksandcaicos.

“The safety and well-being of TCI’s residents, visitors and industry partners are paramount,” the board said.

It added that it is working with stakeholders “as we navigate uncharted waters and anticipate a grand re-opening of the tourism sector within the islands at the appropriate time”.

The video is available by visiting the following link: https://youtu.be/UL5_ IUXbbBw

22 NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

April 25 - May 1, 2020

WORD GAME Grand Turk: Nation’s Capital ACROSS 6. Where visitors enter and can enjoy many activities on the island 7. Small island located off the coast of Grand Turk and is popular for having friendly stingrays

Grand Turk is the capital of the Turks & Caicos Islands!

8. Located on Front Street Grand Turk, this is the only one in the country DOWN 1. Cute animal which is native to the island 2. Constructed in 1852, it is one of the most popular historical sites on the island 3. Along with South Caicos and Salt Cay, Grand Turk also boasted having one these which produced this very important item 4. Built in the 1830s, this was the country’s only one until 1994 5. First Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands and name of the airport on Grand Turk

April 25 - May 1, 2020

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

GARDENING ď ľ

Growing bananas

BY DENIS BELANGER - NATURE SPLENDOR

Denis is a passionate landscape architect who enjoys the creative process and his clients’ joy when projects come to life. Contact Denis at Nature Splendor for your landscaping, installation or garden maintenance needs.

For more information call 332-3381 or email denisbgarden@gmail.com or visit the Facebook page Nature Splendor.

I

LOVE banana trees. Their large leaves are so exotic and a symbol of the tropical countries.

Actually, bananas are herbaceous plants, just like strawberries.

Basically there are two species of banana, Musa acuminata and M balbisiana, and most banana cultivars are hybrids of these species.

Banana cultivars vary greatly in plant and fruit size, plant morphology, fruit quality, and disease and insect resistance.

Most bananas have a sweet flavour when ripe. Exceptions to this are cooking bananas and plantains.

Plantains are hybrid bananas and are always cooked before consumption and are higher in starch than bananas.

The two groups of plantains, French and horn, produce fewer fruit per plant than sweet bananas.

The banana and plantain are native to southeast Asia, where they have been cultivated for thousands of years.

Bananas are eaten fresh and used in salads, desserts, breads and candy. Bananas are a good source of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin B, and potassium.

Banana plants may also be used in the home landscape for ornamental purposes. The range in plant sizes and colour and fruit shapes adds a tropical atmosphere to the yard.

Banana is a fast-growing plant consisting of one or more pseudo stems (upright, trunk-like structures) formed by tightly packed concentric layers of leaf sheaths, an underground rhizome, and a fibrous root system.

The banana flowering stalk emerges from the centre of the pseudo stem 10 to 18 months after planting; by this time 26 to 32 leaves have been produced, if it was watered regularly.

The process of banana flowering is called shooting. The flowers appear spirally along the axis of the inflorescence in groups of 10 to 20, covered by purplish-togreenish fleshy bracts which shed as flowering development progresses.

The first flowers to emerge are functionally female. In the edible cultivars, the rapidly growing ovaries develop parthenocarpically (without pollination) into clusters of fruits, called hands.

The fruit is a berry. The last flowers to emerge are functionally male.

Wind is a common constraint in the Islands. Continuously windy weather may cause severe leaf drying and plant crown distortion.

Winds above 25mph and 45mph may cause tall and short banana cultivars (respectively) to topple.

Temperature and soil moisture are the most important factors in banana production. Lack of water at any time may cause a reduction in fruit number and size and ultimate crop yield.

Symptoms of drought stress include folding of the leaves, pale green to yellow leaf colour development and premature leaf death.

Severe drought stress may cause choking and pseudo stem collapse.

Banana plants are not flood tolerant and in general, plants may survive 24 to 48 hours of flooding caused by moving water.

Banana plants do not grow or fruit well in saline soils. Symptoms of salt damage include yellowing and death of the leaf margins and thin, deformed fruit.

Planting banana should be in holes large as three feet wide by two feet deep if possible.

Addition and mixing with the native soil of completely composted organic matter or a sand-peat moss mixture may be desirable.

Banana plants may be used in the home landscape for ornamental purposes

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

April 25 - May 1, 2020

A young green turtle is captured and released for a turtle tagging project in South Caicos (file pic)

JOB OPPORTUNITY

Senior Reporter

We're looking for a qualified multimedia reporter who has strong news gathering and writing skills, as well as the ability and enthusiasm to help keep the country's leading newspaper ahead of the pack. The position is available for immediate start and the successful candidate will be joining a small, dedicated team covering a wide range of news and features across the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Local knowledge is preferred but not essential. The successful applicant should have had experience with community, court and parliamentary reporting. They will also be expected to take photographs and videos, and use social media.

The salary for this position will be dependent on experience.

Write or email the publisher at

Duncanson.Publications@gmail.com No phone calls please

Turtle hunting is banned during lockdown NON-licensed residents have been seen hunting turtles at Thompson Cove in Providenciales, according to the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR).

This is strictly prohibited during lockdown as stated in the TCI Emergency Powers (Covid-19) Regulations 2020 and could result in a huge fine or prison sentence for rule breakers.

The DECR issued a statement on Thursday (April 23) stressing that only those who have applied for and received exemption from governor can continue to fish.

The Fisheries Protection Ordinance 1941 says that anyone who takes, is in possession of, processes or exports any species of marine product without a licence commits an offence.

They are then liable on summary conviction to a fine of $50,000 or to a term of imprisonment of 12 months, or both.

While turtle hunting is allowed in the Turks and Caicos Islands, strict rules are in place to police this form of fishing within the Fisheries Protection (Amendment) Regulations 2014.

The rules say that only green and hawksbill turtles between 18 and 24 inches shell length can be captured.

No capture of hawksbill turtles (closed season) is allowed from August 1 to March 31 each year, and no capture at all of loggerhead, leatherback, olive ridley and Kemp’s ridley turtles.

Fisher people are not allowed to capture nesting turtles or collect turtle eggs, or export sea turtle products.

Captured turtles must be landed live and uninjured and turtles cannot

be kept in captivity unless for rehabilitation and release.

Anyone who sees such activity taking place can contact the DECR at environment@gov.tc or the Turks and Caicos Islands Royal Police Force on 911.

TCI’S TURTLES There are three types of turtle which populate the Turks and Caicos Islands’ warm tropical waters.

Most commonly found around the vibrant reefs, the hawksbill turtle (eretmochelys imbricata) is usually seen resting in caves and ledges where it feeds on sea sponges.

Its distinctive sharp curving beak, dark splash shell markings and flipper-like limbs with two claws make it a favourite sighting for divers and snorkellers.

The sprightly green turtle (chelonia mydas) can often be found around the grassier areas of the seabed – particularly on the Caicos Bank to the south North, Middle and East Caicos.

Its name derives from the green fat underneath its shell, and is commonly seen feeding on seagrass.

The green turtle has a short, unhooked snout, a teardrop-shaped shell and large, paddle-like flippers.

Finally the rare loggerhead turtle (caretta caretta) – the monster of the TCI’s turtle family – can be spotted among the rocky coastline and deeper coral reefs.

This giant reptile, which sports a reddish brown shell, can grow up to 3.5 feet and weigh 800 lbs.

It uses its powerful jaw to feed on bottom dwelling invertebrates like horseshoe crabs, clams, mussels and conch.

April 25 - May 1, 2020

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMISSION Regulating with Honesty, Integrity and Transparency

NOTICE FRIENDS AND FAMILY SHARE GROUP It has come to the attention of the Financial Services Commission that the Friends and Family Share Group is offering, via membership and a contribution of $500, significant financial returns to the public through the pooling of the funds of contributors. Please Take Notice that neither the Friends and Family Share Group nor any programme it operates is licensed, regulated or supervised by the Commission.

By way of this notice, the Commission is requesting that appropriate representatives of the Friends and Family Share Group meet with the Commission to assist the Commission in fully understanding the operations of the Group and its regulatory requirements, if any. The Group’s representatives are to contact the Commission by 20 April 2020 via the following email addresses: nstreete@tcifsc.tc or ccoalbrooke@ tcifsc.tc The public is advised to exercise caution and to carefully assess financial and other associated risks when pooling and/or investing funds as part of any arrangement.

It is recommended that professional advice be sought before entering these arrangements.

The public and members of the Friends and Family Group are urged to consider this advisory and be guided accordingly Turks and Caicos Islands Financial Services Commission

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

April 25 - May 1, 2020

Science & Technology Coronavirus: First patients injected in UK vaccine trial THE first human trial in Europe of a coronavirus vaccine has begun in Oxford.

Two volunteers were injected, the first of more than 800 people recruited for the study.

Half will receive the Covid-19 vaccine, and half a control vaccine which protects against meningitis but not coronavirus.

The design of the trial means volunteers will not know which vaccine they are getting, though doctors will.

Elisa Granato, one of the two

who received the jab, told the BBC: “I’m a scientist, so I wanted to try to support the scientific process wherever I can.”

The vaccine was developed in under three months by a team at Oxford University. Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology at the Jenner Institute, led the pre-clinical research.

“Personally I have a high degree of confidence in this vaccine,” she said.

“Of course, we have to test it and get data from humans. We have to

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demonstrate it actually works and stops people getting infected with coronavirus before using the vaccine in the wider population.”

Prof Gilbert previously said she was “80% confident” the vaccine would work, but now prefers not to put a figure on it, saying simply she is “very optimistic” about its chances.

SO HOW DOES THE VACCINE WORK? The vaccine is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus (known as an adenovirus) from chimpanzees that has been modified so it cannot grow in humans.

The Oxford team has already developed a vaccine against Mers, another type of coronavirus, using the same approach - and that had promising results in clinical trials.

HOW WILL THEY KNOW IF IT WORKS? The only way the team will know if the Covid-19 vaccine works is by comparing the number of people who get infected with coronavirus in the months ahead from the two arms of the trial.

That could be a problem if cases fall rapidly in the UK, because there may not be enough data.

Prof Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, who is leading the trial, said: “We’re chasing the end of this current epidemic wave. If we don’t catch that, we won’t be able to tell whether the vaccine works in the next few months. But we do expect that there will be more cases in the future

Elisa Granato, one of the two who received the jab said: “I’m a scientist, so I wanted to try to support the scientific process wherever I can.”

because this virus hasn’t gone away.”

The vaccine researchers are prioritising the recruitment of local healthcare workers into the trial as they are more likely than others to be exposed to the virus.

A larger trial, of about 5,000 volunteers, will start in the coming months and will have no age limit.

Older people tend to have weaker immune responses to vaccines.

Researchers are evaluating whether they might need two doses of the jab.

The Oxford team is also considering a vaccine trial in Africa, possibly in Kenya, where the rates of transmission are growing from a lower base.

If the numbers could be a problem, why not deliberately infect volunteers with coronavirus?

That would be a quick and certain way to find out if the vaccine was effective, but it would be ethically

questionable because there are no proven treatments for Covid-19.

But that might be possible in the future. Prof Pollard said: “If we reach the point where we had some treatments for the disease and we could guarantee the safety of volunteers, that would be a very good way of testing a vaccine.”

IS IT SAFE? The trial volunteers will be carefully monitored in the coming months. They have been told that some may get a sore arm, headaches or fevers in the first couple of days after vaccination.

They are also told there is a theoretical risk that the virus could induce a serious reaction to coronavirus, which arose in some early Sars animal vaccine studies.

But the Oxford team says its data suggests the risk of the vaccine producing an enhanced disease is minimal.

Scientists there hope to have one million doses ready by September, and to dramatically scale up manufacturing after that, should the vaccine prove effective.

SO WHO WOULD GET IT FIRST? Prof Gilbert says that has not been decided yet: “It’s not really our role to dictate what will happen, we just have to try to get a vaccine that works and have enough of it and then it will be for others to decide.”

Prof Pollard added: “We’ve got to ensure we have enough doses to provide for those in greatest need, not just in the UK but also in developing countries.”

Another team at Imperial College London hopes to begin human trials of its coronavirus vaccine in June.

The Oxford and Imperial teams have received more than £40m of government funding.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has praised both teams and said the UK will “throw everything we’ve got” at developing a vaccine.

UK chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty has said neither a vaccine, nor a drug to treat Covid-19, is likely to be available within the next year. (BBC)

April 25 - May 1, 2020

NEWS 27

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Shaken pyramids – An insight into behaviours

BY YOLANDE ROBINSON Yolande Robinson is the owner of Learn and Lead Educational Centre.

She possesses a Master of Education in Educational Psychology from McGill University. Yolande is an educator, workshop facilitator, speaker, coach and consultant helping individuals, locally and internationally, reach their personal and professional potential. She resides in the Turks and Caicos Islands with her husband and three young children.

IF YOU have been a client of mine or in any of my training sessions, you know that I just about always have Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in my back pocket to pull out at any time to analyse human motivation and behaviours.

This period, as we watch and feel the direct and indirect effects of Covid-19, I can’t help but see how relevant understanding Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is to this time.

Understanding it cannot only provide you with insights about your behaviours, but also about the behaviours of your colleagues, your children, community members etc.

Abraham Maslow created a pyramid to highlight that our needs fall on different levels.

The first three levels of the pyramid are our basic needs, which relate to our physiological and safety needs.

Once these needs are met, an individual begins to move up to the higher needs which relate to love, belonging, esteem and selfactualisation.

Maslow’s theory clearly outlines that satisfying the lower levels of needs are essential for you to be able to move up to the higher levels of needs and must remain present.

Here is a quick breakdown of each level: Self-actualisation: When one is functioning on this level, they are driven by the motivation to be their best self.

Esteem: This level is related to the way we see, appreciate and respect ourselves.

Love and belonging: On this level we want to feel as though we are loved and supported and that we can provide love and support to others.

Safety: This level refers to our need to feel physically and psychologically safe.

Physiological: This level is

where our basic biological needs such as our need for food, water and sleep reside.

Now that you have a basic understanding of this pyramid, take a mental walk with me.

Let’s imagine an individual functioning at ‘love and belonging’.

They have a relatively good job and can take care of the basic physiological and safety needs of their family.

They start to hear about this Covid-19 illness and they proceed with caution; based on what is being seen on the news abroad, this is a serious thing.

Then they hear that there is a case in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Then their hours are cut at work. Then within a week, they are no longer working.

With a blink of an eye, their pyramid level has been shaken.

They went from wanting to set up a play area for their child at home or to have church friends over for lunch, to being unable to interact with others, worrying about their health, and their ability to provide basic food and water for their family.

Their motivations at the ‘Love and Belonging’ level are light years away from where they are now at the physiological level.

They are now willing to do whatever they need to do to ensure that their family is taken care of - even if that means disobeying curfew to go to the neighbours for some rice, or to the lady down the road that will provide drinking water on credit.

Take another mental walk with me. For this mental walk, let’s discuss a young professional: one that has recently returned home to a high-power job and is at the top of their game.

They have recently bought a fabulous new condo. They eat, breathe and sleep self-development

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs provides an insight into current behaviours

and building their personal brand, as they know where they want to be, how they want to get there, and by when.

Like the character in our first mental walk, as Covid-19 makes its way to Turks and Caicos Islands, they begin to get concerned.

Now working from home, they are working in isolation. No more water cooler chats, no more impromptu lunch dates.

The beautiful condo that they loved to entertain at, no longer has anyone to entertain. They find that when they sit down to work, they cannot focus.

They are anxious, irritated and begin to worry every time they feel a tingle in their throat.

They scroll social media wondering why they feel so exhausted, but their peers are managing to learn new languages and launch new business ideas on IGTV or through their Facebook lives.

This individual is no longer concerned with the behaviours at the ‘self-actualisation’ and ‘esteem’ levels, but is now focused on ‘love and belonging.’

For the last few weeks, I have had a lot of questions related to innovative ways to educate during this time, to provide services and basically to take advantage of the captive market as so many individuals are looking for solutions.

Yolande Robinson, the entrepreneur whose children are usually in school, who makes a steady salary and who is normally blessed to have awesome house help, would have been all over that!

The current Yolande Robinson is taking it one day at a time.

Although I don’t think my entrepreneur brain ever takes a break, my motivations shift to activities that will provide physical and psychological safety for my family and for those in my tribe.

This Yolande Robinson has no problem abandoning the schedule for a family game of Uno with a side of popcorn, because all the business ideas brewing will not be able to take flight if the bottom three levels of my pyramid are not stable.

My advice during this time is to

take things one day at a time. Focus your energy on the now. Be present with those in your household and do what you can.

Be compassionate with others, as many pyramid levels have been hit with the force that hurricane Irma was felt here in the Turks and Caicos Islands, but moving as slowly as hurricane Dorian moved over the Bahamas.

Let judgement go out the window. Rather than judge behaviours, see how you can help from a distance of course. How can you add value during this time?

For those of you that have managed to stay on the same level of the pyramid, but just feel a little ‘off,’ know that some days you will be more productive than others.

Some days you will be on top of your child’s home learning assignments and super focused in your work Zoom calls, and some days the family may all abandon ‘the right thing to do’ and overdose on technology time.

Take deep breaths, reset daily, work from where you are, and give yourself grace.

Be safe my friends.

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Entertainment

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

April 25 - May 1, 2020

Bahamas Junkanoo parades may be postponed until February OFFICIALS are considering postponing the Junkanoo parades in the Bahamas “perhaps to February” amid uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Youth, Sports & Culture Minister Lanisha Rolle said this week.

However, she stressed no official decision has been made as yet as discussions are still ongoing. She added the ministry is also being guided by health officials on the matter. “I believe that the organisers of Junkanoo and the ministry, they’re coming together to have discussions whether remotely or otherwise to determine what, if anything, can be salvaged in terms of Junkanoo, in particular for this year or rather

even perhaps we could look at pushing it back a little, perhaps to February or something is what I’m understanding that they’re discussing.

“But, there’s nothing being decided as yet and so we want to continue to be optimistic. I believe we all need to maintain that optimism that things at the end of the day will work out.”

Her comments came after the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence said in a statement that “only time will tell” how Junkanoo parades look this season - if they are hosted at all.

However, noting that she is hopeful “everything will work out”, Mrs Rolle said their main

No official decisions have been made on the celebrations. (Bahamas.com photo)

priority is ensuring all Bahamians are kept safe in light of the COVID-19 crisis.

“Junkanoo is very important for us. It is a very important part of our culture, a part of our celebrations and a part of the end of the year and maybe that’s really going to cause us to be a little more jubilant at the end of year, so hopefully things can come together,” she said.

“But at the end of the day, we want to be safe so we’re looking, and we’re being guided by the safety of our (health) personnel to ensure that we’re all safe and able to have it and if not, we’re going to just simply going to continue to make the adjustments with people and their health being the priority.”

However, several Junkanoo leaders told The Tribune

on Monday they are eying dramatically scaled back parades as the COVID-19 crisis wreaks havoc on their preparations.

Still, leaders noted if the lockdown were to extend well into the end of May, they would be able to prepare for the two parades.

“We are Junkanoo jonsers,” said Kendenique Campbell-Moss, cochair of the Saxons Superstars.

Rumoured couple Tiffany Haddish and Common are ‘virtually dating’ during quarantine It’s all in a day’s work for Tiffany Haddish.

The Emmy Award-winning funnywoman is openly dating her rumoured boyfriend — Academy Award winner Common — through the dating app Bumble, which she is a paid pitchwoman for.

On Wednesday, Haddish, who keeps her relationship status on the down-low (depending on who she talks to), shot down Hoda Kotb’s questions about a possible relationship with the Grammywinning rapper.

Three weeks ago, the 40-yearold South Central Los Angeles native reportedly revealed that they were isolating together during the coronavirus outbreak during an interview with Cedric the Entertainer.

That cat’s apparently out the bag now that the couple are featured on promos for Bumble’s “virtual date,” designed to highlight the app’s useful functionalities to building a connection while social distancing.

“You look very beautiful,” the 48-year-old former Relativity Records lyricist told the “Girls

Flashback: Common and Tiffany Haddish attend Toast To The Arts Presented by Remy Martin on March 2, 2018.

Trip” breakout on the date, of which clips were posted to Bumble’s Instagram account on Wednesday.

“You looking very handsome yourself,” she gushed, later calling

him, “so sweet and romantic” after he handed a bouquet of white and green flowers to her.

They also ordered soul food, talked about their dreams and aspirations, watched Netflix’s South

African spy series “Queen Sono” and danced together for the camera.

They also talked about how they will order food for the medical workers from local restaurants in Los Angeles and Chicago.

“I would love to see you again,” he told her, before the two signed off by exchanging, “Love” goodbyes” in the two-minute clip.

In January, Haddish told PEOPLE Now that she was making time for romance with the new year.

“Whoever like me, holler,” she said. “Make sure your credit right.

[Make sure] you ain’t got no whole bunch of kids. If you got kids, they need to be already grown. I don’t need to be teaching them how to wash clothes, how to clean their room or nothing like that.”

“You need to be a grown ass man, You need to be a full man — not living with your mama, unless she’s sick and you’re taking care of her,” she added. “I want a real man that got his own business going, his own career going on.

And not needing me for nothing but companionship, an ear to listen to, and a little bit of a good time.”

Before quarantining became the new normal, the couple were spotted together – even though Haddish has referred to him as “a friend.”

April 25 - May 1, 2020

Entertainment

29

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

World Book Night: One in three reading more during lockdown

Halle Berry, seen in this 2019 photo, claims Pierce Brosnan performed the Heimlich maneuver on her after she began choking on a fig while filming “Die Another Day.”

Halle Berry says Pierce Brosnan saved her from choking on ‘Die Another Day’ set Their bond goes deeper than “Die Another Day.” Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry claims that co-star Pierce Brosnan saved her from choking on a fig while filming the 2002 spy thriller.

“I was doing a scene with (Brosnan) in ‘Die Another Day,’ and I was supposed to be all sexy, and like, trying to seduce him with a fig, and then I end up choking on it,” Berry explained to Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday’s episode of “The Tonight Show.” “He had to get up and do the Heimlich. So not sexy.”

The interview was conducted at their respective homes amid the coronavirus outbreak.

After Fallon quipped that never had he recalled seeing the lifesaving procedure performed in a Bond film, Berry expressed heartfelt gratitude to Brosnan.

“He will always be one of my favorite people in the whole world,” said Berry, who played National Security Agent Jinx Johnson.

“Die Another Day” was the fourth and final Bond film starring Brosnan before Daniel Craig’s initial foray as the superspy four years later in “Casino Royale.”

During the interview, Berry also discussed her latest project “Bruised,” in which she plays a shamed mixed martial arts fighter.

She stated that the film, which marks her directorial debut, was to be released later this year but is likely on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Berry’s previous film, 2019’s “John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum,” was a box-office smash that earned more than $325 million worldwide, according to The Numbers.

Mere months before the release of “Die Another Day,” Berry made history by becoming the first African-American woman to win a Best Actress Oscar for “Monster’s Ball.” (NYDailynews)

PEOPLE in the UK are turning to books to help them through lockdown, according to a new survey

by The Reading Agency.

The figures, released on Thursday to mark World Book Night, suggest 31% of people are reading more since lockdown restrictions were imposed in the UK. Most are reading fiction, with classics and crime novels proving popular.

Almost half (45%) of the young people - aged 18-24 - asked said they were reading more than they had been before.

And many of the 2,103 people surveyed cited reading as a form of release, escapism or distraction during these troubled times, and that having more time was the key to reading more.

Notably, the research found that titles regarding fictional epidemics, such as Albert Camus’ The Plague, and The Viral Storm, by Nathan D. Wolfe are seeing increased sales.

This is in line with films such as Contagion becoming more popular on streaming and download platforms.

READING HOUR Publishers and authors including Bernardine Evaristo, Margaret

Most people are reading fiction, with the classics and crime novels proving popular.

Atwood and Matt Haig have lent their support to the annual World Book Night campaign, which will invite people to enjoy a chapter alone or with loved ones and people online, during a #ReadingHour from 19:00 BST on Thursday.

It will see 50,000 books in all formats given away to people in prisons, hospitals, youth centres and mental health groups.

While audio and digital books can be given away immediately, the print books will not be distributed until later this year, following government advice.

Debbie Hicks, from The Reading Agency, stressed the scheme - also backed by the writers JoJo Moyes, Maggie O’Farrell and Jacqueline Wilson - will now help “bring individuals, friends and families together to connect a nation in self isolation”.

“This year’s World Book Night celebrations provides the perfect opportunity to showcase the proven power of reading to connect people,” she said.

“Never has this connectivity been needed more than at this anxious time of social distancing.”

Louis-Dreyfus on Joe Biden’s ‘offer’: Forget veep, I should be president JOE Biden tapped “Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus as his running mate.

At least that’s what the Democratic nominee told “The Late Show with James Corden,” joking that the host had to keep it a secret.

The former vice president said the actress who played a vice president — and president — on HBO will join him on the 2020 presidential ticket.

“I’m going to tell if you keep it quiet: Julia Louis-Dreyfus is going to be my person,” Biden said. “I think she has all the experience in the world. I’m not sure she’ll do it, but that’s my choice. That’s who I’m going to pick.”

Louis-Dreyfus accepted the nomination, then suggested that the ticket should be flipped.

“I accept but I’m a completely unqualified tv personality,” she tweeted. “Are you sure I shouldn’t be president?”

Biden reponded on Twitter

Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars in the hit show Veep.

that “Stranger things have happened.”

Dreyfus’ remark was aimed at President Trump, whom Biden will face in the November election.

Trump starred as a billionaire businessman on the NBC reality show “The Apprentice,” which

aired from 2004 to 2017. Arnold Schwarzenegger took over the lead role after Trump became president.

Trump said he plans to keep Vice President Pence on the ticket against Biden and his running mate, who is unlikely to be LouisDreyfus. (NYDailynews)

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

April 25 - May 1, 2020

Regional News Mass testing is new COVID-19 strategy in the Cayman Islands MORE than 1,000 people will be tested for coronavirus in the next two weeks as public health officials try to gauge the spread of COVID-19 throughout the community.

All Cayman Islands prisoners will be tested as part of the new strategy of testing people who do not have symptoms and are not believed to have the virus.

Frontline health workers and in-patients at hospitals will also be part of the first wave of tests.

Dr. John Lee, Cayman’s chief medical officer, said hundreds of people would be swabbed and tested, adding that this would help determine if the virus had spread throughout the community.

Various strategies are being considered as testing progresses, including possible random sampling throughout the entire population.

Lee said the screening tests would be treated and reported as a distinct group and would give a better idea of the prevalence of the virus in the Cayman Islands.

He said these tests had begun already and around 400 samples had been taken. He expects well

over 1,000 people to be tested in the next two weeks.

“It was started last week,” he said. “There are several hundred tests going through the system.”

Lee said there were no new results to announce Tuesday as the testing machines were undergoing routine maintenance.

The first results from the screening tests will be announced later this week.

Cases linked to people who have travelled or are connected to people who have previously tested positive will be treated as a separate category for reporting purposes.

Premier Alden McLaughlin said the testing programme would be critical to determining if the coronavirus had spread throughout the community.

Only when those results are analysed, he said, could authorities consider lifting restrictions.

“By this time next week, we will have a very good idea of the prevalence of this virus in the community. I remain hopeful that we are not into sustained community transmission,” he added.

“I just ask everyone to remain patient. I know it is very stressful and it is very frustrating but it would be a mistake if all the efforts and all the sacrifices and frustrations we have gone through were to be for naught because we made the wrong decision at the wrong time to start opening up the community.”

He said testing people without symptoms – healthy people who are in the workforce – was the only way to get a clear idea of the likely incidence of the virus in the broader community.

BRITISH AIRWAYS FLIGHT A British Airways flight was scheduled to arrive in Cayman on Tuesday and leave Wednesday evening at 6.05pm, Governor Martyn Roper confirmed.

“The plane will be bringing much-needed medical equipment, including extraction kits and swabs (used in the testing process) and will bring Caymanians back here,” he said.

The flight will also a team of nine military personnel from the UK, who will help with logistics and planning around Cayman’s

Premier Alden McLaughlin said the testing programme would be critical to determining if the coronavirus had spread throughout the community.

response to the coronavirus crisis and to support hurricanepreparedness plans.

Anyone who has registered with the emergency travel line will be sent details on how to book tickets on the BA flight back to London.

PENSION ADVICE Following up on the government’s announcement Monday that residents can access part of their private pension funds, Health

Minister Dwayne Seymour urged people to be sensible about whether they needed to tap into their pension funds at this time.

He said anyone who had lost jobs or whose business was in danger because of the tourism shortfall should take the money out.

But he said, “If you don’t need it don’t take it. If you are still employed and your household is still employed, don’t use it … be wise about it.” (Cayman Compass)

Bahamas: Ward infection ‘massive blow’ to health teams ABOUT 100 healthcare workers are in self-isolation after they were exposed to a patient with COVID-19 on Princess Margaret Hospital’s surgical ward, prompting Health Minister Dr Duane Sands to say on Monday that the country would not be ready to lift the lockdown and movement restrictions anytime soon.

A surgical ward patient on Sunday became a confirmed COVID-19 case, prompting the closure of PMH’s Medical Surgical Ward II. At least three patients on that ward have since been confirmed to have the virus.

“This has made a serious dent, a massive blow to the provision of healthcare services,” Dr Sands said before a Cabinet meeting this weel.

“It speaks to the challenge.

We’re not there yet. I know people want to break out of isolation and out of quarantine and come out of lockdown. We are not there yet. We’re not going to be there anytime soon and I need people to understand that as much as you’re

Minister of Health Dr. Duane Sands said that the country would not be ready to lift the lockdown and movement restrictions anytime soon.

tired, as much as you’ve had enough of this, we’re not there yet.

These healthcare professionals find themselves on the battlefield and potentially exposed and so now they are out for 14 days.”

Their isolation “has made a serious impact on the delivery of health services,” he said, adding: “This patient was not suspected to have COVID and was there for

an entirely different reason. There was, even in retrospect, very little reason to suspect that this patient should have had COVID.” Dr Sands said the country does not have the luxury of testing every person who attends a hospital, revealing a shortage of swabs will also impact the ability to increase testing in a widespread way.

He said: “If you say every single

person who comes to the hospital should be tested, bear in mind we see 50,000 people through Accident and Emergency every year…if you say now that we are going to test all of them, that’s 136 tests per day. (Say a) patient comes in with a gunshot wound, are you going to do a test before you take care of that patient? (That’s) not practical. (Say) somebody comes in with a heart attack, are you going to test before you manage that patient?

“What we need to recognise is that there are limitations to testing, even as we ramp up and there are limitations to ramping up because around the world there is a challenge to getting the basic swabs, the supply chain for that simple device cannot be sourced anywhere in the world. It is not a Q-Tip, it is a special type of swab and so we have the kits, we have the reagents, we have the labs, we have the machines, but nobody has the swabs. We have a few hundred right now and we hope to get another 500 today but before we go ramping up to do 200 tests a day

we need to look at what’s going to happen down the road, three days from now, four days from now.

It is a balancing act and even as we ramp up we have to ramp up deliberately and carefully.”

Dr Sands bemoaned the impact that large gatherings can have on the fight against COVID-19, pointing to the crowd of hotel union members who assembled on Tonique Williams Darling Highway on Monday as an example of what the country cannot afford.

“Events like (what happened on Monday) where we had thousands or hundreds of people congregating in a space, (are) not a good idea and if we are going to do things like that again let’s plan it a bit better, let’s use technology, maybe we can avoid watching the numbers climb.”

Dr Sands was pressed on the wisdom of reopening some businesses even as health officials plead for people to stay home. On Sunday, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis identified several businesses that will be open on specific days.

April 25 - May 1, 2020

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Regional News Dozens more women accuse Nygard of sexual assault -Lawsuit alleges the fashion executive protected himself in the Bahamas by bribing officials THIRTY-SIX women have joined a US class action lawsuit accusing Peter Nygard of rape.

The lawsuit initially featured nine Bahamians and one American plaintiff but now includes 12 Bahamians, 14 Americans, 18 Canadians, one British and one German female plaintiff.

Twenty-four of the alleged incidents took place in the Bahamas while Mr Nygard’s residences in Marina Del Rey, California, New York City and Winnipeg, Canada were alleged sites of the other assaults.

Twelve of the plaintiffs were between 14 and 17 when they were allegedly raped.

Lawyers for the women want a New York court to award punitive or exemplary damages to their clients.

Mr Nygard and his companies are listed as defendants.

“Using interstate and foreign commerce” they allegedly “conspired to and did recruit, lure and entice young, impressionable, and often impoverished children and women, with cash payments and and false promises of lucrative modelling opportunities or other career opportunities or other career opportunities to assault, rape and sodomise them,” the lawsuit claims.

“Nygard used his considerable influence in the fashion industry, his wealth, his power through corruption of officials, and a network of company employees under his direction, to kidnap, groom and entice children and women. Defendants knew that Nygard would use means of

alcohol, drugs, force, fraud, and/ or other forms of coercion to rape, sexually assault, sexually batter, molest and/or sex traffic these children and women and, in many cases, with knowledge that they were younger than eighteen years old. defendants knowingly benefited from, and received value for, their participation in the conspiracy and/or venture and the Nygard companies knew, or should have known, that Nygard would rape, sexually assault, sexually batter, molest, and/or sex traffic Jane Does numbers 1-46 and the other class members––many of whom were under the age of 18.”

The lawsuit alleges Mr Nygard protected himself in the Bahamas by bribing officials. The suit identifies a number of political and law enforcement figures invited to his Lyford Cay over the years.

The lawsuit alleges one of Mr Nygard’s “girlfriends” was sent to the office of a senior politician to ask for help and when she arrived at that politician’s office, the man allegedly took his penis out and attempted to engage her in sexual activity to which she refused.

The lawsuit further identifies a handful of Bahamian police officers who were allegedly on Mr Nygard’s payroll and were used to help “bury reports of sexual abuse, supply information regarding ongoing investigations into his sex crimes, trace the whereabouts of people who crossed him, and intimidate, threaten to arrest, and otherwise harass his victims to ensure that they would not come forward.”

Twenty-four of the alleged assaults by Peter Nygard took place in the Bahamas according to the lawsuit.

“In addition to politicians, government officials, and police,” the lawsuit claims, “Nygard also paid for favourable media coverage and propaganda in the Bahamas to help further his agenda, silence his victims, and perpetuate defendants’ conspiracy and/or sex trafficking scheme.”

“Nygard’s Bahamian victims have been previously unable to come forward to report his illegal activity and pursue their claims against him for reasons including, without limitation, cultural stigmatisation, shame, weak laws that are rarely enforced, low clearance rates for sexualassault investigations, corrupt law enforcement and government officials, fear of Nygard’s wealth, power and influence in the Bahamas, and psychological manipulation and intimidation tactics used by Nygard, including the commonly held belief that Nygard has bribed government officials, police, and the media.

The lawsuit says in addition

to “Nygard’s political power in the Bahamas, Nygard and the Nygard Companies also boast of his ‘extensive political leverage’ in the United States and Canada, and tout his relationships with ‘many high profile dignitaries’ including ‘the Duke of Edinburgh, Governor General Ray Hnatyshyn, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, President Gorbachev of the USSR, President Mauno Koivisto of Finland, Sha Lin – Mayor of Shanghai, President Vicente Fox of Mexico, President George Bush Sr, and Prime Minister Pindling of the Bahamas.”

According to the lawsuit, Mr Nygard has publicly stepped down from his companies but has not divested his ownership interest in them and instead continues to direct them behind the scenes.

To fund Mr Nygard’s infamous “pamper parties,” the mogul’s companies transferred cash from their bank account in Canada, rerouted the funds through New York and deposited them in a

Bahamian bank account belonging to a local holding company, the lawsuit claims. It is further alleged that Mr Nygard used his customised N-Force jet to transport his victims to destinations in the United States, Canada and the Bahamas.

Among the foreigners Mr Nygard allegedly raped in the Bahamas is a Canadian woman who was about 20 in 1995 when she was invited to Nygard Cay under the guise of a modelling job after visiting a company of Mr Nygard’s in Toronto. She was allegedly raped, sodomised and penetrated with an object multiple times and begged to leave the property but was not allowed to. The lawsuit says Mr Nygard eventually booked her a return plane ticket through his companies, allowing her to leave.

Another foreigner Mr Nygard allegedly raped is an American woman who was brought to this country in 1997 by her modelling sponsor for a calendar photoshoot.

She met Mr Nygard in a casino and he invited her to Nygard Cay. “Nygard talked with Jane Doe No 29 about modelling for the Nygard Companies,” the lawsuit says. “A couple of months later Nygard called Jane Doe No 29 and invited her to stay with him at Nygard Cay to discuss modeling.

Nygard raped Jane Doe No 29 several times while she was at Nygard Cay. After two trips to Nygard Cay, where Nygard raped Jane Doe No 29 on numerous occasions, Nygard convinced her to travel to Marina Del Rey by continuing to promise modelling opportunities. Nygard raped Jane Doe No 29 while at the Marina Del Rey property on several occasions.

Nygard paid Jane Doe No 29 $700 in US currency before she left.”

Dominican Republic to exert stricter control over the movement of people DOMINICAN Republic’s Armed Forces and National Police have orders to exert greater control over the movement of people on the country’s streets and to demand the use of masks and gloves.

The Defense Ministry on Saturday said the Armed Forces support the Ministry the Health and the Police to prevent the agglomeration of people on the roads and other public spaces in order to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

In a statement Defense said the permanent action includes preventive patrolling and the placement of checkpoints in the sectors where people concentrate and have high rates of crime.

“Teams distributed throughout the country, made up of personnel from elite units, members of the Army, Navy and Air Force of the Dominican Republic, in coordination with the Police, participate in the control tasks.” (Dominica Today)

The Defense Ministry on Saturday said the Armed Forces support the Ministry the Health and the Police to prevent the agglomeration of people on the roads and other public spaces.

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April 25 - May 1, 2020

Regional News We are not prepared at all’: Haiti, already impoverished, confronts a pandemic WITH barely 60 ventilators for 11 million people, Haiti is the most vulnerable nation in the Americas to the coronavirus. While many countries would struggle to cope with a serious spread of Covid-19, Haiti might never recover from one.

The reality inside Haiti’s intensive care units is even bleaker than that number - taken from a 2019 study - suggests. According to Stephan Dragon, a respiratory therapist in the capital, Portau-Prince, the true number of ventilators is actually closer to 40, and maybe 20 of those aren’t working.

“We also have a very, very limited group of doctors who know how to operate them,” Mr Dragon said.

The Haitian government has recently attempted to buy much-needed equipment - from ventilators to PPE, including tens of thousands of facemasks from Cuba - but Haitian healthcare practitioners like Mr Dragon fear it is too little, too late.

“To tell you the truth, we are not prepared at all,” he said.

So far, this small impoverished nation has only registered three deaths from the virus and 40 confirmed cases, but many more

A man stands at the closed gate of a church in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Easter Sunday.

cases may be going unreported, especially in remote areas.

Levels of testing are low and enforcement of social distancing is patchy at best. The Haitian population also suffers high levels of diabetes and other health conditions, and a major coronavirus outbreak would place an unbearable strain on a collapsing healthcare system.

Haiti’s ability to respond is confounded by its economic straits. Around 60% of Haitians live below the poverty line and many face a stark choice: either go about your daily business and run the risk of contracting COVID-19,

or stay indoors, as the government advises, and be unable to put food on the table.

It is little wonder that so many are taking their chances.

That is the dilemma facing Jean Raymond and his family. He lives in Furcy, a mountainous village outside of Port-au-Prince where most families scratch a meagre living from land.

Jean Raymond, however, isn’t a farmer but a motorbike taxi driver, part of Haiti’s vast informal economy. Rremaining indoors is not an option if he is to feed his wife and two young children, he said.

“It’s impossible for me to not leave the house,” he said. “If I’m obligated to stay in my home, what would we eat?”

Jean Raymond’s wife, Lucienne, criticised the government for failing to show enough support in the village. “We want to respect the rules but we can’t,” she said.

“I see what governments are doing in other countries, but here they aren’t doing anything.”

In the absence of the state, it has fallen to local grassroots organisations to carry out basic but vital tasks. Clean water is a precious commodity in Furcy indeed it is a scarce resource across Haiti - and one environmentalist group called Ekoloji pou Ayiti has prepared dozens of water canisters to make handwashing stations in some of the neediest communities.

Given the deep distrust of NGOs in Haiti, it was crucial to “make sure the community leaders were part of the project,” said Max Faublas, co-founder of Ekoloji pou Ayiti.

As well as building 88 water stations, the group showed people how to make their own hand-sanitiser using vinegar.

They have also tried to tackle widespread misinformation with a public education campaign

on the importance of wearing a facemask, avoiding handshakes and disinfecting shoes and clothes.

Still, although members of the community appreciate the rules in theory, putting them into practice can be hard. For example, Jean Raymond and his family live with his parents - six people in a tiny home, all living on top of each other.

And if social distancing is difficult in rural Furcy, it is almost out of the question for many in Haiti’s sprawling, denselypopulated shantytowns.

In Port-au-Prince, market days have been cut back, creating further demand for basic food supplies.

Some are growing desperate. There have been chaotic scenes outside food distribution points and trucks selling bread. The government has been distributing food parcels to the most vulnerable households but many are angry at having to jostle and compete in a crowd for food.

“The way they are distributing food is humiliating,” one resident, Mesmin Louigene, told the Reuters news agency. “People do not respect social distancing.

The government should organise it better. I’m very concerned at the sanitary conditions, it’s very worrying.”

Covid-19 count rises to 99 cases in Bermuda THE number of Covid-19 cases has almost hit a hundred, the health minister revealed tonight.

Kim Wilson said one positive test for the disease had come back out of 17 new results, which brought the total number to 99.

Ms Wilson said that there were 55 active cases of Covid-19, 44 of them under public health monitoring and 11 patients being treated in hospital.

She added that all the residents at Westmeath seniors’ home, which yesterday reported three cases of Covid-19, two staff members and one patient, had been tested.

Matilda Smith Williams seniors residence in Devonshire was the first home to report an outbreak, with one of its residents the island’s fifth and most recent death caused by the virus.

Cheryl Peek-Ball, the Chief Medical Officer, said there had been no connection established between the first case at Westmeath and the other cases found at the home.

Dr Peek-Ball said she was not aware of Covid-19 cases at any other

rest homes.

David Burt, the Premier, announced that a “multi-lane drive through facility” will start on Friday at Southside in St George’s to test essential workers.

Mr Burt admitted that “no one is more disappointed than I am when we have not been able to test as aggressively as I know we need to do.”

But he asked the public to refrain from finger pointing and said “we can fix what went wrong and move forward”.

Wayne Caines, the national security minister, added that 71 businesses had been granted permission to operate under strict rules after shelter in place regulations were relaxed.

Mr Caines said the list of approved businesses was available on the Government website.

He added arrests of people in breach of movement restrictions, mainly people in breach of the 7pm curfew, had dropped.

There were 11,477 stops at

checkpoints on Monday, and 10,786 stops yesterday.

Mr Caines said his ministry was now preparing for a British Airways charter flight to touch down on Friday with Bermuda residents who had been stranded in the UK. He added that “over the next few days, we will begin to test all members of the uniformed services for Covid-19”.

This will include the police, the Royal Bermuda Regiment, the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service, as well as Customs staff and prison officers.

Mr Burt said he had asked for all non-essential packages that came in by air not to be cleared until the end of the shelter in place restrictions.

He added he would look at how small businesses, staffed by people from a single household, could be allowed to operate.

Mr Burt added that more than $1 million had been donated to the Bermuda Emergency Fund and that most of it had been allocated to help residents. (Royal Gazette)

There are 55 active cases of Covid-19, 44 of them under public health monitoring and 11 patients being treated in hospital.

April 25 - May 1, 2020

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

33

Regional News Cayman Islands: Rule change paves way for virtual Legislative Assembly session LEGISLATORS voted Wednesday to change the rules of the Cayman Islands parliament to allow them to meet via ‘electronic means’ in times of crisis.

The decision was taken in order to allow the full Legislative Assembly to debate a series of emergency bills to help deal with the coronavirus crisis by video-link. That meeting is planned for Thursday.

The changes to the standing orders were approved by a reduced line-up of politicians, many of them wearing masks, during a historic sitting of the legislature.

Several representatives on either side agreed to sit out the session in order to allow those present to comply with social distancing rules.

After a lengthy committee-stage discussion, the legislators agreed to insert a new rule stating that “where it is impracticable by reason of public emergency or any other emergency as agreed by the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition for the Legislative Assembly to meet physically, the Legislative Assembly may do so by electronic means”.

The change will now go to Governor Martyn Roper for approval before a planned session to approve a string of emergency bills connected to the coronavirus crisis can take place.

Premier Alden McLaughlin said it was a “historic” and unprecedented moment for the islands and for the assembly.

“We are today engaging in a process which has never been done in these islands before,” he said at the outset of the session.

“We have a bare minimum of members to constitute a quorum for the purpose of this meeting.”

The session, chaired by veteran legislator Anthony Eden, went into committee stage Wednesday morning as politicians on all sides worked to finalise the wording of the amendment.

McLaughlin said the agreed change would allow legislators to stay within physical distancing guidelines. He said the substantive session would proceed Thursday with some members present in the chamber and others dialing in via Zoom video-link.

They will debate several pieces of legislation, including emergency measures to allow people access to pension funds and proposed changes to the Traffic Law. Until Wednesday’s amendment, the standing orders of the House required members to be physically present in the chamber for a debate to take place and for legislation to be passed. Because of the outbreak of COIVD-19 in the Cayman Islands

Government members Joey Hew and Barbara Conolly wear masks during Wednesday’s meeting of the Legislative Assembly.

and the regulations to suppress its spread, the premier said it had become impossible for that to happen without violating social distancing requirements.

McLaughlin said it was imperative that the House was able to deal with urgent legislation connected to the pandemic and the unfolding economic crisis.

Opposition leader Arden McLean

gave his support to the changes.

He said electronic meetings was something legislators would have to get used to as part of the “new world order” and were necessary to enable legislation to be passed in the midst of the pandemic.

He said the parliament was steeped in “old tradition” but had to be updated to adapt to the times and the circumstances.

“Personally, I have not been overly excited about changing old conventions that has been established and used for hundreds of years within parliament,” he said, “but time has moved on and there is a new world.

“When parliament started, we didn’t have any electronic means – no TV, no radio, no nothing.”

(Cayman Compass)

Jamaica: Principal charged with sexual assault of daughter THE principal of an eastern St Andrew school is now on bail after he was charged recently for the alleged sexual abuse of his teenage daughter.

The police confirmed that the principal was arrested and charged by detectives from the Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) on March 10.

Head of CISOCA, Senior Superintendent of Police Charmaine Shand, confirmed that the principal was charged with cruelty to a child and grievous sexual assault.

The accused is scheduled to reappear in court on Friday, April 24, 2020.

The Gleaner has not published the principal’s name to protect the identity of the minor.

The teen victim allegedly reported the matter to the guidance department at her high school, which subsequently sought the intervention of the police. It was not ascertained whether the abuse was a one-off instance or occurred over a period.

The child is now in state care, the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) told The Gleaner.

A representative from the Ministry of Education said that it was unaware of the incident and could not comment at this time.

Schools have been on break because of the new coronavirus outbreak.

There were approximately 15,000 cases of sexual and other abuse referred to the CPFSA in 2018 alone. This represented an 8.5 per cent rise on the 13,820 reports made in 2017. (Jamaica Gleaner)

Sir Richard moved to Necker Island 14 years ago.

Coronavirus: Branson offers Caribbean island to secure Virgin bailout SIR Richard Branson has pledged his luxury island resort as collateral to help get a UK government bailout of his stricken airline Virgin Atlantic.

The billionaire Virgin Group boss said in an open letter to staff he was not asking for a handout, but a commercial loan, believed to be £500m.

The airline’s survival was in doubt, and his Necker Island home in the Caribbean could be mortgaged, he said.

It comes as Virgin Group’s airline in Australia faces administration.

Both airlines have been hit hard by the global coronavirus lockdown,

and Sir Richard has appealed to governments in both countries for help.

However, has been criticised for appealing for taxpayer aid rather than drawing on his huge wealth. Sir Richard’s fortune is thought to be well over £4bn. The large US airline Delta owns 49% of Virgin Atlantic.

Sir Richard said in his letter to staff: “Many airlines around the world need government support and many have already received it.” The crisis facing airlines, and the staff they employ, was “unprecedented,” he said.

Despite his wealth, this did not mean he had “cash in a bank account ready to withdraw”. And he hit back at criticism that he was a tax exile who did not deserve help, saying he and his wife “did not leave Britain for tax reasons but for our love of the beautiful British Virgin Islands and in particular Necker Island”.

He said Necker would be offered as security for any loans. “As with other Virgin assets, our team will raise as much money against the island as possible to save as many jobs as possible around the group,” Sir Richard said.

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

World News

April 25 - May 1, 2020

NY antibody study estimates 13.9% of residents have had the coronavirus, Gov. Cuomo says AN estimated 13.9% of the New Yorkers have likely had Covid-19, according to preliminary results of coronavirus antibody testing released by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday.

The state randomly tested 3,000 people at grocery stores and shopping locations across 19 counties in 40 localities to see if they had the antibodies to fight the coronavirus, indicating they have had the virus and recovered from it, Cuomo said.

With more than 19.4 million people residents, according to U.S. Census data, the preliminary results indicate that at least 2.7 million New Yorkers have been infected with Covid-19.

The results differed across the state with the largest concentration of positive antibody tests found in New York City at 21.2%. In Long Island, 16.7% of the people tested were positive and in Westchester, where the state’s first major outbreak originated, 11.7% of the tests were positive. The Covid-19

With more than 19.4 million people residents, according to U.S. Census data, the preliminary results indicate that at least 2.7 million New Yorkers have been infected with Covid-19; but there were several variables.

pandemic across the rest of the state is relatively contained with just 3.6% of positive test results.

“What we found so far is that the statewide number is 13.9% tested

positive for having the antibodies,” he said. “They were infected three weeks ago, four weeks ago, five weeks ago, six weeks ago, but they had the virus, they developed

the antibodies and they are now recovered.”

While Covid-19 deaths across the state have begun to level off, the “number of lives lost is still breathtakingly tragic,” Cuomo said. The state’s mortality rates remains persistently high, at 7.4% with at least 19,453 fatalities and 263,754 confirmed cases, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The antibody testing indicates that the actual death rate is far lower, less than 1%, Cuomo said.

The testing results also may be artificially high because “these are people who were out and about shopping,” Cuomo added. “They were not people who were in their home, they were not people isolated, they were not people who were quarantined who you could argue probably had a lower rate of infection because they wouldn’t come out of the house.”

While Cuomo cautioned that the data was preliminary, he also said the 3,000 test sample was a

“significant data set.”

On Sunday, Cuomo said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the state’s antibody test that will provide the “first true snapshot” of how many people have been infected with Covid-19 in New York. State officials don’t know the true number of infections because they haven’t been able to conduct diagnostic coronavirus testing on a large scale, Cuomo said.

Global health officials have questioned the reliability of antibody testing, however, and whether it can accurately determine whether someone is immune to the disease. World Health Organization said on Friday that there’s no evidence serological tests can show whether a person has immunity or is no longer at risk of becoming reinfected.

Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO’s emergencies program, said scientists are also studying how long any potential immunity might last. (CNBC.com)

Coronavirus: Trump signs order on immigration green card suspension US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to temporarily suspend the approval of some green cards.

The measure, which contains a number of exemptions, is to last for 60 days and then could be extended, he said.

Mr Trump says the order is designed to protect American workers’ jobs in an economy pummelled by the coronavirus.

Critics have accused him of using the pandemic as cover to ram through long-sought hardline immigration policies in an election year.

“This will ensure that unemployed Americans of all backgrounds will be first in line for jobs as our economy reopens,” Mr Trump said during Wednesday’s coronavirus briefing at the White House.

WHO WILL LOSE OUT AND WHO IS EXEMPT? The measure is expected to stop the practice of green card holders sponsoring their extended families

for permanent US residency, which the president calls chain migration.

But it makes an exception for American citizens’ spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21.

The order also suspends the Diversity Visa Lottery, which issues about 50,000 green cards annually.

Also exempt are the hundreds of thousands of green card applicants already living and working in the US, and those seeking entry to work as doctors, nurses or other healthcare professionals.

Another exception is the hundreds of thousands of temporary guest visas issued each year to such applicants as farm labourers and skilled workers in the H-1B visa programme.

WHAT WILL BE THE IMPACT? The pandemic has blunted the immediate effect of the order because almost all visa processing by the state department has been halted for weeks with consulates

closed.

Nevertheless, according to the the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute, Mr Trump’s order could block more than 20,000 applicants per month from obtaining a green card.

Omar Jadwat, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, said the policy “will cause real pain for families and employers across the country”.

The president’s move is likely to face legal challenges.

HOW DID WE GET HERE? The president vowed to suspend “all immigration” to the US on in a tweet on Monday night.

Like many other nations, the US has imposed sweeping travel restrictions to contain the pandemic.

The Trump administration has limited visitors from China and most of Europe, while closing its borders to all but “essential” travel from Mexico and Canada.

The president has also invoked a 1944 law aimed at preventing the

The measure, which contains a number of exemptions, is to last for 60 days and then could be extended.

spread of communicable diseases to turn away asylum seekers at US borders.

WHY IS TRUMP DOING THIS? The president says he is seeking to protect American jobs.

More than 20 million Americans have lost their jobs amid the coronavirus outbreak, and the president has said the government had a “solemn duty” to ensure they regain work.

Mr Trump, a Republican, came

into office partly because of his hardline stance on immigration, and has made the issue central to his presidency.

In November’s election, he is expected to be challenged by former Vice-President Joe Biden, a Democrat who is much more in favour of immigration.

Others have accused the president of trying to distract attention from his response to the coronavirus. The US has seen more than 46,000 deaths and 840,000 infections, the most in the world.

April 25 - May 1, 2020

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

World News

Coronavirus: Boris Johnson was ‘just another patient’ - New Zealand nurse BORIS Johnson was just “another patient we were trying to do our best for,” the New Zealand nurse credited with helping to save his life has said.

Jenny McGee was praised by the PM for standing by his bedside “when things could have gone either way” while he was in intensive care with coronavirus.

She said she hadn’t expected him to mention her, saying it was a “shock”.

She insisted Mr Johnson received no special treatment and “absolutely needed” to be in intensive care.

Meanwhile, Luis Pitarma, the other nurse specifically thanked by the PM, said it felt “quite strange” looking after Mr Johnson, as he had never cared for someone so high profile before.

Speaking to Television New Zealand (TVNZ), Ms McGee said she was not “fazed” by treating the prime minister, adding it was “just another day at the office”.

“As a unit he was just another patient we were trying to do our best for,” she said.

“We take it very seriously who comes into intensive care, these patients who come into us, it’s a very scary thing for them so we don’t take it lightly.”

She said the pair “chatted away” and that Mr Johnson was “interested in where I came from and what my story was”.

Ms McGee, who has worked in

PM Johnson praised both nurses Luis Pitarma (left) and Jenny McGee.

intensive care for 10 years, said it is “heartbreaking” to watch some patients pass away without their families, calling it the “saddest part” of her job.

She said nurses are glad to offer some comfort to these patients by “holding their hand”, when the virus makes it “unsafe” for some loved ones to visit.

Nurses also have to keep a “cool head” in stressful situations and prioritise getting patients “through the night”, she added.

After being singled out by Mr Johnson in a video thanking NHS staff, Ms McGee, from Invercargill on the South Island, became known globally as “Jenny from New Zealand”.

She said the PM’s praise came “totally out of the blue”, adding her first reaction was that her friends

were playing a “joke” on her.

“I couldn’t believe what he said on TV,” she added.

She later received a message of thanks from her “hero” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Ms McGee said: “I think she’s amazing, she just said how proud she was of me and the country was so proud and it was so heartwarming and that’s something I will never forget.”

Asked why she chose not to return home to New Zealand in the wake of the pandemic, despite being on holiday there as the virus began to strike around the world, she said she felt a “real sense of duty” to help fight it in the UK. She said: “I have lived here for 10 years and I have worked in NHS for that amount of time and

I’m one of the sisters on the unit, a leader on the unit.

“It wasn’t an option not to come back and I think by being over here and helping over here I’m hoping one day to get back to New Zealand.”

Mr Johnson was discharged from St Thomas’ Hospital in London on 12 April, one week after being admitted to be treated for coronavirus.

He spent several nights in the intensive care unit where he was given oxygen.

In a video message after he was discharged, he said the NHS had “saved my life, no question” and specifically thanked Ms McGee and another nurse, Luis Pitarma from Portugal.

He said the reason he was able to get enough oxygen was due to the pair keeping watch by his bedside for 48 hours “thinking... caring and making the interventions I needed”.

Mr Pitarma, 29, who has worked at St Thomas’s for nearly four years, revealed he was nervous after being told he would be caring for the prime minister, but said his first conversation with Mr Johnson put him at ease.

In a statement, he said: “I asked how he would like to be addressed and he said to call him Boris.”

He said this made him “less nervous” because “he took away any formality”.

“He just wanted to be looked

after like anyone else.

“It was a big responsibility and I gave it the same respect as I would with any other patient”, he added.

Mr Pitarma, who is originally from Aveiro in Portugal but lives in west London, said he told Mr Johnson he had been inspired

by Florence Nightingale, who established the first professional nursing school in the world at St Thomas’ Hospital in 1860.

“I told him how I’d dreamed about working at St Thomas’ since my first day of training in Portugal in 2009, when I learned about Florence Nightingale and her connection to the hospital.

“He said it was amazing that I wanted to work here for so long and was glad I was there when he needed our care. It was a pleasure to look after him.”

Mr Pitarma said he was “extremely proud” when Mr Johnson thanked him in person for “saving his life”, adding he felt “so happy” when the prime minister mentioned him in his video.

Hours later, he received a message of thanks from Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, calling it “surreal”.

“I couldn’t really believe what was happening. Apparently I’m a celebrity in Portugal now! It’s great to get more recognition for nurses there.”

The prime minister continues to recover at his country residence, Chequers. (BBC)

Merkel warns coronavirus crisis ‘still just the beginning’ GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel says her country must remain “clever and cautious” in handling the coronavirus crisis, as “it’s not the end phase but still just the beginning”.

“We’ll have to live with this virus for a long time,” she told parliament, ahead of an EU summit via videolink.

And she said Germany should be ready to “make very different, meaning much higher contributions to the EU budget”.

The video summit - the EU’s fourth on coronavirus - is now under way.

EU leaders are expected to sign off on a new €540bn (£470bn; $575bn) emergency fund to protect European workers, businesses and

countries worst affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The details are yet to be worked out.

The €540bn would be released through EU institutions that already exist, including the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the main bailout fund set up in response to the 2008 financial crisis.

European Council President Charles Michel told leaders they should aim to start releasing the funds by 1 June.

But a thornier issue is how much extra to commit to the EU budget to deal with this crisis, and how much the 27 member states will spend jointly. There are plans for a special recovery fund, like the post-1945 Marshall

Plan.

Italy and some other states want EU help in aid grants, not loans.

The scale of the crisis is such, they argue, that at least €1.5 trillion will be needed.

Mrs Merkel said extra EU budget funds should be provided “in a spirit of solidarity” and for a limited time.

Italy, at the epicentre of the pandemic in Europe, has been especially vocal in urging its EU partners to jointly guarantee debt.

But Germany, the Netherlands and Austria oppose any mutualisation of debt, in the form of so-called “coronabonds”. Under current EU rules countries cannot be made liable for each other’s debts.

Chancellor Merkel has been widely praised for her handling of the crisis.

French President Emmanuel Macron has sided with Italy and Spain in this crisis, warning that it threatens the very existence of the EU. Italy, Spain and France - in that order - have the highest European death tolls from Covid-19, each above 20,000.

On Thursday German officials

said coronavirus cases nationally had risen to 148,046, and the number of deaths linked to Covid-19 had risen by 215 to 5,094.

Mrs Merkel said “it’s the biggest challenge since World War Two, for the life and health of our people”. (BBC)

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World News

April 25 - May 1, 2020

Lifting of Scottish coronavirus lockdown ‘likely to be phased’ THE lifting of the coronavirus lockdown is likely to be phased in Scotland - with some measures remaining in place into next year, “or beyond”.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said gatherings in pubs and at public events were likely to be banned or restricted for some time to come.

And she said all pupils might not be able to attend school at the same time because of social distancing rules.

But Ms Sturgeon said Scotland was not yet able to begin to ease its lockdown.

And she warned that the country will have to “adapt to a new reality” in the future - and that lockdown could have to be reinstated “with very little notice” if the transmission of the virus could not be controlled.

She was speaking as the Scottish government published a new document outlining the basis of an exit strategy from the UK-wide lockdown that has been in place since 23 March.

The paper did not set any dates for when the restrictions could begin to be lifted, and that even when it does start to be relaxed “strong measures to sustain low levels of transmission will be required until either a vaccine or

cure is developed.”

And it said Scotland will not be able to “immediately return to how things were”, and would instead target a “managed transition away from current restrictions” while still suppressing the virus.

UK BUDGET DEFICIT TO BE ‘COLOSSAL’ It said: “We will need people in Scotland to continue to live their lives in ways that minimise the spread of the virus.

“So even as we lift some of the more restrictive measures, better hand hygiene and appropriate physical distancing will need to remain in place at home, on the streets and in the workplace.”

Countries worldwide have been taking measures to tackle the novel virus which first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. There are now more than 2.6 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in 185 countries and at least 184,000 people have died.

The latest pandemic developments include; § deep concerns voiced by the World Health Organization that half of Europe’s Covid-19 deaths have occurred in care homes. § more than 15% of the workforce in the US make unemployment claims after losing

their jobs § German Chancellor Angela Merkel says her government is ready to make “significantly higher” contributions to the EU budget § a contact tracing pilot scheme will begin next week in Northern Ireland § Wales reports a further 17 deaths, taking the total to 641 § and the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies says the UK’s budget deficit is set to see “an absolutely colossal increase to a level not seen in peacetime” The eventual lifting of lockdown in Scotland will be phased, with mass gatherings and the re-opening of pubs not likely until later in the process.

The Scottish government paper said: “We are likely to require that gathering in groups, for example in pubs or at public events, is banned or restricted for some time to come.”

Ms Sturgeon warned that the lockdown currently remained “absolutely necessary to suppress the virus, protect our health service and save lives”.

She said it “could take some time” but “ultimately we will come through this challenge”, and the publication of the paper was the start of a process that would evolve

Nicola Sturgeon said the current lockdown was “absolutely necessary” to suppress the virus.

into a detailed plan in the coming weeks.

Ms Sturgeon said any talk of lifting the lockdown “like the flick of a switch” was “misguided”, saying: “A return to normal as we knew it is not on the cards in the near future.”

She said Scotland would have to find a “new normal”, which involved “living alongside the virus in a form which keeps it under control”.

And the first minister said it was impossible to know with certainty what the long-term impact of decisions would be, meaning a flexible approach will be needed.

At Wednesday’s government briefing, Ms Sturgeon said a further 58 deaths of people who had tested positive for the virus had been recorded, bringing the total under that measure to 1,120.

The total number of coronavirusrelated deaths in Scotland stands at more than 1,600 once those who died with suspected cases of the

virus are included, with a third of the deaths happening in care homes.

But Ms Sturgeon said there were “very encouraging” falls in the number of patients in hospital and intensive care.

The Scottish government said work is to be carried out to study how “physical distancing” can be continued in schools, transport, businesses and recreation.

This could involve workplaces and classrooms being redesigned to make social distancing possible - which could mean that not all pupils are able to attend at the same time when schools begin to reopen.

TESTING CAPACITY CRITICAL Consideration will also be given to having different measures in place for different geographical areas, sectors of the economy and groups of the population, although Ms Sturgeon said this may complicate messaging.

Coronavirus: World risks ‘biblical’ famines due to pandemic - UN THE world is at risk of widespread famines “of biblical proportions” caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the UN has warned.

David Beasley, head of the World Food Programme (WFP), said urgent action was needed to avoid a catastrophe.

A report estimates that the number suffering from hunger could go from 135 million to more than 250 million.

Those most at risk are in 10 countries affected by conflict, economic crisis and climate change, the WFP says.

The fourth annual Global Report on Food Crises highlights Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Nigeria and Haiti.

In South Sudan, 61% of the population was affected by food crisis last year, the report says.

Millions across the world already rely heavily on food aid to survive.

Even before the pandemic hit, parts of East Africa and South Asia were already facing severe food shortages caused by drought and the worst locust infestations for

decades.

Addressing the UN Security Council during a video conference, Mr Beasley said the world had to “act wisely and act fast”.

“We could be facing multiple famines of biblical proportions within a short few months,” he said. “The truth is we do not have time on our side.”

In a call to action, he added: “I do believe that with our expertise and our partnerships, we can bring together the teams and the programmes necessary to make certain the Covid-19 pandemic does not become a human and food crisis catastrophe.”

The WFP’s senior economist, Arif Husain, said the economic impact of the pandemic was potentially catastrophic for millions “who are already hanging by a thread”.

“It is a hammer blow for millions more who can only eat if they earn a wage,” he said in a statement.

“Lockdowns and global economic recession have already

decimated their nest eggs. It only takes one more shock - like Covid-19 - to push them over the edge. We must collectively act now to mitigate the impact of this global catastrophe.”

Earlier this month, this WFP said it was set to halve aid to parts of war-torn Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels due to a funding crisis.

It said some donors had stopped their aid over concerns that deliveries were being obstructed

by Houthi forces.

The WFP feeds more than 12 million Yemenis a month, 80% of whom are in areas controlled by Houthi forces.

Yemen confirmed its first case of Covid-19 earlier this month, with aid agencies warning that the disease could quickly overwhelm the country’s weakened health systems. (BBC)

April 25 - May 1, 2020

TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

World News

37

Canada deadly shooting: Police defend lack of emergency alert POLICE say they were preparing an emergency alert when police shot and killed the suspect in the worst mass shooting in Canada’s modern history.

Authorities have been criticised for relying on social media to alert Nova Scotia residents the manhunt for the gunman.

At least 22 people were killed over 13 hours that spanned Saturday night to Sunday morning.

Police are yet to determine a motive for the crime.

The victims include a 17-yearold, a pregnant healthcare worker and a veteran Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer.

Family members of some victims have spoken publicly about whether a province-wide alert sent to all residents of Nova Scotia could have prevented some of the deaths.

Nova Scotia Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Chief Supt Chris Leather said that from the time of the initial calls to emergency services on Saturday evening reporting gunshots in the

rural community of Portapique, police officials were processing fast-moving information.

Responders found “several casualties inside and outside of a home” but no suspect.

They also discovered “multiple sites in the immediate area, including structures and vehicles that were on fire”.

One tweet was sent out at the time warning residents of Portapique, where the rampage began, to stay indoors due to a “firearms complaint”.

Police set up two parameters to hunt for the suspect.

It was at around 08:00 local time (11:00 GMT) on Sunday morning that police met with a key witness who gave them critical information about the gunman, Chief Supt Leather said.

After that, the RCMP began providing frequent updates on Twitter, which were picked up by media.

Victims were also found in the communities of Wentworth, Debert, Shubenacadie/Milford and

Memorials, including virtual ones, commemorate the victims.

Enfield.

The search ended shortly before midday on Sunday when the suspect was located by police at a service station in Enfield, north of the provincial capital of Halifax.

He was shot and later died.

At around 10:15 that morning provincial officials contacted police to offer an emergency alert, Chief Supt Leathers said.

They were in the process of preparing our emergency notification when the gunman was shot by police.

The investigator said he was

“very satisfied with the messaging” by police given the complexity of the crime they were working with.

WHAT MORE DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION? Little is known about what motivated the suspect, Gabriel Wortman, 51 or why he chose his victims.

Police said on Wednesday that while their investigation revealed the suspected shooter acted alone, “we are continuing to investigate whether anyone may has assisted

him leading up to the incident - that is still part of the active investigation”.

They are expected to release a more detailed timeline of the course of events in the coming days. The rampage took place in multiple communities and over 13 hours.

There are 16 crime scenes being investigated, including multiple fires.

Police say the hunt for the gunman was hampered by the fact he was driving a vehicle that looked like a police cruiser and was wearing a police uniform.

How he procured both is part of the investigation.

WHO WERE THE VICTIMS? Among the dead were a teacher, a home care nurse working on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, and an RCMP officer.

A national virtual vigil will be held this week to honour the victims of the shooting, as the province is locked-down due to the virus.

Sweden resisted a lockdown, and its capital Stockholm is expected to reach ‘herd immunity’ in weeks ITS neighbours closed borders, schools, bars and businesses as the coronavirus pandemic swept through Europe, but Sweden went against the grain by keeping public life as unrestricted as possible.

The strategy — aimed at allowing some exposure to the virus in order to build immunity among the general population while protecting high-risk groups like the elderly — has been controversial. Some health experts liken it to playing Russian roulette with public health.

But now, the country’s chief epidemiologist said the strategy appears to be working and that “herd immunity” could be reached in the capital Stockholm in a matter of weeks.

“In major parts of Sweden, around Stockholm, we have reached a plateau (in new cases) and we’re already seeing the effect of herd immunity and in a few weeks’ time we’ll see even more of the effects of that. And in the rest of the country, the situation is stable,” Dr. Anders Tegnell, chief epidemiologist at Sweden’s Public Health Agency, told CNBC on Tuesday.

Herd immunity among a population, usually achieved

People enjoy the warm spring weather at Hornstull in Stockholm on April 21, 2020, during the new coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

through vaccination, is reached when around 60% of citizens are deemed immune. Without a vaccine for the coronavirus, however, scientists are looking at whether exposure to and recovery from Covid-19 leads to long-term immunity. Some reinfections, or reactivations, of the coronavirus

have been reported.

Tegnell said sampling and modeling data indicated that 20% of Stockholm’s population is already immune to the virus, and that “in a few weeks’ time we might reach herd immunity and we believe that is why we’re seeing a slow decline in cases, in

spite of sampling (testing for the coronavirus) more and more.”

“Unfortunately the mortality rate is high due to the introduction (of the virus) in elderly care homes and we are investigating the cause of that,” he said.

The major part of Sweden’s 15,322 confirmed cases are in

Stockholm and its surrounding areas, with very small incidences of the virus in the rest of Sweden — a country of around 10 million that has a low population density outside its urban hubs.

The number of cases in Sweden is almost double that in neighboring Denmark (it has 8,108 cases and has reported 370 deaths) and Finland (with just over 4,000 cases and 141 deaths) that imposed strict lockdown measures. Since their populations are each about 5 million — half of Sweden’s — the rates are about the same, although the comparison could be skewed by testing numbers in each country.

Still, Sweden’s 1,937 death toll is far higher than its neighbours.

Sweden originally tested only people who came into a hospital but is now testing more key workers and those in care homes.

Tegnell said the decision to test more groups of people was a reason for the number of confirmed cases not declining as quickly as it could have.

Sweden is testing around 20,000 people a week and hopes to increase that to 100,000 in a few weeks’ time, Tegnell said. (CNBC. com)

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April 25 - May 1, 2020

Science & Technology The healthiest way to brew your coffee -- and possibly lengthen your life

FOR many of us, the day doesn’t start off right until we have that cuppa joe.

Just the aroma of that dark, rich brew can get our senses stirring, ready for the mood boost we know is coming.

And it turns out that it’s not just fine for your health. In fact, it may lengthen your life -- but only if you prepare your coffee with a filter, according to a new long-term study published Wednesday in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

“Unfiltered coffee contains substances which increase blood cholesterol. Using a filter removes these and makes heart attacks and premature death less likely,” said study author Dag Thelle, a senior professor in the public health and community medicine department of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

“Our study provides strong and convincing evidence of a link between coffee brewing methods, heart attacks and longevity,” Thelle said.

That’s bad news for lovers of coffee made with the French press, or cafetière, that is so popular today, or those fond of strong Greek and Turkish brewing methods. Boiling coffee or using a coffee press can actually increase your risk of heart disease.

“Unfiltered coffee, like Greek

better than those not drinking coffee at all could not be explained by any other variable such as age, gender or lifestyle habits. So we think this observation is true,” Thelle said.

Drinking filtered coffee was important according to the study.

and Turkish coffee, which is boiled, or coffee made in a French press contain higher amounts of cafestol and kahweol -- chemicals found in oil droplets floating in the coffee and also in the sediment,” said registered dietitian Lisa Drayer, a CNN health and nutrition contributor.

“Studies have shown that these substances can raise triglyceride levels and LDL cholesterol levels,” Drayer said. “So stick with filtered coffee, such as a paper filter that you would use in a drip-brewed coffee, which can help to trap these chemicals.”

DRINKING FILTERED COFFEE BETTER FOR HEALTH The new study followed over half a million healthy Norwegian men and women between the ages of 20

and 79 over a 20-year period.

Results showed drinking boiled or pressed unfiltered coffee raised the risk of death in men aged 60 and above, due to elevated cardiovascular mortality.

But drinking filtered coffee -- that through a paper filter, for example, was found to be healthier than drinking no coffee at all.

Filtered coffee was linked to a 15% reduced risk of death from any cause, a 12% decreased risk of death from cardiovascular disease in men and a 20% lowered risk of death from heart disease in women when compared to drinking no coffee.

In fact, the study found those who drank one to four cups of filtered coffee per day had the lowest mortality rate.

“The finding that those drinking the filtered beverage did a little

EVIDENCE-BASED RECOMMENDATIONS The findings echo other research highlighting coffee’s health benefits. According to the American Heart Association, filtered coffee can sharpen your mental focus, boost mood and improve performance during exercise.

The British Medical Journal published a huge umbrella study in 2017 that looked at over 200 metaanalyses of the health benefits of coffee and that found drinking three to fours cups of black coffee a day provides the most health benefits overall.

Those included lowering the risk of heart disease; numerous types of cancer; and neurological, metabolic and liver disorders; as well as overall mortality. Other studies have found coffee reduces the risk for melanoma, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, prostate cancer, Alzheimer’s, computerrelated back pain and more.

Of course, nothing is perfect.

There are some reasons you may want to limit or avoid coffee.

Watch your sleep. “If you have trouble falling asleep, it’s best to avoid coffee and all sources of caffeine in the evening or close to bedtime,” Drayer suggested.

Careful if you’re at risk for fractures. The British Medical Journal analysis found high levels of coffee consumption (over four cups a day) was associated with a higher risk of fractures in women who already had a greater likelihood, but not in men.

Pregnant women should also be wary. Higher levels of coffee consumption were found to increase risk for preterm births and stillbirths, as well as low birth weight in babies.

This is possibly due to the fact that the half-life of caffeine is known to double during pregnancy, raising the dose of caffeine per cup, according to the study.

Not for those with Parkinson’s.

A study published in September 2017 reversed opinion on the benefits for Parkinson’s disease, which was long thought to be helped by caffeine. Researchers who first found that coffee reduced tremors in those with Parkinson’s went back and studied a larger sample of patients for a longer time. This time, they found no difference between those taking caffeine tablets and those taking a placebo. After the initial data came back negative, the study was stopped.

Coronavirus survivor describes ventilator ‘nightmare’ A CORONAVIRUS survivor has described being on a ventilator as like “like driving down the motorway at 70mph and sticking your head out the window.”

Roy Burton, 53, fell ill after having an operation following a mountain biking accident.

Mr Burton feared he was going to die while in the intensive care unit at Harrogate Hospital.

He was diagnosed with Covid-19 and was treated with continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP. Mr Burton said: “It’s like driving down a motorway at 70 miles an hour and you stick you head out the

window and that wind’s blowing in your face and down your mouth and into your lungs.

“I had that day and night for about nine days.

“One particular day in intensive care, I thought that was it for me, I just didn’t have the energy to breathe, I just couldn’t do it.

“But you think about your family, you think about your loved ones and you think ‘this thing isn’t going to get me’.”

Mr Burton, from Harrogate, was fit and healthy with no underlying health conditions before his coronavirus “nightmare”.

‘DON’T LET ME DIE’ After going into hospital to have surgery on his elbow he started feeling unwell and was struggling to breathe.

During his time in intensive care, Mr Burton said, a consultant asked him about resuscitation and organ donation.

“I’m a grown man but I held his hand and said ‘don’t let me die’,” he said.

Mr Burton spent six days in intensive care and more than two weeks in hospital.

As soon as he was well enough to make a video call, he proposed

During his stay in intensive care, Roy Burton said he just “concentrated solely on breathing”.

to his partner of 14 years.

Mr Burton said the care he received from NHS staff saved

his life and he now wants to buy them a drink to say thank you.

(BBC)

April 25 - May 1, 2020

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Science & Technology The tiny premature baby who fought off coronavirus TRACY Maguire remembers the moment she saw doctors insert a swab into her three-week-old baby’s nose to test for coronavirus.

The new mother says it is one of the “worst things” she has seen.

“It was the first time I’d seen my baby cry tears,” she said. “I held her, I was crying and we were just trying to get each other through the situation”.

Born prematurely at just 3lbs 5oz (1.5kg), baby Peyton was diagnosed with Covid-19 at just three weeks old.

Her arrival on 26 March - eight weeks before her due date - defied all of the family’s planning.

Despite feeling healthy, Tracy was told she may have pre-eclampsia during a routine appointment and was sent straight to Wishaw General Hospital in Lanarkshire.

‘SHE’S FINE - BUT SHE HAS COVID-19’ After those first weeks, during which Peyton enjoyed a bath in the ward, she began to show the slightest of symptoms - a sniffle and

a few coughs, almost undetectable.

Tracy told BBC Radio Scotland’s Mornings with Kaye Adams programme the news that her baby had become one of the country’s youngest virus patients was traumatic.

“They said ‘she’s fine, don’t panic - but she has tested positive for coronavirus’,” said Tracy.

“I think the doctor was trying to keep me calm but I was sobbing.

“As much as she was fine I thought at what point was she with the virus? How is she fighting against it when she’s so wee? It was just the unknown.”

Peyton was given steroids to help strengthen her lungs and received “amazing” care from neonatal nurses in the days that followed her diagnosis.

However, after recovering from her Caesarean section, Tracy was told she would have to go home and isolate for 14 days away from her baby.

She said: “I was pleading on the phone with the doctor saying I don’t want to be away from her.

“As much as everyone was looking after her, I’m her mum.

Even if it was the cold, I’d want to be there with her.”

Doctors relented and allowed Tracy to stay - but Adrian would have to go home and complete the isolation period in order to see his baby girl.

As days passed, the number of deaths in Scotland caused by the virus continued to increase - but Peyton recovered.

She and Tracy were discharged on Monday and Adrian has now held her for the first time since leaving hospital.

Tracy said: “From Adrian’s point of view, I think he felt a bit useless - first his baby is coming early and secondly his wife isn’t well and he couldn’t be there.”

‘PUT YOUR TRUST IN NURSES’ Now home and settling into a routine, Tracy and family have praised the doctors and nurses at Wishaw General who guided them through a remarkable and daunting

A smiling Peyton who fought off coronavirus just weeks after being born.

birth.

Tracy said: “They are doing a job that is unreal - they put their life at risk to make sure my baby was getting fed and cuddled in their full PPE. “It’s spectacular, you’ll never

understand how grateful you can be to people. Peyton is my most precious thing in the whole world and I trusted them to look after her.

“To any mums that are worried, put your trust in these nurses.”

(BBC)

Two cats in New York are first pets known to have coronavirus in the US TWO cats in New York have been infected with the novel coronavirus, federal officials announced Wednesday. Both had mild respiratory symptoms and are expected to make a full recovery.

“These are the first pets in the United States to test positive,” the US Department of Agriculture said Wednesday in a joint statement with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agencies emphasised that there is no evidence pets play a role in spreading coronavirus in the United States. “There is no justification in taking measures against companion animals that may compromise their welfare,” they said.

The two cats were tested after they showed respiratory symptoms, according to the agencies, and they join the ranks of eight lions and tigers who were infected at a New York zoo.

A veterinarian tested the first house cat after it showed mild respiratory signs, but none of the humans in its household were confirmed to have the virus.

It’s possible, officials said, that

A veterinarian tests an Egyptian cat for the coronavirus, a requirement for travel, at a clinic in Cairo, Egypt on March 29.

the cat was infected by somebody outside the home. Someone inside the house, with mild or no symptoms, could have also transmitted the virus.

The second cat, in a separate area of New York, was also tested after it showed signs of respiratory illness. The owner of that cat tested positive for Covid-19 before the

cat became ill, but another cat in the household has shown no signs of illness.

Social distancing for cats and dogs, too Asked about the cats on Wednesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci said “it’s not surprising” they could have been infected.

But Fauci, the nation’s top

infectious disease specialist, emphasized that “there is no evidence whatsoever that we’ve seen, from an epidemiological standpoint, that pets can be transmitters within the household.”

While officials are still learning more about coronavirus and pets, the CDC is recommending that people limit interactions between

their pets and people or animals outside the household.

Officials are still learning more about coronavirus and pets, but the CDC is recommending that people limit interactions between their pets and people or animals outside the household.

Cats should be kept indoors when possible, the CDC said, and dogs should be walked on a leash, maintaining at least six feet from other people and animals.

The agency said dogs should also avoid public places where a large number of people and animals gather, such as dog parks.

If someone is ill with Covid-19 -- whether suspected or confirmed -- officials recommend having another member of the household care for pets.

If that’s not possible, people should wear cloth face coverings around animals, making sure to wash their hands before and after any interactions.

And when people are sick, officials said they should refrain from petting or snuggling their pets -- and avoid being kissed or licked.

(CNN)

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Science & Technology

Climate change: 2019 was Europe’s warmest year on record EUROPE is heating faster than the global average as new data indicates that last year was the warmest on record.

While globally the year was the second warmest, a series of heatwaves helped push the region to a new high mark.

Over the past five years, global temperatures were, on average, just over 1C warmer than at the end of the 19th century.

In Europe, in the same period, temperatures were almost 2C warmer.

The data has been published as Earth Day marks its 50th anniversary.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says the physical signs of climate change and impacts on our planet have gathered pace in the past five years, which were the hottest on record.

The European data, which comes from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Service, 11 of the 12 warmest years on record on the continent have occurred since 2000.

The European State of the Climate 2019 shows that warm conditions and summer heatwaves saw drought in many parts of central Europe.

While the UK saw a new alltime high temperature recorded in Cambridge in July, in many places across the continent, the weather was 3-4C warmer than normal.

This is reflected in the amount of sunshine that hit Europe across the year. The number of sunshine hours was the largest on record.

The hot summer weather across Europe was followed by one of the wettest Novembers on record, with rainfall almost four times the normal amount in western and southern Europe.

The European Arctic region though was below the high temperatures seen in recent years, just 0.9C higher than average.

Taken together, the data show “a clear warming trend across the last four decades.”

“Europe has indeed been warming significantly faster than

Fires made worse by drought were a feature in many European countries in 2019.

the global average,” said Prof Rowan Sutton, director of science (climate) at the UK’s National Centre for Atmospheric Science.

“This is for two reasons. First, land regions in general are warming faster than the oceans, largely because the greater availability of moisture over the oceans damps the rate of warming.”

“Secondly, reductions in specific forms of air pollution have contributed to the recent warming in Europe, particularly in summer.”

What will worry researchers is that the mean temperature in Europe over the past five years is averaging almost 2C warmer than pre-industrial figures.

This suggests that the continent

is breaching the promise made in the Paris climate agreement to keep temperatures “well below” 2C. “In lockdown, sitting on our sofas or our makeshift desks or in many more difficult situations, it would be easy for us to take our eyes off this alarming reality; that 2019 was the warmest year on record for Europe, that November brought us massively more precipitation than normal,” said Prof Hannah Cloke, from the University of Reading.

“And for every decade I have been on this planet, it has been getting hotter and hotter and hotter. “ Researchers in the field are keen to underline that while the

coronavirus pandemic might mean a temporary drop in emissions of greenhouse gases, much more will need to be done to arrest the worrying warming trend.

“While pollution has dropped with economic activity in response to the global pandemic, CO2 is not just disappearing overnight,” said Prof Daniela Schmidt, from the University of Bristol.

“The impact of the warming like sea level rise will be with us for centuries. The pandemic has made us less able to tackle the impact of climate change impacts.

Our communities which have just been flooded will find sheltering in their damaged homes much more challenging.

Researchers traces the history of brain evolution from tyrannosaurs to modern crows AN international team of evolutionary biologists and paleontologists have reconstructed the evolution of the avian brain using a massive dataset of brain volumes from dinosaurs, extinct birds like Archaeopteryx and the Great Auk, and modern birds.

The study, published online today in the journal Current Biology, reveals that prior to the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous Period, birds and nonavian dinosaurs had similar relative brain sizes. After the extinction, the brain-body scaling relationship shifted dramatically as some types of birds underwent an explosive radiation to re-occupy ecological space vacated by extinct groups.

“One of the big surprises was that selection for small body size turns out to be a major factor in the evolution of large-brained birds,” says Dr. Daniel Ksepka, Curator of Science at the Bruce Museum and lead author of the study. “Many successful bird families evolved

proportionally large brains by shrinking down to smaller body sizes while their brain sizes stayed close to those of their larger-bodied ancestors.”

In order to understand how bird brains changed, a team of 37 scientists used CT scan data to create endocasts (models of the brain based on the shape of the skull cavity) of hundreds of birds and dinosaurs, which they combined with a large existing database of brain measurements from modern birds. They then analyzed brainbody allometry: the way brain size scales with body size.

“There is no clear line between the brains of advanced dinosaurs and primitive birds,” notes coauthor Dr. Amy Balanoff of Johns Hopkins University. “Birds like emus and pigeons have the same brains sizes you would expect for a theropod dinosaur of the same body size, and in fact some species like moa have smaller-than-expected brains.”

The two groups of birds with truly exceptional brain sizes evolved relatively recently: parrots and corvids (crows, ravens, and kin). These birds show tremendous cognitive capacity, including the ability to use tools and language, and to remember human faces. The new study finds that parrots and crows exhibited very high rates of brain evolution that may have helped them achieve such high proportional brain sizes.

“Several groups of birds show above average rates of brain and body size evolution,” remarks co-author Dr. N. Adam Smith of the Campbell Geology Museum at Clemson University. “But crows are really off the charts— they outpaced all other birds.

Our results suggest that calling someone ‘bird-brained’ is actually quite a compliment!”

“Crows are the hominins of the bird kingdom,” says coauthor Dr. Jeroen Smaers of Stony Brook University. “Like

Visualisations of brain endocasts (blue) from the skulls of a dinosaur and a modern bird.

our own ancestors, they evolved proportionally massive brains by increasing both their body size and

brain size at the same time, with the brain size increase happening even more rapidly.” (Phys.org)

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Science & Technology

Europe’s Cheops telescope begins study of far-off worlds EUROPE’S newest space telescope has begun ramping up its science operations.

Cheops was launched in December to study and characterise planets outside our Solar System.

And after a period of commissioning and testing, the orbiting observatory is now ready to fulfil its mission.

Early targets for investigation include the so-called “Styrofoam world” Kelt-11b; the “lava planet” 55 Cancri-e; and the “evaporating planet” GJ-436b.

Discovered in previous surveys of the sky, Cheops hopes to add to the knowledge of what these and hundreds of other far-flung objects are really like.

The Swiss-led telescope will do this by watching for the tiny changes in light when a world passes in front of its host star.

This event, referred to as a transit, will betray a precise diameter for the “exoplanet”. When this information is combined with data about the mass of the object - obtained through other means it will be possible for scientists to deduce a density.

And this should say a lot about the composition and internal structure of the target.

Kelt-11b has provided a good early demonstration. This is a giant

Artwork: The lava world 55 Cancri-e is one of many super-Earth Cheops will study.

exoplanet some 30% larger than our own Jupiter that orbits very close to a star called HD 93396.

Kelt-11b is a seemingly “puffed up” world with a very low density - hence the comparison with expanded foam.

From the way the light from the star dips when Kelt-11b moves in front to make its transit, Cheops’ exquisite photometer instrument is able to determine the planet’s diameter to be 181,600km (plus or minus 4,290km). This measurement is over five times more precise than was possible

using a ground-based telescope.

The European Space Agency (Esa) is part of the collaboration behind Cheops. Its project scientist Dr Kate Isaak lauded the performance of the new observatory.

“We have a very stable satellite; the pointing is excellent - better than requirements. And this is going to be a real benefit to the mission,” she told BBC News.

“From the spacecraft side, from the instrument side, from the analysis of the data that we’re getting - we can see that this

mission has huge promise.”

Prof David Ehrenreich from the University of Geneva said quite a few early observations made with Cheops would be of “superEarths”.

“These are planets that are assumed to be rocky like Earth - but much bigger, more massive. And much hotter, too. Lava worlds,” he explained.

55 Cancri-e fits into this category. More than eight times as massive as Earth, it takes just 18 hours to circle its parent star.

Scientists believe it to have a global ocean of molten rock on its surface.

About 80% of observing time on Cheops is reserved for the project consortium. Led from the universities of Bern and Geneva, this team has members in eleven European nations (with Esa as a partner also). The other 20% of time is being offered to the community at large. And the first of these external proposals will be studied in coming days. Cheops will look at a burnt-out, or white dwarf, star to see if there is any planetary material moving around it.

Nobel Laureate Prof Didier Queloz, from the universities of Cambridge and Geneva, said the goal of Cheops was to improve

our ideas for how planets were created.

He told the BBC: “We have built a whole theory of planet formation by observing only the eight planets of our Solar System, but by extending our observations to other kinds of planets that have no counterpart in our Solar System - we should be able to add the missing parts of this theory and get, let’s say, a bigger perspective on how we actually fit in.”

Science planning for Cheops is run out of the Geneva; the telescope itself is controlled from Spain, at the National Institute for Aerospace Technology in Torrejon on the outskirts of Madrid.

While the coronavirus crisis has meant considerable disruption for many space projects, Cheops has been largely unaffected.

“The completion of the test phase was only possible with the full commitment of all the participants, and because the mission has an operational control system that is largely automated, allowing commands to be sent and data to be received from home,” said Prof Willy Benz from the University of Bern and principal investigator on the mission.

Cheops is a short form that stands for CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite. (BBC)

Is the world’s biggest iceberg about to break up?

THE world’s biggest iceberg, A-68, just got a little smaller.

At around 5,100 sq km, the behemoth has been the largest freefloating block of ice in Antarctica since it broke away from the continent in July 2017.

But on Thursday, it dropped a sizeable chunk measuring about 175 sq km.

The iceberg is currently moving north from the Antarctic Peninsula.

Having entered rougher, warmer waters - it is now riding currents that should take it towards the South Atlantic.

Prof Adrian Luckman, who’s been following A-68’s progress, said the new fracture could mark the beginning of the end of this icy giant.

“I am continually amazed that something so thin and fragile has lasted so long on the open sea,” the Swansea University researcher

told BBC News.

“I suspect that the final breakup is now starting, but the ensuing fragments will probably be with us for years.”

Evidence of Thursday’s split came via a radar image acquired by the European Union’s Sentinel-1 satellite.

A-68’s name comes from a classification system run by the US National Ice Center, which divides the Antarctic into quadrants.

Because the berg broke from the Larsen C Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea, it got an “A” designation. “68” was the latest number in the series of large calvings in that sector.

Properly, we should refer to the berg as A-68A - that’s because subsequent breakages also get their own related name. A-68B was dropped early in the life of the main berg. This new chunk will almost certainly get the designation

A-68C. Were there indications that this particular corner would come off?

“Not that I have seen. I’ve been keeping an eye on progress, but mostly it’s been attrition of small flakes from all around,” said Prof Luckman.

When first calved in 2017, A-68 was close to 6,000 sq km in area, with an average thickness of about 190m.

For months it appeared to catch on the seafloor and didn’t move very far. But eventually it spun around and picked up pace as it drifted northwards. This past austral summer saw the giant break free of the persistent seaice that clogs the Weddell Sea - a significant development because it has exposed A-68 to much greater swells. Its structure is now under more stress and further splits should be expected.

On Thursday the world’s biggest iceberg dropped a sizeable chunk measuring about 175 sq km.

It’s currently travelling past the South Orkney Islands which form the far tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Currents should then throw it in the general direction of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

How much longer A-68 can maintain its present integrity is anyone’s guess. But even if it does suffer a major fragmentation event, the individual icy blocks could persist well into the 2020s before melting away. (BBC)

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Uefa keen on sporting merit qualification method for European competitions UEFA has urged clubs to “explore all possible options” to finish domestic seasons and use “a different format” if needed in order for teams to qualify for European competitions.

European football’s governing body wants clubs to qualify for European competitions through “sporting merit”.

If league seasons cannot be finished it said national associations would need to select clubs to qualify for Europe.

Uefa said it could “refuse or evaluate” selected teams if necessary.

But after a video call meeting of all 55 national associations it is clear Uefa wants on-field performance to determine which clubs make up next season’s Champions League and Europa League competitions despite the current shutdown of major leagues because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Spanish Football Association suggested places being allocated on the basis of club coefficient, which calculates

performance in European club competitions over a five year period.

Had the method been taken up, Atletico Madrid, who are currently outside the top four in La Liga would have qualified for the Champions League at the expense of Real Sociedad, while in the Premier League Manchester United would have done the same at the expense of Leicester City.

“Uefa urges National Associations and Leagues to explore all possible options to play all top domestic competitions giving access to Uefa club competitions to their natural conclusion,” Uefa said in a statement.

“The ideal scenario, should the pandemic situation permit it, is to have the currently suspended domestic competitions completed enabling football clubs to qualify for Uefa club competitions on sporting merit in their original format.

“Should this outcome not be possible, in particular due to calendar issues, it would be preferable that suspended domestic

competitions would restart with a different format in a manner which would still facilitate clubs to qualify on sporting merit.”

UEFA COULD REJECT EUROPEAN SELECTIONS

Uefa did not make clear what a “different format” would look like but it raises the prospect of mini tournaments or play-off style matches being used to decide European qualification if seasons cannot be finished.

The Premier League has nine rounds of fixtures remaining but in Spain and Italy there are still 11 and 12 rounds left respectively.

The Dutch Eredivisie announced it was unlikely to complete the current season because of an extension of government restrictions until 1 September, while Belgium’s top division, the Jupiler League, is also set to be cancelled despite there being just one regular-season game and playoffs to be played.

Uefa said National Associations can select clubs if their leagues cannot be finished for “legitimate

Uefa - run by president Aleksander Ceferin - has urged national associations to finish their respective league campaigns.

reasons”.

If a season is not finished for reasons that do not meet Uefa guidelines then the body can reject the teams put forward by a national association.

It said it could refuse selections if they were not deemed to have been chosen in a way which was “objective, transparent and nondiscriminatory” and can also refuse entry to selected teams if “there is a public perception of unfairness in the qualification of the club”.

EURO 2020 NAME WILL REMAIN

At Thursday’s meeting Uefa also confirmed the postponed Euro 2020 tournament will still be known as Uefa Euro 2020 despite being moved to 2021.

“This decision allows Uefa

to keep the original vision of the tournament to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the European Football Championships (1960 2020),” Uefa added.

“It will furthermore serve to remember how the whole football family came together to respond to the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic and the difficult times Europe, and the world, had to go through in 2020.

“This choice is in line with Uefa’s commitment to make Euro 2020 sustainable and not to generate additional amounts of waste. A lot of branded material had already been produced by the time of the tournament’s postponement.

A change to the name of the event would have meant the destruction and reproduction of such items.”

(BBC)

Men’s T20 World Cup and Women’s 50-over World Cup plans ongoing - ICC PLANS to stage the men’s T20 World Cup and women’s 50over World Cup are going ahead as scheduled according the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Australia is set to host the men in October and November, with the women’s event in New Zealand in February 2021.

Both countries are in lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Cricket Australia says it is “jointly exploring all other options” in staging the T20 World Cup, but will “take the right decisions at the right time”.

An ICC statement confirmed: “Planning for both events as currently scheduled is ongoing.”

Following a meeting on Thursday, the ICC said it had a view to reschedule as much of the postponed cricket as possible.

The chief executives of the 12

West Indies beat England to win the world T20 title in 2016.

Full Members and three Associate representatives will meet again in

four weeks, but there is currently no timeframe on when they will

make decisions.

There has been no international

cricket played since March, when Australia and New Zealand contested a 50-over game behind closed doors.

England’s two-Test tour of Sri Lanka was also called off in March, while the Women’s T20 World Cup was held in Australia in February prior to lockdown.

The ICC will take a decision on the future of the World Test Championship and the disrupted Future Tours Programme at a later date.

“Our next step is to create a roadmap for the resumption of international cricket,” said Dr Peter Harcourt, chair of the ICC medical committee.

“This will consider everything from player preparation to government restrictions and advisories and bio-bubbles.

“The more teams, venues and cities involved in an event, the greater the risk which has to be assessed and managed.” (BBC)

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The last Bundesliga match, Borussia Monchengladbach v Cologne on 11 March, was played behind closed doors.

Bundesliga ‘ready to return on 9 May’, says German Football League Michael Jordan congratulates Steve Kerr after his game-winning shot in Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals.

Jordan punching me helped our Bulls relationship: Steve Kerr IT TOOK a fight for Steve Kerr to gain Michael Jordan’s respect.

Looking back at their altercation, though, it was a seminal moment in the relationship between the two former teammates.

As ESPN presents “The Last Dance,” a 10-part documentary of Jordan’s last season with the Bulls, there are many stories like this that give insight into Jordan the competitor.

Kerr, now the Warriors coach, spent five years with the Bulls.

When Jordan returned from his year-plus away on the baseball diamond, Kerr was new to him.

In training camp of the 199596 season, he got tired of Jordan pushing him around and it led to a scuffle that left Kerr with a black eye.

“I would say it definitely helped our relationship, and that probably sounds really weird,” he said on TNT. “I wouldn’t recommend that to anybody at home. I think that it has to be understood in the context of intense competition. One thing that was more prevalent back

then, than now, is the intensity of practices back then. I think we’re smarter now with preserving our players. We don’t have as many practice days now, it’s more about rest and recovery, so there’s not as much competition. Most of that is good — you see LeBron is in his 17th or 18th season, whatever it is.

I think Michael Jordan only played 12 or 13 years.

“My point is, practices were really intense. They were a huge part of the Bulls and Michael setting a standard for our play.

Practice fights — not only on that team, there were probably three of ’em during the year on that team — on every team I played on in the late 80s, early 90s, there were a few practice fights. There was just a lot of competition, things would get out of hand, and it really wasn’t a huge deal in the grand scheme of things.

“For me in that case, Michael was definitely testing me, and I responded, and I feel like I passed the test and he trusted me more afterwards.”

DESPITE football being halted across the globe by the coronavirus pandemic with all major leagues and competitions suspended, the Bundesliga is now eager to return to action with plans to play spectator-free games in May. Germany has led the way in its approach to combating the coronavirus pandemic. The country’s intense programme of consistent testing from early on has resulted in far fewer deaths than the worst-affected countries.

The German Football League (DFL), responsible for operating the Bundesliga and the second division, is determined to finish the current season. Its 36 professional clubs met on Thursday to discuss a restart of the season next month.

However, Germany’s football authorities still face some huge questions before they get the green light to resume football in the country behind closed doors.

“If we start on 9 May, we are ready. If it is later, we will be ready again,” DFL chief executive Christian Seifert said on Thursday.

“For us, what is decisive is what the politicians will decide. It is not for us to decide when.

“Games without spectators are not what we want - but at the moment the only thing that seems feasible.”

So, what challenges do they face and how are they planning to combat them?

German politics has recently decided that large events with crowds will be banned at least until 24 October. That rules out the

Bundesliga being played in front of spectators until the scheduled start of next season.

The only way to work around regulations is to stage spectatorfree games, with only players, coaching staff, medics, referees, ball boys and ball girls, ground staff, technicians, safety officers, and production staff for television and VAR being present inside the stadiums. League officials estimate that up to 300 people are needed per match.

In Germany, the 16 federal states determine the maximum number of people allowed for public gatherings and a decision about that number will be made by the end of April.

The governments could put a stop to any plans from the DFL, but they are aware of the economic struggles of professional football and are expected to grant the wish of the clubs.

“A weekend with football is much more bearable than a weekend without football. That’s why I could picture to have matches behind closed doors”, Markus Soder, state premier of Bavaria, said at a recent online talk show hosted by German newspaper Bild.

He and Armin Laschet, state premier of North RhineWestphalia, have said they think it’s conceivable the Bundesliga would restart as soon as 9 May. Soder and Laschet rushed ahead with their statements, knowing the federal government and the 16 state governments meet on 30

April, with the likely outcome that football matches are allowed to be staged in the following months.

20,000 TESTS REQUIRED

Staging professional football games even with only a few hundred people present becomes a logistical challenge. A few weeks ago, the DFL set up a task force to define the necessary medical and hygiene protocols which would be required.

According to plans of the task force, the stadiums will be divided into three zones. Only a maximum of 100 people can be in each of these sections. The inner section belongs to the 22 players, 18 bench players, five referees and around 53 others. The stands are considered the second section, and the area directly surrounding the stadium is the third one.

The plans also include regular testing of players and coaches between training sessions and before every match. Alexander Kekule, a biochemist from Martin Luther University in Halle, estimates that the DFL would need up to 20,000 detection tests and exceptional organisational measures.

He said: “Players have to be shielded under specific safety rules to prevent infections, because they are not able to avoid contact on the pitch.”

Regular testing could create a headache from a practical standpoint, because it is impossible to know whether a player is already infected when he takes to the pitch.

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Gayle to join Zouks for new CPL season T20 specialist Chris Gayle will be suiting up for the St Lucia Zouks in the 2020 Caribbean Premier League (CPL), after being released by his home franchise, the Jamaica Tallawahs.

The franchise announced Wednesday that it has signed the 40-year-old as its marquee player for the eighth edition of the tournament that is scheduled to begin in August if it is not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gayle, who is the leading T20 run scorer of all time – having made 2,344 runs at the CPL – played for the Tallawahs in the first four seasons, then went over to the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots for two years, before rejoining the Tallawahs in 2019.

The announcement of his move came a day after Zouks disclosed that Daren Sammy would return as the team’s captain.

Commenting on Gayle joining his squad, Sammy said it was “great news for St Lucia Zouks and for me as a captain to have the universe boss on my side”.

“Chris is one of the most successful T20 batsmen in the world and with his experience with our young openers, a lot can be

Chris Gayle will be playing for the St. Lucia Zouks in the 2020 CPL. (Credit: CPL)

learnt from Chris,” he said of the man who has amassed the most centuries in the format.

“I welcome him to the Zouks franchise. Chris will be in St

Lucia and the fans will be happy that Jamaica has released him.

I will have a motivated Chris Gayle looking to prove a point that he is one of the leading T20

batsmen in the world. I can’t wait for CPL 2020 and hopefully the Coronavirus will be under control and we can have an exciting T20 tournament. Welcome home, Chris

Gayle!” Sammy added.

Zouks coach Andy Flowers was also excited about the addition of the veteran cricketer to his side.

“I have got a long association with Chris running all the way back to his debut Test match in Trinidad back in 2000. I’ve seen his exploits in all three forms of the game and I am really looking forward to working with him and Daren Sammy toward a special year for St. Lucia cricket,” he said.

The CPL is currently set for August 19 to September 26, but organisers are keeping an eye on the COVID-19 pandemic and liaising with medical advisors and governments to determine if play will go ahead.

Chief operations officer, Pete Russell, has said there is a possibility the tournament could be played without international players and using only a few stadiums as venues to mitigate against widespread contact.

In addition to the Zouks, Tallawahs and Patriots, the CPL will see the participation of Trinbago Knight Riders, Guyana Amazon Warriors, and defending champions Barbados Tridents.

(CMC)

Neil Black: Former UK Athletics performance director dies aged 60 NEIL Black, the former performance director of UK Athletics, has died aged 60, the organisation has confirmed.

Black, who worked closely with Mo Farah throughout his career, became performance director in September 2012.

He left his position in 2019 after coach Alberto Salazar was banned for four years for doping violations.

British four-time Olympic champion Farah paid tribute on Twitter, saying: “I have lost a good friend. Known him since I was 14 years old.”

Farah added: “Neil supported me all the way in my career since I was kid. My heart is broken. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Neil Black. No-one knew me like he did. We lost a great man.”

A UK Athletics statement released on Tuesday said Black died at the weekend; the organisation said it was “shocked

and saddened” at the news.

“Neil loved the sport of athletics and dedicated his life to supporting athletes - as a worldclass physiotherapist, as head of sport science, and then in recent years as performance director for British Athletics,” the statement continued.

Ed Warner, former UK Athletics chairman, described Black’s death as “an immense loss to British high performance sport and to athletics in particular”.

Warner added: “It was a great privilege to work with him, and to share the highs and lows of British teams through the cycles of major competitions. I’ll particularly treasure our celebratory clinch in the mixed zone at the Olympic Stadium after the last session of the London 2017 World Championships.

“Neil bore the barbs of the critics that are an inevitable part of the job of any leader in elite

performance sport with a grace and sense of humour that were truly a mark of the man.

“He wanted to lead the British teams into Tokyo. He won’t now be able to cheer their successes there.

“But I am certain there are British athletes who will win medals in Olympics and championships to come who will look back with enormous gratitude at the role Neil played in preparing them for their success. He will be greatly missed.”

Black was a physiotherapist with UK Athletics before moving up through the organisation’s ranks.

He worked with Farah as the athlete won 5,000m and 10,000m gold at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics.

Black made the decision to step down as performance director in October 2019 after the banning of Salazar, who coached Farah from 2011 to 2017, and who was

Neil Black was appointed performance director at UK Athletics in 2012.

appointed as a consultant by UK Athletics in 2013.

UK Athletics had conducted a review in 2015 and said there was “no concern” about Salazar’s link with Farah.

In 2015, following a BBC Panorama programme, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) began an investigation into how Salazar ran the Nike Oregon Project.

Salazar has always denied that the Nike Oregon Project permitted doping, saying he was “shocked”

by Usada’s findings, and he is

appealing against the ban.

UK Athletics said that Black continued to work as an adviser to several athletes following his resignation.

World champion Dina AsherSmith said on social media: “Incredibly sad and shocking news. I really can’t believe it. He was a genuinely lovely, caring and kind-hearted man whose sense of humour and positivity would light up a room. Rest in peace Neil; you’ll be dearly missed by all and my thoughts are with your family at this time.”

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Liverpool v Atletico Madrid: Mayor calls for inquiry amid coronavirus concerns THE mayor of Liverpool City Region has called for an investigation into whether a Champions League fixture should have taken place in the city in March amid concerns it could have led to a high number of local coronavirus cases.

Liverpool’s match against Atletico Madrid at Anfield on 11 March was attended by 52,000 supporters, including 3,000 from the Spanish capital, where a partial lockdown was already in force.

The UK government has defended its decision to allow such events to go ahead before restrictions on mass gatherings were enforced 10 days later.

But Steve Rotheram told BBC Sport an independent inquiry was needed into a potential connection with a surge of cases in Liverpool since.

“If people have contracted coronavirus as a direct result of

a sporting event that we believe shouldn’t have taken place, well that is scandalous,” he said.

“That’s put not just those people in danger, but those frontline staff in the NHS and others in their own families that may have contracted it.”

The latest figures show 246 people have died with coronavirus in Liverpool’s NHS hospitals.

Meanwhile, Madrid is one of Europe’s worst affected cities and Spain has the second highest number of confirmed infection cases in the world, behind the United States.

“We’ve seen an increase in the infection curve, and that’s resulted in 1,200 people [in Liverpool] contracting Covid-19,” said Rotheram.

“That needs to be investigated to find out whether some of those infections are due directly to the Atletico fans. There were coronavirus hot cities, and Madrid

Liverpool’s match against Atletico Madrid at Anfield on 11 March was attended by 52,000 supporters, including 3,000 from the Spanish capital, where a partial lockdown was already in force.

was one of those.

“They weren’t allowed to congregate in their own country, but 3,000 of those fans came over to ours, and potentially may well have spread coronavirus.

“So it does need looking at, and it does need the government to take some responsibility for not locking down sooner.”

The mayor of Madrid has already said the decision to allow the match to go ahead was “a mistake”, as has Liverpool city council’s director of public health

Matthew Ashton.

‘AN INTERESTING HYPOTHESIS’

On the day of the match at Anfield, England’s deputy chief medical officer, Dr Jenny Harries, said the UK was “following the science and the evidence” in not banning sports events, as other countries had done by then.

“In general, those sorts of events and big gatherings are not seen to be something which is going to have a big effect,” she said, despite the

World Health Organization urging tougher action by governments that day.

A few days earlier, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had attended England v Wales in the Six Nations at Twickenham.

But while there is no confirmed link between the Liverpool match and any coronavirus cases, on 20 April the government’s deputy chief scientific adviser, Angela McLean, said it warranted further investigation, describing it as an “interesting hypothesis.”

Woods says trash talk has already begun before starstudded charity match TIGER Woods is hoping the quality of golf at “The Match: Champions for Charity” is as good as the group-text trash talk.

Woods told endorser Golf TV that he’s looking forward to teaming up next month with former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning as they take on Phil Mickelson and new Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady in a charity match, with all proceeds will go to COVID-19 relief efforts.

They’ve already been bantering back and forth over text message, as the specifics of the match – the date (next month), location (likely Florida), charitable causes and format – all are sorted out.

“There’s been a little bit of trash talk already, a little bit of banter back and forth,” Woods told Golf TV’s Henni Zuel. “Whether it’s, ‘I might need extra caddies to carry

my Super Bowls,’ because (Brady) has more Super Bowls than my partner, or, ‘I’ve got more majors than Phil, so I’m gonna have to have a truck come up to the first tee and U-Haul it out.’ We’ve had banter back and forth, and it’s been fantastic.

“But it’s typical us – it’s what we do. We like to give out the needle, and to give out the needle you gotta be able to take it. It’s been fun, and it’ll be like that when we play, when we compete. There will be banter back and forth, but it won’t be as rough as what we have in our text exchange.”

The event is still pending approval from the PGA Tour since it is a non-sanctioned event. Unlike the original $9 million Match, which was held in Las Vegas in November 2018 and offered only as a pay-per-view event,

Tiger Woods (right) and Phil Mickelson will team up with NFL greats Peyton Manning and Tom Brady respectively in the charity clash.

this charity showdown would be televised live on TNT and have more of a telethon-type feel.

“Yes, we’re going to have a great time,” Woods told Golf TV. “But at the end of the day, you have

to understand why we’re coming together. We’re coming together to help other people. This is different than what Phil and I did two years ago, playing our match in Vegas.

That was he and I just having a

great time, trying to showcase golf in a different way. We’re coming together to showcase golf in a different way, but it’s about charity.

That’s the reason why we’re all doing this.” (Golf Channel)

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

April 25 - May 1, 2020

TCI’s top bodybuilder Scott shares at home workout plan DENIQUE Scott is an ISSA Certified Elite Trainer, a personal trainer, nutrition expert and a strength and condition coach. He is also TCI’s top bodybuilder. The former national athlete who lives in Canada is hoping to inspire his home nation of TCI. “It isn’t very often the world is brought to a standstill, and while I appreciate the seriousness of the situation and the harsh realities facing us, I think that keeping your head up and focusing on the positives is KEY! The reality is, almost every person in the modern world is impacted by this virus on some level.

People have lost their jobs, they have lost their freedom and in some instances, loved ones.

However, all we can do is continue to remain positive and focus on progressing forward. This time will pass.

If you find that you have more time on your hands because of the shutdown, use that time wisely to do something productive.

Studies show that individuals who focus on being productive in all scenarios are exponentially more likely to become successful in all areas of their life.”

To this end, the top bodybuilder has decided to share his at home workout plan.

The workouts are to be done in the order that they are listed in.

There should be NO resting until the last workout is completed.

If you consider yourself to be on a beginner or intermediate level in your training, two minutes rest is advised after each workout.

If you consider yourself to be on an advanced level in your training and are looking for a real challenge, take 60 seconds rest.

WORKOUT:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday 25 x Push ups 50 x Squats 25 x Sit-ups 20 x Leg raises 25 x Jumping jacks 10 x Jumping lunges (per leg)

30 x V-sits Rest: 2 minutes (beginner/ intermediate) 60 seconds (advanced) Repeat 4 times.

Cardio: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday 30 minutes minimum sprints: 15-30 seconds run fast 30-45 seconds rest Repeat for 10 minutes. **** Sprints can be substituted with skipping using the same recommended repetitions **** Rest Day: Sunday FOOD CHOICE:

There are many nutrients that are involved with the normal functioning of the immune system and therefore I encourage eating a variety of healthy foods each day in order to support immune function.

A healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables, protein foods and whole grains is important for a strong immune system, as are other healthy lifestyle habits (exercise, not smoking, adequate sleep, managing stress etc.)

Germain in positive frame of mind as he recovers from car accident FORMER national athlete DeAngelo Germain is in a positive frame of mind as he recovers from injuries he sustained from an accident in Providenciales earlier this month.

The Dental Hygienist was struck down by a car on the evening of April 14, while out exercising on Butterfield Drive.

The former 400M and 800M specialist, who has been hospitalised at the Cheshire Hall

Medical Centre, told the Weekly News on Wednesday that he was fighting with pains.

The 26-year-old has face injuries.

He had a surgery to his mouth on Wednesday, while he is expected to have surgery on his nose (which is broken) in the near future.

Amongst several injuries, Germain also broken his arm.

We at the Weekly News join the rest of the TCI in wishing him a speedy recovery.

DeAngelo Germain is recovering from an accident he sustained two Tuesdays ago.

Denique Scott is hoping that Turks Islanders can stay fit during the lockdown.

April 25 - May 1, 2020

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

Sports National

Deangelo Germain was an outstanding former athlete.

DeAngelo Germain worked hard to achieve his educational goals.

Injuries derailed Germain’s sporting dreams, but dentistry brought him new ones THERE was a time that Deangelo Germain’s dreams revolved around track and field— and he was good at it.

While TCI’s top athletes Delano Williams, Ifeanyi Otuonye and Angelo Garland were making their names at Munro College in Jamaica, Germain was also there.

In fact, it was Germain and Williams who first started the school with the younger Otuonye and Garland joining afterwards.

In 2008, Germain travelled to Munro College after the hurricane. He was already a competent athlete at home and he was able to continue his success in Jamaica. In the parish of St. Elizabeth, he became a regular in the 400M, the 800M and the 4X400M and 4X800M relays.

Germain was talented and his PBs in his top two events (1:59 in the 800M and 49s in the 400M) proved it.

INJURY Although the youngster was outstanding in Jamaica. An injury he sustained in 2007, while competing on the national team in

the Dominican Republic would dictate his future.

It was a 1200M race and the Turks Islander was en route to victory before another competitor pushed him. That push would be the base of his future injuries.

In the coming years, he had moments of glory and painful reminders of how fragile the human body can be. From a back injury, it became a knee injury and then a hamstring injury, which inevitably derailed his efforts.

“Let’s just say that I’m very bad lucky… the only year that I was at my best was 2010 when I ran the third leg in the Class 2 4X400M relay.” Munro won gold in that race. Instead of making a push athletically from that point, injuries held him back.

He admitted that he felt both physical and emotional pain during that period.

“I was devastated because of my injury and I feel as if I couldn’t unlock my full potential in track and field because track and field was my first love. So I channeled that devastation energy and committed towards my academics,” Germain had told this

publication, while in Jamaica.

First, he fell in love with science, then with dentistry. He called it an unexpected profound love. “The more I ventured into the field of dentistry, the more I realised that my injury was just a stepping to where I should be.”

In 2013, Germain gave the Weekly News a detailed reason for his career choice. ““Turks and Caicos is an island of opportunity and I don’t only want to add to its diverse levels of opportunity, but I also want to make sure that this quality is one of paramount calibre that reflects the resilience and intelligence of our people. I have done my research and it has made limpid the fact that dentistry in Turks and Caicos is of paucity and the country “imports” most of its medical personnel.”

In September of that year, he started the University of Technology (Utech) in Jamaica.

At first, Germain decided to take a twoyear break from track to focus on school, but he later decided to end his track career

and focus solely on his academics—it paid off.

PIONEER Germain is now the first male dental hygienist in the Turks and Caicos. He executes his duties at Paradise Smiles TCI with pride.

According to the 26-year-old, his career is a higher calling—it’s his way of giving back to a nation that has supported him.

“Well the human body is comprised of complex systems which are interconnected with other parts. The mouth is one part that is sometimes neglected. Hence, it leads to poor oral hygiene, which can affect your general health and contribute to diabetes, heart disease and other health issues. I found that oral problems are huge issues here in the Turks and Caicos. My job as a dental hygienist is to eliminate these problems by promoting and educating the public about the importance of oral hygiene.”

Germain’s next step is to become a dental surgeon.

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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS

April 25 - May 1, 2020