Caribzone News Highlights
By Caribzone.com,
Jamaica
The Government is documenting information about the coronavirus
(COVID-19) in order to better understand the virus, improve the management and
treatment of the infection, while boosting the resilience of the country’s
public health system.
Speaking in a recent interview with JIS News, Minister of Health
and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton said work is underway to ensure
that the country and the health system learn from the pandemic.
Dr. Tufton noted that the Health Ministry is collaborating with
the University of the West Indies (UWI) to document responses being generated
through a call center being manned by medical students.
The Government has instituted several measures to minimize the
spread of COVID-19 in Jamaica, including the closure of all business process
outsourcing (BPO) facilities for 14 days starting Wednesday (April 22); the
mandatory wearing of masks in public, an island-wide curfew from 6:00 p.m. to
6:00 a.m. daily; closure of the country’s airports and seaports to incoming
travelers, a stay-at-home order for persons 70 years and older, having
non-essential employees work from home, limiting public gatherings to not more then 10 persons, the closure of schools, among others.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness recommends that persons practice proper hygiene by frequently washing hands with soap and running water
or using a sanitizer, and observe social distancing by staying three to six
feet away from others when in public.
The Andrew Holness administration, while being praised for its
initial handling of the situation, came under fire last week for its refusal to
allow cores of Jamaicans, stranded at seas on cruise ships, to come home.
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Regional
The Pan American Health
Organization (PAHO), has called for member states to expand their testing
measures for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
PAHO Director Dr. Carissa
Etienne said mass testing is important since it will allow countries to
accurately determine how many people within their borders contracted the virus.
Etienne said enhanced testing will allow authorities to break the chain of
infection and she urged authorities to adopt policies similar to those of
Germany and South Korea where thousands of persons were tested for COVID-19.
She noted many member
states do not have the facilities or resources to quickly process a large
volume of tests and manufacturers cannot meet the need.
But, PAHO has recommended
countries use all of their public and private labs, prioritize patients with
symptoms, and have tests done free of charge. This week, PAHO will
dispatch 1.5 million PCR tests and another three million will follow next week
to strengthen lab surveillance networks.
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Regional
Jamaica is receiving US$1 million (over $140 million) for
its COVID-19 response from the US Government's Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), the American Embassy in Kingston reported yesterday.
The
funding, which will support priority areas such as laboratory diagnostics — particularly
testing, surveillance, infection prevention and control, and patient
management — is one-third of the US$3 million
provided to the Caribbean to strengthen the region's efforts to combat the
novel coronavirus pandemic, the embassy stated in a news release.
Other
benefiting nations include Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Barbados. Funding
support will also be provided to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
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St. Kitts/Nevis
Harris confirmed plans for the stimulus package to BBC World News last week.
The dual-island
Caribbean nation, which temporarily closed its borders last month, has also
rolled out more restrictive social measures to combat the spread of COVID-19,
including night curfews and turning away cruise ships. The latter has
unsurprisingly had a significant impact on jobs and the country's economy.
Roughly 20 percent of
St. Kitts and Nevis' economy relies on the Citizenship by Investment (CBI)
Program established in 1984, Under the CBI, investors can make a minimum
$150,000 contribution to the Sustainable Growth Fund and be awarded, St Kitts
and Nevis' citizenship following thorough due diligence checks.
CBI funds have been used
to create the Poverty Alleviation Program in support of low-income
households. To further aid local jobs and the economy amid the ongoing crisis,
St. Kitts and Nevis' government announced it will reduce corporate income tax
for employers who retain at least 75 percent of their workforce.
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Sports
UEFA IS keener on leagues adopting new
formats to determine final league places for European qualification if
suspended domestic competitions cannot be completed due to government
restrictions or financial concerns caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
With UEFA announcing a desire for qualification
for the UEFA Champions League and Europa League being settled on “sporting
merit,” the statement yesterday opens the door to leagues temporarily
implementing play-off systems.
UEFA
referenced the use only of a “different format”. Averaging out
points based on games already played is another potential option to
determine final placings in an unprecedented situation.
UEFA cautioned that teams could be
denied places in Europe if leagues are prematurely halted and “there is a
public perception of unfairness.”
Domestic and continental competitions
were suspended last month.
UEFA also said it was exploring the
Champions League and Europa League resuming in parallel with domestic
competitions or in August, after they have hopefully been completed.
Elsewhere in Europe, the English Premier
League (SPL), has been asked by human-rights activists and one of its major
broadcast partners to consider blocking Saudi Arabia's attempt to buy Newcastle
United.
Amnesty International wrote to league Chief
Executive Richard Masters to say the takeover could be exploited by Saudi
Arabia to cover up "deeply immoral" breaches of international law,
citing human rights violations and the role of the crown prince leading the
sovereign wealth fund.
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Cricket Australia says it is committed
firmly to taking “the right decisions at the right time” to ensure this year’s
Twenty20 (T20) World Cup proceeds as planned, even as doubt continued to
surround the showpiece amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking following an International
Cricket Council’s (ICC) chief executives meeting, Cricket Australia’s Chief
Executive Officer Kevin Roberts said his governing body would continue to
monitor developments while also “exploring all other options”.
Australia is scheduled to stage the T20
World Cup from October 18 to November 15 but the event has been jeopardized by
the onset of COVID-19 virus, which has already infected 2.6 million people
worldwide and caused nearly 189,000 deaths.
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