Caribzone News Highlight

By Caribzone.com

Jamaica

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information continues to collaborate with Digicel Jamaica and Flow Jamaica to provide data plans for students and teachers in order to facilitate distance learning.

Chief Education Officer, Dr. Kasan Troupe, said that the Education Data Plan arrangement is part of the Ministry’s effort to ensure that teaching and learning continues during the closure of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teachers and students will access this data service at a reduced cost. Data grants have also been provided by the Ministry for selected teachers and student beneficiaries of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH).

Students and teachers who have activated the Education Data Plans will be granted zero-rated access to several frequently used learning platforms and websites.

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Barbados

Former executive director of the Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), Ronald Jackson, has been appointed to head the United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery for Building Resilience Team in Geneva.

Last week, CDEMA announced that the Jamaican-born Jackson was leaving his post after seven years and Barbados Minister of Home Affairs Edmund Hinkson, in a statement, congratulating Elizabeth Riley, who has been appointed to act as the executive director thanked Jackson for his work.

He said CDEMA'S importance to the region is greater now than it ever was in its earlier history.

In congratulating Riley, a Barbadian national, Hinkson said Barbados was looking “forward to our continued mutually beneficial relationship with the agency.”

Riley, whose appointment became effective from May 1, has more than 20 years' experience in the areas of disaster and environmental management. She has been the organization's deputy director for the last eight years.

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Jamaica

One hundred and twenty Jamaicans who were stranded in the United Kingdom (UK) is now back on local soil through the assistance of the Government.

A TUI chartered Boeing 787 aircraft with the passengers aboard landed at 5:39 p.m. on Wednesday (May 6) at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston.

A total of 124 persons were approved for the flight based on applications through the immigration section of the https://jamcovid19.moh.gov.jm/ website.

The flight consisted primarily of crew members, who were on the Marella Discovery 2 cruise ship as well as six other vessels owned by that cruise line.

Present at the airport to greet the passengers was Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, who told JIS News that the Government is pleased that the Jamaicans are now home.

Senator Johnson Smith, who greeted all the passengers immediately after they exited the aircraft, told JIS News that the feedback was positive.

One gentleman, who had returned with his mother and son on the flight, told JIS News that he is elated to be back in the island.

He said he is also pleased with the Government’s handling of the virus, which has kept deaths in the single digits to date.

The 120 Jamaicans were previously unable to return to the island, given that borders were closed to incoming flights as part of measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

They were repatriated under the controlled re-entry protocols and will be in State quarantine for 14 days.

More than 5,000 Jamaicans have been stranded overseas due to the local border restriction. So far, over 4,600 Jamaicans have applied to return home through the jamcovid19 website.

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Guyana

The recount of votes cast in the March 2, national elections in Guyana started last Wednesday and at the end of day three, Friday, May 8, 108 of the 2,339 boxes have so far been counted.

The recount could go all the way to the end of the month, to determine which of the two major political parties will form the next government, the incumbent APNU/AFC coalition, led by Brigadier David Granger and the opposition PPP/Civic, led by Bharrat Jagdeo.

One major contention which surfaced during the recount is that some boxes ‘were stuffed’, meaning they had more votes than what is declared on the voter’s list.

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Jamaica

The US dollar on Friday, May 8 ended trading at J$146.07 down by four cents according to the Bank of Jamaica's daily exchange trading summary.

Meanwhile, the Canadian dollar ended trading at J$104.80 down from J$106.04 while the British pound sterling ended trading at J$179.63 down from J$181.58.

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St Vincent & The Grenadines

The St Vincent and the Grenadines government says schools, which have been closed as part of the lockdown of the island in keeping with the efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) could be re-opened later this month.

Health Minister, Luke Browne, told a news conference that the Ministry of Education had made a presentation to Cabinet on Wednesday about the reopening of schools “and the matter is being finalized”.

The schools had been closed one week ahead of the annual Easter break and Browne said the final decision regarding the re-opening of schools will be made” on the recommendation of the Ministry of Education.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has issued a memo to heads of educational institutions indicating that in preparation for the eventual re-opening of school, they are to ensure that school facilities are properly cleaned.

The cleaning began last Thursday and the Ministry of Education said it “continues to be guided by the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment on a suitable time for the re-opening of schools and protocols necessary to facilitate this eventuality”.

So far, there are 17 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

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Sports

Saint Kitts & Nevis Patriots have made some significant changes to their line-up for the upcoming Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season. Captain Carlos Brathwaite has gone to the Jamaica Tallawahs, while the Patriots have let go of head coach Robin Singh and signed Windies wicketkeeper-batsman Denesh Ramdin.

The major changes to the franchise’s set-up were announced last week in a statement which said they had retained six of their 2019 CPL players from the Caribbean, and signed Ramdin. He has transferred from the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) after four years with his home franchise, where he won the 2017 and 2018 titles.

Ramdin, whose departure from TKR was revealed by that franchise last Tuesday, joins Windies players Rayad Emrit, Evin Lewis, Sheldon Cottrell, Fabian Allen and Alzarri Joseph, and emerging player, Barbadian Dominic Drakes.

International retentions and signings are expected to be announced at a later date.

With the departure of former Windies Twenty20 International skipper Brathwaite, who was among Patriots’ leading scorers during his time with the franchise, 39-year-old all-rounder Emrit will serve as captain.

The eighth staging of the CPL is set for August 19 to September 26, but with the spread of COVID-19 leading to the postponement, suspension, and cancellation of sports across the globe, it is unsure whether the event will go ahead as planned.

CPL organizers say they are watching the global pandemic closely and are liaising with medical advisers and governments to make a decision on the tournament as soon as possible.

Along with Patriots and TKR, the other teams set to compete this year are; Guyana Amazon Warriors, St Lucia Zouks, Jamaica Tallawahs and reigning champions Barbados Tridents.

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