Daily Archive: Sunday, April 5, 2020

Five more cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have been confirmed by the Ministry of Public Health, bringing the total to 29 cases.

The Guyana Court of Appeal today appears to have cleared the way for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to proceed with a recount of the March 2nd general elections.

One of Tobago’s three COVID-19 patients has died. This is according to a statement from the Division of Health, Wellness and Family Development.

MILAN, (Reuters) – It took Silvia Bertuletti 11 days of frantic phone calls to persuade a doctor to visit her 78-year-old father Alessandro, who was gripped by fever and struggling for breath.

LISBON,  (Reuters) – Sonaecom, sub-holding of Portugal’s Sonae, said on Saturday evening a Lisbon court seized shares in telecommunications firm NOS of a holding company it co-owned with former first-daughter and Angolan businesswoman Isabel dos Santos.

  (Reuters) – U.S. singer Pink said on Friday she had tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, two weeks ago and has since recovered.

(Trinidad Guardian) Fifteen days after 78-year-old Zorida Wahid Khan returned to her home in Queens, New York, after vacationing in Trinidad and Tobago, she tested positive for the COVID-19.

(Jamaica Gleaner) When he took the Hippocratic oath 30 years ago, Jamaica-born doctor Peter Lindo swore to do no harm.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Clara Graham* was close to the end of her shift last Wednesday at a New York City hospital when she could no longer hold it together and the tears burst like a dam.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo yesterday said that the emergency measures ordered by Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are aimed at avoiding people clustering and not at stopping the economic activity of the country entirely.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Despite the alarming rate at which lives are being lost to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in North America, Jamaicans are still willing to take the risk to participate in the seasonal overseas work programmes.

Two days after the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) decided to have a recount of votes cast, it remains unclear when, where and how it will be undertaken.

The world is waging war on the pandemic COVID-19 and our very own World Champion and renowned bodybuilder/Law Enforcement Officer, Hugh Ross is on the front lines in New York City.

Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Dr Keith Rowley yesterday expressed disappointment and concern at the ongoing delay in executing a credible tabulating of the votes cast in Guyana’s March 2 general and regional elections.

It is always a difficult task when comparing sportsmen across generations to determine who is the GOAT – The Greatest Of All Time. 

There are now 24 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Guyana, while the number of persons who have been tested for the respiratory disease have increased from 83 to 95.

Captain of the Guyana Jaguars, Leon Johnson, has expressed his satisfaction with the output of newcomers, Nial Smith and Kevin Sinclair during the prematurely concluded West Indies Championship.

A study conducted among 22 trans and gender non-confirming persons from four regions in Guyana has found that family and community rejection are among the factors that increase the risk for violence and discrimination for trans people.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Legendary left-hander Brian Lara has recounted how the storied meeting with two close friends in the wee hours of the final day of the third Test against Australia in 1999 here, helped propel West Indies to an historic win, as he urged the region to find collective resolve to fight the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

Despite the government’s institution of a partial countrywide lockdown and a curfew in response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), some citizens were still slow in fully complying with the emergency measures yesterday. 

A number of buildings, including the former Ocean View International Hotel, are being examined by the government to be dedicated facilities for persons diagnosed with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo says.

Jennifer Gulliver has worked as a typist, office clerk, haberdashery and newspaper vendor and on March 2, was a polling clerk at the general and regional elections, reprising a role she had also assumed in the past.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,  CMC – Former Trinidad and Tobago head coach, Dr Hannibal Najjar, has held out little hope for the Trinidad and Tobago FA’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for sport, against FIFA’s sudden take-over of the organisation.

Dear Editor, I have just completed an assessment of the “preliminary” Region Four results, as declared on two separate occasions by the Returning Officer for Region Four, and the PPP/C’s published Statements of Polls.

The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) through the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) is mobilising relief items, including masks, hygiene products and food supplies, for vulnerable families and communities expected to be affected by the institution of the nationwide emergency measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

KINGSTON, Jamaica,  CMC – Jamaica’s Football Federation has devised programmes for its players to ensure they remain in shape, as the regional and international calendar remains on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic outbreak.

“It is not that I am not taking this thing seriously but what people want me to do?

Dear Editor, With our country’s democratic electoral system being bludgeoned on a daily basis, we now have an illegitimate government imposing a one-month countrywide lockdown to combat the spread of the coronavirus, without any planned economic relief measures in place.

MIAMI, Florida,  CMC – The coronavirus pandemic on Friday continued to wreak havoc on the Caribbean football calendar, with organisers forced to postpone next month’s final stage of the Caribbean Club Championship along with the 2021 Gold Cup qualifiers set for June.

(Trinidad Express) POLICE Commissioner Gary Griffith says the decision to shut down D’Original Sauce Doubles in Curepe yesterday was done in keeping with the policies of the Government.

With no electricity or potable water, Bendorffers use solar panels, kerosene lamps and generators for power and rainwater for drinking and cooking, while water from the canals or the nearby Essequibo River is used to wash and bathe.

Warning that social distancing measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) could create hardships for public transport operators, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) has called for measures to be put in place in order to assist them and other affected workers.

While welcoming the emergency regulations instituted by government to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) on Saturday called for measures to be taken to reduce overcrowding in prisons given the potential risks to prison staff and inmates. 

Dear Editor, In any democracy, it is socially acceptable that political candidates will be diehard supportive of their political party’s actions, irrespective of how one may scrutinise or criticise their view.

The Canadian High Commission is continuing to assist Canadians who wish to return home from Guyana with flights out of the country amidst the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.

Over one month ago on a very early morning at 6:00, I stood in line with my wife Annette and a host of other Guyanese to vote for a government of my choice.

By Aisling Irwin Governments are pouring massive resources into coronavirus vaccine and treatment development, and pressure is mounting to make sure results will reach the most vulnerable in the global South.

MANAGUA, (Reuters) – Football in Nicaragua is enjoying a surge in popularity as one of the few national leagues where games are still ongoing but players in action there are concerned about the spread of the new coronavirus and say fear has changed the way they play.

The Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) in charge of the Port Mourant Market in Region Six has closed the market until further notice in response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), while the region’s town councils have issued stricter guide-lines for businesses and vendors.

Todd Haynes’ legal thriller “Dark Waters” is a dramatisation of a lawyer’s battle to uncover how the chemical manufacturing corporation DuPont contaminated a town, and a country, with its unregulated chemicals.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Approximately 4,500 persons who arrived in the island between March 18 and 23 and have not contacted the Ministry of Health & Wellness are to face the full brunt of the law for violating the Disaster Risk Management Act.

Dear Editor, The novel coronavirus pandemic will be blamed for much of the imminent disruptions, many of a violent nature.

It will not be until 11 am today that the Guyanese public will know whether a recount by GECOM is going to take place soon, or at all.

The recent 5,000 litres fuel spill at Troy Resources’ Karouni, Region Eight site occurred at a fuel farm that is operated by its subcontractor Rubis, which has said it was conducting a “comprehensive” probe into the incident.

The Guyana Oil Company Limited (GuyOil) has announced price reductions for fuel.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump told Americans to brace for a big spike in coronavirus fatalities in the coming days, as the country faces what he called the toughest two weeks of the pandemic.

LONDON, (Reuters) – England’s centrally contracted male cricketers will donate 500,000 pounds ($613,000) to the Board and charities while their women’s team counterparts have volunteered a three-month pay cut amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the players’ association (PCA) said.

The current Covid-19 health crisis means that a lot of us are paying much more attention to our health and well-being than usual.

A couple weeks ago we discussed some of the things we can do to keep ourselves busy during our time at home.

Dear Editor, Why does GECOM have to recount all 10 regions?

Orrin King, the man who allegedly chopped his ex-wife to death at the Bartica Airstrip in the presence of their children, remains hospitalised in a critical condition.

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazil’s lower house of Congress approved a constitutional amendment for a “war budget” to separate coronavirus-related spending from the government’s main budget and shield the economy as the country surpassed 10,000 confirmed cases.

Trinidad’s Republic Bank is donating $31.5 million to Guyana’s fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

SYDNEY, (Reuters) – Australia coach Justin Langer says playing cricket without fans in the stadiums is an option worth considering if it helped get the game going again after the worst of the coronavirus crisis has passed.

GUAYAQUIL (Reuters) – Ecuador’s government has begun storing the bodies of victims of the coronavirus in giant refrigerated containers as hundreds of deaths in the city of Guayaquil, the centre of the country’s outbreak, have already filled morgues and hospitals.

We are going through great traumas – a plague such as the world has not seen for a long time and, in Guyana, a blatant attempt to subvert democracy.

Dear Editor, There is a court matter engaging the attention of the Appeal Court that will determine whether the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) can proceed with a national recount.

Hanuman Jadunauth, the Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara (WBD) fish vendor who was discovered dead a short distance from his home last Tuesday morning, was murdered, according to an autopsy.

MANCHESTER, England, (Reuters) – The players union representing Premier League footballers has questioned the league’s call for a 30% player wage reduction amid the coronavirus crisis, saying it would reduce tax revenue for the National Health Service.

This year’s celebration of Mashramani in Guyana was especially enhanced and accentuated because it was the Golden Jubilee of the nation as a republic.

After social distancing measures have been ignored by some sectors of the population, the government has introduced a one-month lockdown for the entire country.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday he would impose tariffs on crude imports if he has to “protect” U.S.

Fifty years ago, on April 4, 1970, the world witnessed an event in chess with the Soviet Union (USSR) facing the Rest of the World in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.

Introduction At the heart of the 2020 general crisis and its financial driver is a serious public health crisis.

Dear Editor, Though I had been warned to manage expectations, I still harboured faint hopes that norms would prevail, that self-respect would take priority, and that whatever processes are agreed upon and employed would be the end of the matter.

An autopsy performed on the remains of Reeaz Holladar, the man who reportedly shot himself during a domestic row with his wife just over one week ago, confirmed that he died as a result of gunshot injuries to his head.

(Reuters) – The late Kobe Bryant was selected yesterday as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

(Trinidad Express) The current shutdown of nonessential businesses and other restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19 can “possibly” be extended beyond April 15.

Alessandra Hereman and SASOD’s Joel Simpson at the virtual press briefing last week, when the findings of the study were presented.