Daily Archive: Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Two more cases of the coronavirus were this afternoon announced by Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence.

(Trinidad Express) As of Tuesday afternoon, the Health Ministry reports the following:Number of samples submitted to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) for testing for COVID-19 878 Number of samples which have tested positive 107 Number of deaths 8 Number of persons discharged 1The Ministry of Health provides the following update: One additional person has tested positive for COVID-19 – Contact of person positive with COVID-19.

(Trinidad Express) Private medical labs across Trinidad and Tobago are now being encouraged to begin performing tests for the COVID-19 coronavirus.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today welcomed Sunday’s Court of Appeal decision clearing the way for a recount of votes from the March 2nd elections  and said that the US is prepared to work with GECOM to ensure a fair process.

(Jamaica Observer) Two Jamaicans who went to the United Kingdom during the Windrush era and became church leaders in Wolverhamption died 24 hours apart after contracting the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the BirminghamLive newspaper reported yesterday.

(Jamaica Star) A 47-year old taxi operator from Ocho Rios, St Ann was slashed in his face by a knife-brandishing man because he dared to sneeze as the man walked by.

DUBAI,  (Reuters) – The total number of coronavirus cases in Iran has risen to more than 62,000 and the death toll is nearing 4,000, according to health ministry data announced on Tuesday, but a senior official suggested the true number of infections might be far higher.

BEIJING,  (Reuters) – Mainland China reported no coronavirus deaths for the first time since the pandemic began, and a drop in new cases, a day before the central city of Wuhan, where the virus emerged late in December, is set to lift its lockdown.

HOUSTON,  (Reuters) – Exxon Mobil Corp today throttled back a multi-year investment spree in shale, LNG and deep water oil production and will cut planned capital spending by 30% this year as the coronavirus pandemic saps energy demand and oil prices.

(Jamaica Gleaner) They came so close, some reportedly became emotional. It was the first time in 21 days that a group of 45 Jamaican ship workers aboard the Marella Discovery 2 were seeing land, and it was capital city Kingston.

CARICOM is once again being invited to be present at a recount of the ballots cast in the March 2 General Elections, this time by GECOM itself.

Almost four weeks since Guyana recorded its first case of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the number of confirmed cases continues to grow and the death toll has risen to five.

Residents of Canal Number Two are in a state of shock after the body of a cattle farmer was found yesterday morning buried in a shallow grave.

The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has suspended operations at its two sugar estates in Berbice after workers protested against working in what they called an unhealthy environment due to their concerns about being put at risk for contracting the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Jim Bacchus, the proprietor of Jim Bacchus Travel Service, which operated offices in Georgetown and New Amsterdam has passed away.

President of the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) Frankie Farley said yesterday that like all the other sports disciplines, the Coronavirus pandemic has affected immensely, his federation’s plans for 2020.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) has labelled the proposed recount of all votes cast on March 2, 2020 as “an entire waste of time and wholly unnecessary” and called for a limited recount of votes cast in Region 4 to be broadcast live on radio and television as well as live streamed.

Lance Gibbs, from the little that was told to me, was a fierce competitor on the field.

Magistrate Renita Singh, who last week ruled that there was insufficient evidence against Marcus Brian Bisram to stand trial for murder, yesterday committed him to the High Court after she was directed by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to reopen the preliminary inquiry and proceed with the committal. 

The second annual Tyrone Alphonso Johnson Memorial T10 competition scheduled for Saturday at the Parika-Salem ground has been postponed owing to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic.

Though the Guyana Court of Appeal had said on Sunday that consequential orders would have been issued yesterday following a ruling that cleared the way for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to proceed with a recount of the ballots cast in the March 2nd general and regional elections, those orders are now expected today.

Explosive opening batsman, Chandrapaul Hemraj, is eyeing a return to the West Indies side and is hopeful a positive season can lead to a recall.

West Indies Twenty20 sensation Sherfane Rutherford is still optimistic that this year’s edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will bowl off amid growing threats from the deadly Coronavirus pandemic.

A pedal cyclist of Queenstown, George-town died yesterday afternoon after he was  struck down by a minibus on the Houston Public Road, East Bank Demerara.

PARIS,  (Reuters) – Club rugby’s top organising body is exploring holding a Club World Cup after French federation president Bernard Laporte proposed a radical new competition to replace the existing European Champions Cup.

The Bar Council of the Bar Association of Guyana yesterday warned members of the Guyana Police Force to avoid exceeding their authority and refrain from abuse while enforcing the restrictions outlined under emergency measures ordered by Minister of Public Health to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,  CMC – Captain Kavem Hodge believes Windward Islands Volcanoes’ lack of consistency cost them dearly during the just-concluded domestic first class championship.

A number of businesses which are not considered essential services have suspended their operations in keeping with the recently announced emergency measures that are being implemented in response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – U.S. prosecutors yesterday accused two former 21st Century Fox Inc executives of paying millions of dollars in bribes to secure lucrative rights to soccer matches, the latest charges in a long-running investigation of corruption surrounding FIFA, soccer’s world governing body.

The Full Court is set to rule today on an appeal filed by Kennard Gobin, who has challenged the detention of his son at a government quarantine facility.

Dear Editor, I hereby address the Citizens of Georgetown which stretches from the Eccles/Agricola Dam to the Industry Crown Dam.

Some prison inmates have already been released and others, including those who suffer from chronic illnesses, may soon be out as the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) seeks to reduce the risk of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) entering the overcrowded jails across the country.

LAHORE, (Reuters) – Bowling coach Waqar Younis wants Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to formulate a policy to stop players from abruptly dropping the test format, the former captain said yesterday.

Dear Editor, Guyana is on the abyss of two huge, maybe existential, crises; one man made, one made by nature.

The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago has labelled as “disturbing” an Appeals Court ruling which found that the Guy-ana Elections Commission (GECOM) could not allow a team of experts from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to “supervise” a recount of ballots cast in the March 2,2020 Elections.

BARCELONA, (Reuters) – The mother of Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has died after being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, the English Premier League champions said yesterday.

Dear Editor, When I was Minister of Health, I engaged the private sector every time we had to respond to public health challenges.

NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – The governors of New York, New Jersey and Louisiana pointed to tentative signs yesterday that the coronavirus outbreak may be starting to plateau in their states but warned against complacency as the death toll nationwide approached 11,000.

The public was prohibited from entering the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts yesterday following emergency measures taken by the judiciary in response to the novel coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19).

Dear Editor, This letter constitutes a sincere plea for sanity and justice to prevail in our beloved but beleaguered Guyana.

Former West Indies captain, Darren Sammy is fostering the idea of a mentorship role with the Caribbean side for the upcoming International Cricket Council’s T20 World Cup.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved to an intensive care unit yesterday after his coronavirus symptoms worsened though his Downing Street office said he was still conscious.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – Cricketers who have interests beyond the sport are likely to cope better with the shutdown forced by the COVID-19 pandemic, said mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton.

(Trinidad Guardian) All restaurants in Trinidad and Tobago will be closed from today.

Dear Editor, Listening to the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Dawn Gregory, give her ruminations on the appeal mounted by the APNU+AFC candidate yesterday left me baffled and somewhat bemused on points of law and precedence.

The Liberty and Justice Party has asked that Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo and Deputy Chief Election Officer (DCEO) Roxanne Myers be excluded from the proposed recount of votes cast in the March 2 Elections.

BRASILIA,  (Reuters) – A report published by the Brazilian army’s strategic studies center last week contradicts President Jair Bolsonaro by calling for widespread isolation to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially ratcheting up an already heated public debate within the government.

ExxonMobil says that it has put stringent novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) safety measures in place for workers heading to and on its vessels in the offshore Stabroek Block, even as it continues to monitor global low oil prices and the possible effects on the company.

CARACAS,  (Reuters) – Venezuelan retirees Carlos Blanco, 81, and Olga Rodriguez, 78, have for more than a year been unable to purchase the diabetes medication they need, as the country’s hyperinflation has left their monthly pensions insufficient to buy even a loaf of bread.

Dear Editor, Cynical and perverse as it may seem, the coalition’s attempts at election rigging and the social, economic and financial impact of COVID-19 combined, spell the death knell for the Granger administration.

ORK, (Reuters) – The upcoming NFL draft will take place in a “fully virtual format,” the league confirmed in a letter to teams yesterday, with personnel advised to stay at home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

By Deodat Maharaj Caribbean countries are amongst the most vulnerable on the planet being particularly susceptible to shocks including economic and those associated with natural disasters.

(Reuters) – Australia’s highest court yesterday acquitted former Vatican treasurer George Pell of sexually assaulting two teenaged choirboys in the 1990s, allowing the 78-year-old cardinal to walk free from jail.

Speaking recently in in New York, the state Governor, Andrew Cuomo said: “The stress, the emotion, is just incredible, and rightfully so.

(Jamaica Observer) The United States Government has committed $95 million (US$700,000) to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak in Jamaica.

(Reuters) – A large portion of fines levied on Brazilian football clubs and players will be paid into a fund to help in the fight against the new coronavirus, Brazil’s sports tribunal said yesterday.

There can now be no denying that like other countries here in the region, the hemisphere and globally, the coronavirus has gotten our attention.

Dear Editor, The global COVID-19 pandemic is the moral, social, cultural, religious, economic, health, political and financial crisis of our times and will be with us for quite a while.

Tenders were last Tuesday opened at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board for the rehabilitation of a number of recreational facilities in the Pomeroon-Supenaam, Region 2.