Daily Archive: Wednesday, April 29, 2020

De facto Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence this afternoon said that the number of persons positive for COVID-19 has risen to 78 from yesterday’s 75.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) has written the National Coronavirus Task Force (NCTF) calling for urgent relief measures in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic including income tax relief for employees in vulnerable sectors and the removal of VAT on all food items.

GENEVA, (Reuters) – Some 1.6 billion workers in the informal economy, representing nearly half of the global labour force, are in immediate danger of losing their livelihoods due to the coronavirus pandemic, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said today.

MUMBAI,  (Reuters) – Irrfan Khan, an Indian actor who brought versatility and style to recent hit films and had roles in Hollywood movies such as “Life of Pi” and “The Namesake”, died on Wednesday, aged 54.

FREETOWN, (Reuters) – Smoke billowed from the central prison in Sierra Leone’s capital and gunfire could be heard from nearby streets today after a riot broke out following the confirmation of a coronavirus case there, a Reuters reporter said.

The four men whose boat was struck last evening in the Upper Berbice River are still missing and Region Six police are presently in the area conducting a search.

(Trinidad Guardian) The T&T Registered Nurses’ Association (TTRNA) is asking the Government to consider a $1 million payout in the event any nurse loses their life during the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Trinidad Guardian) Dean Walters of Tobago and Donna Lisa Phillips-Walters of Trinidad got married in Chaguaramas and left for Curaçao on March 16.

(Jamaica Star) Prime Minister Andrew Holness was blunt. “The possibility is that all of us, at some point in time, will get it,” he said about the coronavirus, which has had a crippling economy on the country since the first case was discovered on March 10.

All eyes are once again turned to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) which is expected to announce a date for the start of the National Recount today.

There is one new confirmed case of the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Guyana as 14 more persons have been tested for the virus.

A taxi driver of Sophia, Greater Georgetown, yesterday morning succumbed to his injuries after being involved in a serious accident on the Soesdyke Public Road.

As Guyana awaits the World Bank’s determination on a US$5 million request to fight the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the global financial body yesterday did not indicate if it was anywhere closer to processing that loan as it said that it continues to assess the situation here.

The interest and revere for lawn tennis has forged a strong bond between the Resaul brothers, Heimraj and Vadeanand.

Two persons, including a juvenile, have been charged with the murder of Mahaica fisherman Zahir Ali, who was knifed to death last Wednesday.

Dear Editor, GECOM is about to conduct a recount of the General and Regional Elections held on 2nd March, 2020, which was forced upon our country by the Returning Officer for District 4, Mr.

By Staff Reporter Desiree Lancaster is easily one of the more successful female table tennis players to come out of Berbice.

The person who allegedly chopped and killed Jason Dundas during a scuffle in the Holding Bay of the Lusignan Prison more than a week ago has been identified, Commander of Region 4(C) Royston Andries-Junor confirmed.

As part of its efforts to protect its employees in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) has announced the implementation of a series measures for Pension Week.

 Dear Editor, In spite of the fact that numerous governments around the world have sensibly implemented vital measures which are essential to safeguarding the lives of their vulnerable prison staff and inmates from becoming victims of the deadly novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic the Government of Guyana (GoG) and the Guyana Prisons Service (GPS) have not yet instituted adequate measures.  

Despite the Coronavirus crisis affecting global sport, the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) is using the downtime to strengthen its capacity to further develop cricket and also make a positive contribution to the lives of the less fortunate.

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard Captain who was in police custody following a crash on the Pomeroon River that claimed the life of Ryan Khayum, a farmer, on Tuesday last, has been released on station bail, Regional Commander of Region 2, W/Superintendent Crystal Robinson, informed Stabroek News.

Dear Editor, Expectedly, my characterization of Vincent Alexander in relation to the rigging at GECOM  earned his wrath, as expressed in a letter, published in Sunday Stabroek, April 26, 2020 headed `I hold no brief for Mingo’s declaration’.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – West Indies legend Chris Gayle pulled no punches as he tore into former teammate Ramnaresh Sarwan in a three-part video on YouTube on Monday, blaming him for his fallout with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) outfit Jamaica Tallawahs.

Reeling from the impact of measures implemented to curb the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), members of the business community are calling on the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) to relax some measures to allow them to operate and maintain their operations.

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) wishes to commend the efforts of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), health care and other frontline workers in their fight to the country safe against the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their operations, local oil and gas support companies Ramps Logistics and TOTALTEC Oilfield Services have so far committed to retaining staff and have implemented measures to ensure everyone is paid as they abide by public health measures instituted to prevent the spread of the virus.

Dear Editor, Broadcast to Schools, Apr. 28, 2020, 1.30 pm, radio 102.5 FM.

It has been more than a week since four prisoners, including two murder accused, escaped from the Holding Bay at the Lusignan Prison and up to yesterday afternoon there had been no trace of them.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,  CMC – Deposed president of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) William Wallace said Monday he would reconsider his involvement in the sport at the national level if he loses the court battle he is waging against football’s world governing body which replaced he and his team with a normalization committee last month.

Dear Editor,  The current controversy about public access to Statement of Polls (SoPs) is governed by the Access to Information Act 2011.

Dear Editor,  I have heard of the count and the recount.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Hard-hitting Australian batsman Chris Lynn has poured cold water on the nation’s hopes of hosting the Twenty20 World Cup in October and November, saying it would be a “logistical nightmare” due to the coronavirus pandemic.

CAPE TOWN, (Reuters) – Quinton de Kock says he has eased into the South African captaincy in limited-overs formats and feels the Twenty20 side is on the right track for this year’s World Cup in Australia.

With schools being closed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), many residents of Karaudarnau Village, Deep South Rupununi, have retreated to their respective farms in the nearby forests to avoid the outbreak, however, they are still being negatively affected by restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the deadly respiratory disease.

Due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) will not be conducting any meter readings and will instead give customers estimated bills.

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – The U.S. coronavirus death toll reached a grim milestone yesterday, surpassing the number of American lives lost in the Vietnam War, as Florida’s governor met with President Donald Trump to discuss easing shutdowns aimed at curbing the pandemic.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – National shot-putter Cleopatra Borel will decide by July whether she will compete in her fifth and final Olympics, now that this year’s sporting showpiece has been postponed until next summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dear Editor, We, children of Guyana, many on this list who have voted for the first time, demand that our votes be tabulated and declared in a credible manner that reflects the will of the people.

BRASILIA,  (Reuters) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro yesterday named a family friend to head the federal police, days after his justice minister quit and accused the president of meddling in law enforcement for political motives.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said yesterday that his team is operating as if its season is over.

The Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha has thus far distributed 1,400 food hampers to bring relief to families in need during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Dear Editor, I respond to Stabroek News’ editorial, dated  April 27,2020 `There will be riggers at the recount’.

MADRID,  (Reuters) – Spain announced a four-phase plan yesterday to lift one of the toughest coronavirus lockdowns in Europe and return to normality by the end of June as the daily death toll fell to 301, less than a third of a record high of 950 in early April.

Dear Editor, In a previous letter to this newspaper (2019.09.21, Stabroek News), I noted the following: “GECOM’s credibility rests on: (1) the reasonable public seeing that it is competent and independent; and (2) the reasonable public accepting that it is capable of conducting credible and impartial elections.”

The mobile sample collection units, launched on Monday by the Ministry of Public Health in Region Four, have been set up to take services for COVID-19 to residents and not have them go to a hospital.

ATHENS,  (Reuters) – Professional athletes across the world should not be rushed back to action once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, and they must have a strong say in determining the conditions for their return, the World Players Association said yesterday.

TRIPOLI, Lebanon,  (Reuters) – Protests against growing economic hardship erupted in Tripoli and spread to other Lebanese cities on Tuesday, with banks set ablaze and violence boiling over into a second night.

The popular weekly radio talk show, The Mason & Guests Show, hosted by West Indian cricket commentator, Andrew Mason, which is broadcast every Tuesday evening from 6:15 pm to 8:00 pm, on the Voice of Barbados (VOB) 92.9 Fm and vob929.com,

By Gordon Brown LONDON – “This is not a discrete one-off episode,” Wellcome Trust head Jeremy Farrar has warned.

No doubt with an eye on winning political support, during the 2005 flood, the PPP/C government deployed some of its political personnel to deliver food hampers etc.,

(Trinidad Express) Trinidad-born healthcare worker Mahadaye “Mary” Jagroop passed away last week at the Birmingham Heartlands Hospital in England after contracting COVID-19.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Ravaged by fallout from the coronavirus disease, the Holness administration has established a high-powered task force to kick-start Jamaica’s battered economy and chart the road to recovery in the medium term.

Dear Editor, The recent letter in the Stabroek News on the plight of pensioners is quite revealing and measures as suggested should be considered especially as we have witnessed the impact of this virus on the most vulnerable,  that is, seniors over sixty years.

 An unoccupied house at 27 Shoppers Lane, West Ruimveldt was last evening destroyed by a fire of unknown origin.

(Reuters) – FIFA’s medical committee chairman Michel D’Hooghe has said football should not be played until at least the start of September to limit the spread of the new coronavirus and when it does resume that yellow cards be handed out for spitting.

Dear Editor, A report that at least 33,000 masks will be needed for the national recount of votes left the majority of the Guyanese people in disbelief.