(Trinidad Guardian) Pupils preparing for the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) examination will do their work at home from today until the August 20 test – and bars and restaurants are now the biggest COVID-19 risk.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday announced the developments as COVID-19 cases rose by five to 199.
And he’s made a special appeal to the police for enforcement of the law regarding bars and restaurants.
“I want to see the laws enforced to the limit!” he declared.
Ministry of Health authorities yesterday revealed that a “fair number” of super-spreading was noted among people who had contracted infections in two or three bars and had spread it to an unrelated group.
Rowley said what T&T did in the beginning of the pandemic was still serving the country well and the virus wasn’t raging out of control. He said the contacts of the recent cases have been found, others were being traced and he didn’t want panic reactions.
He said if it comes to a point where the risk requires certain other decisions and more needs to be done, “then we’ll make those decisions – but we’re not there now.”
But he said some things have increased risk and in the monitoring schools after SEA students went out to classes, it has been noted nine children had the virus – including four from the SEA group and five others.
“We don’t want to live with that as a high-risk area even though we want to get the exam done,” Rowley added.
Government and health experts concluded the SEA students shouldn’t continue going to school to do their preparations.
“We decided to discontinue that at this stage from (today),” the PM said.
He said it was expected the pupils will now do their preparations at home. Rowley appealed for parents to help their charges prepare over the next two weeks, adding Government is still committed to having the exam on August 20.
“Let’s hold the line to that test,” he said.
But if there’s an explosion of cases ahead the Government would have to react, he added.
Rowley also said there would be no change on the planned reopening of schools in the first week of September but admitted they will be opened with some element of risk management.
“We’ll monitor it for another two weeks and based on what comes up, then we’ll confirm that date or review for change. But for now, we’ll leave it the way it is. If the risk is too much, we’ll adjust accordingly.”