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HUGE
COVID
SPIKES
Frustrated Caribbean officials
Vol. 33, Issue 2 BROOKLYN EDITION January 14-20, 2022
blame indiscipline
By Bert Wilkinson
Government of f icials
across the regional trading
bloc this week expressed dismay
at massive spikes in positive
COVID-19 cases with
many member states reporting
record single day numbers
in the aftermath of year
end festivities.
Guyana, Suriname and
Trinidad-the three southern
Caribbean countries — along
with Barbados, The Bahamas
and associate member Bermuda,
have all been forced to
deal with significant hikes in
positive cases linked to partying,
illegal assemblies and
increased commercial activities
during the Christmas
season.
Suriname for example
reported 1,106 cases on Tuesday
representing nearly 50
percent of people tested in
the Dutch-speaking republic
to go along with 924 as the
work week began.
Neighboring Guyana is
also struggling to cope with
a major spike recording 1,016
cases last weekend. These
hikes in the two mainland
member states have popped
up just when officials say
they were beginning to see
reducing numbers of positive
infections, deaths and ICU
hospitalizations as of up to
mid December.
In Guyana as well, ICU
patients have dropped from
about 30 at the main coastal
specialty hospital to less than
10 even as officials across
the region blame the new
omicron strain for the rapid
spread of infections in the
15-member bloc. The same is
true for Suriname. Weighing
Immigration advocate Murad Awawdeh speaks during a news conference to address the
incoming travel ban to the U.S., at John F. Kennedy airport in the Queens borough of
New York City, New York, U.S. June 29, 2017. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File
NYIC dismisses GOP lawsuit as ‘purely
partisan attack’ on immigrant communities
By Nelson A. King
The New York Immigration
Coalition (NYIC), an umbrella
policy and advocacy organization
for more than 200 immigration
groups in New York
State, on Monday dismissed as
“purely a partisan attack” on
immigrant communities and
democracy a lawsuit by several
New York Republican officials
that seeks to stop more than
800,000 New Yorkers from
voting in local municipal elections.
NYIC said the Republican
officials, along with the
New York Republican State
Committee and the Republican
National Committee, on
Monday filed a legal challenge
“seeking to subvert the will of
the New York City Council.”
In December, the New York
City Council passed Introduction
1867, allowing New York
City residents who are otherwise
qualified to register
under New York State election
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