CARIBBEAN ROUNDUP
Barbados
Sandals Barbados officially welcomed
its first guest last week following a near
six-month closure.
An excited UK couple who were visibly
blown away by the reception they
received from the management and
team members, all of whom adhered to
the physical distancing protocols.
The arrival continued in the evening
as all guests were accommodated at
Sandals Royal Barbados
anxious to begin
their stay. General
Manager of Sandals
Barbados and Royal
Barbados Ramel Sobrino
said that after much anticipation, he
was extremely pleased to see guests
returning.
He said that team members were also
delighted with the re-opening, as many
of them were thrilled to be back on the
job and ready to welcome some familiar
guests.
Sobrino said the team members have
been trained in the Sandals Platinum
Protocol of Cleanliness which is in keeping
with the Government protocols.
The Sandals Platinum Protocol of
Cleanliness was established in collaboration
with the local and international
health agencies, including the World
Health Organization (WHO) and the
Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO).
Bahamas
The Royal Bahamas Force, the Royal
Bahamas Marine Division and the US
Coast Guard are continuing a search
and rescue mission for several Haitians
and Jamaican nationals reportedly
missing at sea.
The police said they
received an alert that a
27-foot vessel was taking
water nine miles
south of Chub Cay in
the Berry Islands and on arrival they
found the vessel partly submerged with
several persons in the water clinging
to it.
Twelve persons were subsequently
rescued and there is an ongoing search
to find the remaining persons.
The rescued migrants were transferred
to HMBS Coral Harbor to be
processed and checked by medical personnel
in advance of handing them over
to police and immigration officials for
further investigation.
Guyana
President Dr. Irfaan Ali expressed
disappointment that social media was
being used in the South American
country to promote racial tension and
warned that his government “will not
tolerate it.”
The race issue came to the forefront
Caribbean L 4 ife, Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2020
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The Sandals Barbados Resorts has re-opened after a six-month closure. www.sandals.com
recently after two cousins of African
descent were brutally murdered in the
backlands of West Coast Berbice.
The body of 17-year-old Haresh Singh,
a grandson of one of the suspects, was
also found in the backlands next to his
burnt motorcycle.
In his latest statement,
Ali said, “it
deeply grieves me,
therefore, when I see
almost every day on
social media, the degree of race-baiting,
racial hate and racial hostility, which
pervades the social media platform.”
Ali said he had spoken to Attorney
General Anil Nandlall and has directed
him to ensure that the full force of the
law is employed and is applied to those
who pursue this criminal behavior.
Grenada
The Royal Grenada Police Force
(RGPF) has reported that suicide is on
the increase on the Spice Island and
this year has seen a new record in the
number of people taking their own
lives.
According to statistics from the
RGPF, which investigates suicides, the
increase in suicides and attempted suicides
started in 2015.
In 2015, five suicide deaths were
reported in Grenada, up from one of
two in previous years and this year the
numbers have peaked at 10 attempts
and six out of that amount actually succeeded.
The parish of St. Patrick has recorded
the highest number of suicides in
2020 with with three of the four deaths
reported nationwide.
Minister of Social Development,
Delma Thomas said there is need for
public education around suicide prevention
because of the added stress people
are facing due to COVID-19.
She said her ministry
recognizes that
this was a time of high
stress and anxiety for
many persons who
may be faced with financial problems,
unemployment, breakdown in intimate
relationships, domestic abuse, and grief
are just a few of the challenges people
battle with daily.
Suriname
Suriname has recorded new deaths
from the coronavirus (COVID-19), pushing
the total to 95, while other regional
countries were reporting additional
positive cases of the virus that has
killed hundreds of Caribbean nationals.
Suriname now has 571 active cases
out of a total of 4,611 positive cases of
the virus
So far 85 people were declared cured,
making a total of 3,935…nine are in
intensive care units.
Health authorities in the Dutchspeaking
country said there are 489
positive cases in isolation and 40 non-
positives in quarantine.
Two CARICOM nationals are the latest
COVID-19 positive cases in Barbados.
Officials said a 20-year-old Jamaican
woman tested positive on arrival at the
airport aboard a Caribbean Airlines
flight last week, while a 42-year-old
Guyanese woman, who arrived on Sept.
7 aboard Trans Guyana, also tested positive
after a second test.
The authorities said there are now 11
people in isolation and
165 have recovered.
Barbados has recorded
185 cases, comprising
96 females 89 males.
Guyana has recorded 56 deaths from
the virus, while Trinidad and Tobago is
reporting 62 deaths as of last week. A
total of 3,500 people have tested positive
for the virus.
Trinidad
The Trinidad and Tobago government
has passed legislation making it
mandatory to wear face mask to curb
the spread of the COVID-19 virus or face
a fine of TT$1,000.
The Public Health Ordinance was
amended to make provisions for fixed
penalty notices for offences under the
Public Health Ordinance, which was
passed in both Houses of Parliament
recently.
Attorney General
Faris al-Rawi explained
that the ordinance
allows for a formula of
a fixed penalty regime
to be applied by way of
regulations.
— Compiled by Azad Ali
THE NEWS FROM BACK HOME
Sandals re-opens to guests
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