A lapse in COVID-19 protocols has driven a deadly spike in coronavirus cases in the Americas, Director of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Dr. Carissa Etienne warned Wednesday.

In fact, she pointed to complacency around mask-wearing, travel and indoor gatherings, as the main factors fueling the spread of the new Omicron variant throughout the region along with increased deaths.

She told her weekly media briefing: “Reduced public health measures were insufficient to reduce the scale of this wave. And now we’re dealing with the consequence: a rise in infections is driving a surge in deaths.”

While still very high, COVID-19 infections declined by 31 per cent this week, and deaths continued to rise by 5.6 per cent.

“Undoubtedly, Omicron overtook us,” the director said. “Every time infections surge, there is a heavy toll for our families and communities.

“COVID-19 is a preventable disease. And right now, we’re losing far too many lives,” she added. “As Omicron arrived, we didn’t use all the tools we had developed to slow the spread and prevent infections.”

More than half of deaths in the latest surge occurred in people over the age of 65 but many others occurred among those yet to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Unvaccinated people of all ages still fill up hospitals and ICU beds.

“Omicron has shown that the vaccines we have at hand can protect most of us from severe illness and death,” Dr.
Etienne said.

To ensure more equitable access, PAHO’s Revolving Fund has now delivered 100 million doses of COVID- 19 vaccines to 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean in coordination with COVAX.

The PAHO director thanked donors for contributing 30 per cent of the 100-million dose milestone and urged countries “to focus on filling in critical gaps in vaccination coverage,” to ensure that at least 20 million more people are fully vaccinated, particularly high-risk groups.

“We won’t overcome this pandemic unless we protect these groups, and then go beyond to cover everyone who is eligible,” she said.

Dr. Etienne also highlighted that countries must be vigilant about implementing public health measures quickly. They must adjust hospital systems to accommodate new surges while ensuring healthcare workers have the tools they need to safely treat COVID- 19 patients.

“We need to activate our responses more rapidly to keep pace with the current wave and stay ahead of future surges of this very fast, very serious virus,” she added.

With up to 202 people dying every hour due to this latest surge, “inaction is not an option,” the PAHO Director said.

Turning to the COVID-19 situation in the region, countries of the Americas reported 3.3 million new cases and more than 34,000 COVID-19 related deaths.

In North America, the United States recorded the highest number of deaths in the subregion – 17,000.

Countries in Central America and in the Caribbean reported a surge in COVID-19 deaths, as well as an increase in hospitalizations, reaching 19 per cent in some countries and territories of the Eastern Caribbean.

In South America, deaths in Brazil reached the highest numbers ever, setting a record for this wave. (BT/PAHO)

The post Complacency fueling surge in COVID-19 cases appeared first on Barbados Today.

God is not being removed from schools, Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw made clear on Thursday in response to claims levelled by The Spiritually Aware Group in a statement.

The group took issue with a circular issued by the Ministry of Education to principals on February 15 which states:
“…There should be no general assembly of students at any time in the face-to-face modality. For example, there should be no whole-school prayers, year group prayers or house prayers. Where possible, students should be allowed to engage in “mindfulness sessions” in their classrooms while following the COVID-19 protocols…”

The group charged that Government is attempting to stop prayer in schools.

“The Government of Barbados, at a time of an unknown and shaky future, where at every turn, there are problems internally and internationally, are proposing to stop a faith-based activity…PRAYER in our schools. Instead, the Government is now saying to us, the electorate, that this is now a time, of all times, to turn to an evidence-based, secular mode for our children.

This instruction to schools represents an onslaught on the next generation of Barbados our children; to strip them of the only aspect of our culture that can really save us.”

“They want the children to be able to meet for “mindfulness” activities but not to meet for prayer! How many Bajans before now even knew what “mindfulness” was beside being an adjective or descriptive word? Now it is a noun? Why can’t we believe in ourselves and stop depending on importation…even of concepts? When we’re not importing LGBTQ+, we’re importing Humanism. Now we’re importing “Mindfulness”, the statement said.

But in response, Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw said: “The Ministry of Education is not taking God out of schools… if you look at the circular that I saw circulating as well in the public forum, that circular was addressed to principals. It was intended for principals because we had a number of meetings prior to the distribution of the circular, which outlined how the sessions would go during the morning periods,”

Dr Archer-Bradshaw explained: “Instead of having general prayers, general assembly, we said that we would have the students come into the classrooms, we will find out how they are doing, we will interact with them because many of them have suffered loss, [and] we understand that. We want to hear from them, we want to be able to guide them accordingly to talk about love, compassion, and having understanding for the situation,” she said.

The Chief Education Officer disclosed she received several messages from worried persons who feared the ministry was somehow looking to move into a concerning direction, but she emphasized the temporary change was planned out thoroughly for the benefit of the island’s children.

“I received some messages as well talking about this new age movement, the Ministry of Education is not going in that direction at all. It was about being mindful of the situation that we are in, in this COVID-19 pandemic, and having conversations with our students to ready them for learning within the classroom.” (SB)

Read the full story in Thursday’s Epaper.

The post Education Chief says God not being removed from schools appeared first on Barbados Today.

by Marlon Madden

Barbadian economist Kemar Stuart has published his first book. The 219-page paperback publication titled Alternate Views: Barbados’ Economic Road to Republic, provides an analysis on a range of economic matters between 2016 and November 2021 when the island transitioned to a republican state.

It delves into a range of economic policy prescriptions and economic developments relating to the country’s debt to GDP ratio, transfers to state-owned entities, the foreign reserves, the controversial debt restructuring of 2018, the Barbados Optional Savings Scheme (BOSS), the Barbados Employment and Sustainable Transformation (BEST) programme and the highly revered Barbados Welcome Stamp initiative.

“The book provides a heavy analysis of the legislative changes that occurred during the period of 2018 to 2021,” added Stuart. In explaining the impact of certain decisions on the island’s economic landscape, the publication also takes a look at the impact from the trade union movement and some policymakers and special economic advisors during the specified period, as well as offers some recommendations on the way forward.

Stuart opted not to say what exactly led to him publishing the educational material at this time. However, the 27-year-old politician told Today’s BUSINESS he was upbeat about the achievement, which he said was dedicated to University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Board of Undergraduate Studies Professor Justin Robinson and Professor Cynthia Barrow Giles.

He said they have been very instrumental in his economic and political development over the years.
Stuart, who contested the January 19, 2022 general election, said he started the book in April 2021 and completed it by December, but publication had been delayed due to the recent general election. The educational publication is expected to be officially launched sometime in March and will become available in bookstores then.

Stuart, Director of Business Development Finance and Investment at Stuart & Perkins Caribbean, said while his publication mainly targeted academics, politicians, researchers, institutions, budding economists and public servants, it was also written with “the average layman” in mind.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday

The post Stuart examines the Barbados economy appeared first on Barbados Today.

by Marlon Madden

Government’s election promise to subsidise new homeownership costs for individuals 35 years and under should serve as an encouragement for more young people to own a property, says President of the Barbados Estate, Agents and Valuers Association (BEAVA) Arthur Ramsay.

The Barbados Labour Party (BLP), which was successful in the January 19, 2022 general elections, promised that it would support property ownership for first time homeowners with a First Home Grant of $3,000.

The first-time homeowner will be able to apply this grant to any expense including a down payment on land or a house, mortgage or loan payment or legal fees.

“This will be particularly beneficial to young people, giving them a start in life with a valuable and tangible asset. It will give more Bajans their own ‘piece of the rock’ and strengthen Barbados as having a propertyowning democracy,” the BLP said in its manifesto.

BEAVA’s President Arthur Ramsay welcomed the idea, stating that it should result in more young people in Barbados aspiring to owning their own property.

“It is a good idea to kind of stimulate the economy and get persons investing because most younger persons have shied away from actually buying homes because most persons say ‘I don’t know if I want to own a home and all of the trappings that come with it’,” said Ramsay.

He also pointed to the state-led Home Ownership Providing Energy (HOPE) programme, saying this too, should serve as an encouragement for more young people in Barbados to invest in real estate.

“I think it is a good idea to have persons invest in property and give them the opportunity through the HOPE development and others that are coming online, to buy a piece of the rock and invest, because at the end of the day property is one of the best investments you can have and to invest in our own country I see it as a positive,” said Ramsay, who was speaking recently on the sidelines of a media conference to introduce a new-look BEAVA with an upgraded website and new logo.

The HOPE housing programme offers a one-stopshop for would-be homeowners, including mortgage financing, attorney services and house insurance, at low rates.

The projects are divided by income level – HOPE Basic for applicants earning up to $2,000, HOPE Direct for those earning between $2,000 and $4,000 and HOPE Premium for individuals earning between $4,000 and $8,000.

In March last year, Government broke ground at Vespera Gardens, Lancaster, St James for the first 32 of the planned 165 two and three-bedroom houses there.

In May, Government again broke ground for the HOPE Premium development, this time on a 35-acre plot of land in Atlantic Breeze, Chancery Lane, Christ Church, which will house some 267 two-bedroom houses and 131 three-bedroom houses.
Government has estimated that it would provide a total of some 10,000 new homes under the HOPE project.

The new administration is expected to outline details of the promised $3,000 First Home Grant initiative in the coming months.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

The post Homeownership boost for young Bajans appeared first on Barbados Today.

Barbados has recorded two COVID-19  deaths on Wednesday, February 16.

A 76-year-old fully vaccinated male and an 89-year-old unvaccinated female died from the viral illness. The number of deaths from COVID-19 is now 307.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Ian Gooding-Edghill, has extended condolences to the bereaved. (BGIS)

The post Two more people succumb to COVID-19 appeared first on Barbados Today.

The Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory identified 272 new COVID-19 cases – 125 males and 147 females – from the 1,648 tests carried out on Wednesday, February 16.

The cases comprised 60 persons under age 18, and 212 who were 18 years and older.

There were 125 people in isolation facilities, while 4,041 were in home isolation.

Two people died from the virus on Wednesday – a 76-year-old fully vaccinated man, and an 89-year-old unvaccinated woman.

As at February 16, there were 307 COVID-19 deaths recorded.

The public health laboratory has carried out 572,792 tests since February 2020, and recorded 52,909 COVID-19 cases (24,525 males and 28,384 females).

Under the National Vaccination Programme for COVID-19, the total number of persons with at least one dose is 159,681 (69.9 per cent of the eligible population).  The total number of fully vaccinated persons is 148,678 (54.9 per cent of the total population or 65.1 per cent of the eligible population).  The eligible population represents those persons who are 12 years and older. (BGIS)

The post Barbados logs 272 new COVID-19 cases appeared first on Barbados Today.

Fortress Fund Managers (FFM) recorded positive performances in all its funds in the fourth quarter of 2021, continuing an encouraging trend from previous quarters.

Investors received this news recently in the leading fund manager’s December 2021 quarterly report which highlighted its three Barbados dollar funds – “ the Caribbean Growth Fund, the Caribbean High Interest Fund, and the Caribbean Pension Fund.

The report noted that Fortress’ global and regional equities continued to strengthen in the fourth quarter, capping off “a very good year”.

“While markets initially weakened on concern over the spread of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant, they found their feet again and finished the year stronger, reflecting company earnings growth and still very low interest rates,” it added.

The Caribbean Growth Fund gained 2.7 per cent in the fourth quarter and was up 17.9 per cent over the past year. Going forward, Fortress continues “to see very good prospects for the kinds of high-quality, well-valued shares where the Fund invests”.

Globally, equities rallied in October but traded lower in mid-November on concerns over the Omicron variant and the US Federal Reserve’s tapering and rate hike schedule.

As fears of renewed pandemic lockdowns subsided, US stocks rose in December, and bond yields increased.
Yields finished marginally higher for the quarter, and among global equities the US outperformed international and emerging markets, the company said in its assessment.

“Among the Fund’s larger global allocations, the Fortress US Equity Fund and the International Equity Fund returned 7 per cent and 6 per cent respectively,” the report said.

Regionally, the Trinidad index posted a gain of 5 per cent while other major regional indices were down. Massy Group, part of the Trinidad index and the FFM portfolio, advanced 27 per cent over the quarter. Barbados and Jamaica, meanwhile, continued to experience stalled tourism activity for much of 2021.

“Equity markets in these tourismdependent markets may recover following better economic performance in 2022,” the report suggested. The Growth Fund’s net asset value (NAV) per share as of December 31 was $7.4769. Net assets were $629 million, up from $522 million this time last year.

The Fund’s annual compound rate of return since inception in 1996 is 8.4 per cent per year. Its aim remains capital growth over the long term and the Fund uses a value approach to invest primarily in Caribbean and international equities.

The Caribbean High Interest Fund was up 0.2 per cent in the quarter and up 1.3 per cent over the past year.

The net asset value (NAV) of the Fund’s Accumulation share as of December 31 was $2.1303, while the Distribution share finished at $1.0172.

Net assets were $143 million, up from $139 million this time last year.

“Our global fixed income investments via the US dollar Fortress Fixed Income Fund were approximately unchanged over the quarter.

Some of our corporate bond positions were called by the issuers, and we took the opportunity to participate in a few tender offers at attractive yields.

Our small positions in bond alternatives had good returns in the quarter and contributed nicely to the Fund’s overall return,” the report explained.

Closer to home, the Government of Barbados resumed bond issuance, with a five-year, 4.25 per cent note. Fortress noted that while it was encouraged to see the new bond issue, the first since 2018, it was yet to assess the market participation.

“The Fund’s government of Barbados weighting fell from 9 per cent to 8 per cent as we added more Series B at attractive levels to replace Government of Barbados Series F bonds as their final maturity neared.

“Our local corporate bond positions continued to perform well,” said the report. The High Interest Fund’s annual compound rate of return since inception in 2002 is 3.9 per cent per year.

Its portfolio remains as diversified as possible across various issuers, industries, geographies, and terms to maturity while focused on income and capital preservation.

The three classes of shares of the Pension Fund also performed positively, gaining between 0.6 per cent and 2.3 per cent in the fourth quarter.

They were up between 3.8 per cent and 14.7 per cent over the past year with equity investments continuing to outpace returns from bonds. (PR)

The post Fortress adds to positive performance appeared first on Barbados Today.

Barbados today received 129,600 Pfizer vaccines from the United States (US) Government. 

The gift was presented to Minister of State in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Sonia Browne; Minister of State in Foreign Trade and Business Development, Sandra Husbands, and Chief Medical Officer, The Most Hon. Dr. Kenneth George, at the Grantley Adams International Airport. 

Public Affairs Officer with the US Embassy, Bridgetown, Larry Socha, speaking on behalf of the US Ambassador to Barbados, Linda Taglialatela, acknowledged that the US was “very proud” to work with Barbados on the donation. 

“It is through partnerships with Barbados, with the Ministry of Health here, with CARICOM, that we are able to realise this donation and together work to fight against the pandemic and work to defeat it, so that together we can work to restore the health and prosperity of Barbados and the Caribbean as a whole. 

“So, the US Embassy is very happy to be here to work with our partners. This is part of over 200,000 vaccines that were donated to the Caribbean this week,” he stated. 

Mr. Socha also shared that since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US had donated more than 200 million vaccines worldwide, and remained happy to have Barbados as a partner in the effort. 2022-02-17 5 

Minister Sandra Husbands, describing the US as “a longtime friend of Barbados and CARICOM”, expressed appreciation for the donation. She said Barbados was deeply appreciative of the gift because of the state of vaccine availability across the world for small island developing states. 

“It makes a difference in the fight in order for us to defeat COVID; that we can all go back to normal; get economic recovery, so that we can live our normal lives again; so our thanks to the United States for this tremendous gift,” she stated. 

Meanwhile, Minister of State in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Sonia Browne, stressed that the fight against COVID-19 would continue, in terms of getting the vaccine administered to those who wanted it, or needed the booster. 

Adding that the donation was a most important gesture now that the protocols were being relaxed and face-to-face classes about to restart, she told Mr. Socha: “We look forward to sometime in the future, getting the children under 12 also vaccinated and I’m hoping the US Government participates in that when it’s ready.” (BGIS) 

The post Barbados receives 129,600 vaccines from USA appeared first on Barbados Today.

Police, Fire officers and personnel from the Barbados Defence Force, Ambulance Service and the Roving Response Team are on the scene along Boarded Hall/Windsor, St George where a bus has overturned.

(More details as they come to hand)

The post Police investigate serious accident appeared first on Barbados Today.

Police report that 25 persons were injured in an accident that occurred around 7 15 p.m.along the Brighton / Windsor Junction involving a bus and car.

Senior Superintendent Margret Stephen told reporters at the scene that eight persons suffered injures to the head, chest and neck and were transported to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment, the remaining persons were assessed by medical personnel.

Investigations are continuing.

The post UPDATE: Police investigate serious accident appeared first on Barbados Today.

A woman who allegedly caused over $200 in damage to property walked out of the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court this afternoon after the complainant dropped the charge.

Shenella Amanda Nedd, a 29-year-old cashier of #2 Well Gap, Cave Hill, St Michael, had been facing the charge that on February 16, 2022 without lawful excuse she damaged a cutlery set, one sheet of concrete board, one vase, four bottles of detergent and seven curtain rods, total value $230, belonging to Mandelo John.

However, John told Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes that she longer wanted to proceed with the matter.

She said she was not forced or coerced to do so.

Weekes then dismissed the charge and told Nedd she was free to go.

The post Complainant opts not to continue court matter appeared first on Barbados Today.

The local religious community is divided on a new directive that there be no general assembly of students, whole-school prayers, year group prayers or house prayers when face-to-face teaching resumes on Monday.

The new rule, which is contained in a February 15 circular sent by the Ministry of Education to school principals, states that instead of the assemblies and prayers, where possible, students should be allowed to engage in “mindfulness sessions” in their classrooms while observing COVID-19 protocols.

But a group calling itself The Spiritually Aware Group has described the move by the Ministry as an onslaught on the next generation of Barbadian children to strip them of the only aspect of their culture that can really save this country. It is also accusing the Ministry of seeking to remove prayers from schools.

“The Government of Barbados, at a time of an unknown and shaky future, where at every turn there are problems internally and internationally, [is] proposing to stop a faith-based activity…prayer in our schools. Instead, the Government is now saying to us, the electorate, that this is now a time, of all times, to turn to an evidence-based, secular mode for our children.

“They want the children to be able to meet for mindfulness activities but not to meet for prayer! How many Bajans before now even knew what mindfulness was beside being an adjective or descriptive word? Now, it is a noun? Why can’t we believe in ourselves and stop depending on importation…even of concepts? When we’re not importing LGBTQ+, we’re importing humanism. Now we’re importing ‘mindfulness’, a statement from the Spiritually Aware Group said.

It further questioned whether the Government was continuing with “the disrespectful actions against the people of Barbados” which began with the replacement of the word ‘God’ in the Charter of Barbados with ‘creator’.

“Is it that they are continuing to ignore or rather trample on the culture of over 75 per cent of Barbadians? In our culture, we believe in a supreme, divine and sovereign being. Is this Government asking us to throw out, deny or ignore these beliefs as being no longer relevant?”

However, Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw rejected any notion that either God or prayers was being removed from schools.

“The Ministry of Education is not taking God out of schools…. If you look at the circular that I saw circulating as well in the public forum, that circular was addressed to principals. It was intended for principals because we had a number of meetings prior to the distribution of the circular which outlined how the sessions would go during the morning periods,” she said.

“Instead of having general prayers, general assembly, we said that we would have the students come into the classrooms, we will find out how they are doing, we will interact with them because many of them have suffered loss, [and] we understand that. We want to hear from them, we want to be able to guide them accordingly to talk about love, compassion, and having understanding for the situation.”

Archer-Bradshaw stressed that the temporary change was planned out thoroughly for the benefit of the island’s children.

“I received some messages as well, talking about this new age movement. The Ministry of Education is not going in that direction at all. It was about being mindful of the situation that we are in, in this COVID-19 pandemic, and having conversations with our students to ready them for learning within the classroom,” she insisted.

According to experts, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) offers secular, intensive mindfulness training to assist people with stress, anxiety, depression and pain.

One of the island’s umbrella religious organisations – the Barbados Evangelical Association (BEA) – while appreciating the reasoning behind the Ministry’s directive, took issue with the language used in the circular.

“The use of mindfulness sessions will involve verbal engagement at the general or class levels and while the Ministry may be trying to prevent mass assembling, there can be no logical reason why morning prayers cannot be accommodated at the class level,” the Vice President of the BEA Dr Winston Clarke told Barbados TODAY on Thursday.

“These are times when every aspect of governance is being carefully scrutinised and it would do well for those in whom the confidence of governance is reposed to be more meticulous in the utterances they make.”

Secretary of the Muslim Association of Barbados Sulieman Bulbulia also said while his community did not believe the Ministry’s intention was to remove God or prayers from schools, it had reservations about the term “mindfulness” and what it meant.

“We found it a little surprising that they went that route. We understand the point of not having general assembly to minimise any possibility of spread of the virus [but] one would have to explain what mindfulness means. I am not sure what the term refers to,” Bulbulia told Barbados TODAY.

“I have already spoken to several of my colleagues in the various religious groupings and it is worth having a dialogue with the Ministry of Education. Perhaps the whole question of what they are trying to achieve needs to be explained,” he added.

Head of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies (PAWI) in Barbados Bishop Selwyn Brathwaite said he was willing to accept the Ministry’s expressed rational of merely seeking to protect the children from possible exposure to COVID-19 and not removing prayer or God from learning institutions.

“She [Chief Education Officer] said there was no mal-intent to take God out of schools, so until I can prove different, I would have to go with what she is saying,” Bishop Brathwaite told Barbados TODAY.

However, chair of the Barbados Christian Council (BXC) Reverend Dr Cicely Athill-Horsford is adamant that the controversy is much ado about nothing.

“To my mind, hearing the explanation, hearing it [the circular] was sent to principals and not to the general public and it came out of their meetings that they had, then I think it is a storm in a tea cup…especially if the tea cup doesn’t have a saucer,” Dr Athill-Horsford told Barbados TODAY.

In fact, she pointed out that her church, which conducts online services with the students of Mount Tabor School, will continue to do so on Monday, following discussions several weeks ago with the principal there.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

The post Religious community has varying views over Education Ministry’s instruction to omit assembly appeared first on Barbados Today.

Just hours after a road safety audit that identified several challenges that could contribute to accidents, more than two dozen people were injured in a collision between a bus and car at one of those locations.

Police, fire officers, and personnel from the Ambulance Service, Barbados Defence Force, and Roving Response Team were pressed into action in response to the mass casualty that occurred Thursday around 7:15 p.m. at the Brighton/Windsor junction in St George.

Senior Superintendent of Police Margaret Stephen confirmed that about 25 people were injured.

“Eight persons reported they are suffering from head, chest, and neck injuries,” she said, adding that those individuals were transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital while the others were assessed by medical personnel on the scene. “Investigations are continuing.”

Earlier in the day, a team of “seasoned” police officers, during a road safety audit as part of a collision investigation course conducted by the Regional Police Training Centre, reported shoddy road signage, poor lighting, and debris on the roadside among the major challenges reported by road users and, in some cases, blamed for traffic accidents.

This followed visits to Windsor, Brighton, Lower Greys, Six Roads, Beulah, and Mangrove.

Deputy Commandant Christine Stanford explained that the two-week course, in which officials from the Transport Board and Co-operators General Insurance also participated, focused on the causes of collisions, the laws of the roads, investigation of collisions, and systems of vehicle controls.

On Thursday, however, the mission required them to take a practical look at the country’s road conditions and speak with motorists, with the intention of relaying their concerns to the relevant authorities.

“The feedback has been great and some of the motorists that we have spoken to… are happy to see something being done. Some people spoke about road signage, some spoke about visibility as it relates to the bush and debris on the road, and some even mentioned that they are hoping to see something being done at the junctions we visited today,” Stanford, an assistant superintendent, told reporters.

However, she added: “Motorists’ behaviour certainly can improve. Some of them are also complaining about the road infrastructure and sometimes they don’t see things being done, but things are being done.”

Acting Sergeant Andrew Sandiford, facilitator of the course, who is attached to the District ‘A’ Police Station’s collision investigations department, also underscored the need to balance vigilance by road users with good road conditions.

“Some of the accidents are caused by impatient road users but you also have to look at some of the signage. Some of the signage is faded, so motorists are unsure of which direction to turn at these junctions,” he noted.

Acting Senior Vehicle Inspector at the Transport Board Karn Jemmott noted that many of the challenges facing the motorists also affect officials associated with the state-owned bus company.

“What we’ve seen today suggests that signage needs to be improved in certain areas and we see the road markings in Six Roads… causing some motorists who are not familiar, a little discomfort in navigating the roundabouts,” said Jemmott.

“In some areas we went to, [we saw] the bush overhanging and blocking off the view of junctions and the visibility of junctions.”

Meanwhile, Akel Roach, Claims Adjuster at Co-operators General Insurance said the course allowed him to gain a more holistic view of the issues that contribute to accidents.

“The exercise today allowed me to view the road from a different perspective than an ordinary road user. That has given me an idea of how to identify different hazards and potential hazards that can cause accidents. Sometimes it may not be the driver but the infrastructure that is the problem,” Roach told Barbados TODAY.

“One of the sites that we visited at Windsor Crossroad… we identified a number of issues, including lighting and signage, but the general consensus is that a roundabout would solve the problem rather than street lights,” he added. kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb

The post 25 hurt in St George accident appeared first on Barbados Today.

COVID-19 positive individuals who are home isolating will soon have an opportunity to visit their ailing loved ones who are at the Harrison Point Isolation Facility in St Lucy.

Head of Isolation Facilities Dr Corey Forde made the announcement on Thursday during a press conference, where he was aiming for a Monday, February 21 start date for those visits.

Stressing that the visits will be done in a very structured way, Forde explained that only four individuals would be scheduled per day, during the evening, while one space will be made available for an emergency visit.

Forde said it was the acknowledgement that it was a very difficult time for some individuals to be away from their loved ones for an extended period, that prompted him and his team to put forward the recommendation for visitation at the Harrison Point Isolation Facility.

He explained that the visits will start with individuals who are more ill, and then expand to include others.

“What we are going to do is if you are a [COVID-19] positive individual at this time and you have a family member in there who is gravely ill, we are going to allow you to visit but in a very structured fashion,” said Forde.

“We will bring you to the facility and we will take you back because you are still in isolation. So we don’t want you to run about catching a bus for example, or driving your car to Harrison Point. So we will bring you in, in a structured way, and this will be communicated through our client relations department. They will communicate with you and structure a time in the afternoon and we will take at least four visits from four
different individuals to the facility,” he explained.

He said upon arrival, the family will be outfitted with the necessary personal protective gear and will be briefed by medical officials on what they could and could not do. They will also have the opportunity to again interact with medical officials after spending some time with their relatives.

“We know it has been difficult over the last two years with the norm of going to visit people has not been there, but we will try to change that in this particular aspect. How successful we are will also depend on you and how you cooperate with us as we go through a difficult process,” said Forde, who said there may be some hiccups, but he was focused on making it as smooth as possible.

There are currently more than 120 patients in the Harrison Point Isolation Facility with eight individuals who are negative but are dependents. There are 31 individuals currently on oxygen therapy.

Forde stressed that the visit programme was his department’s way of trying to bring back an element of “humanity” in a difficult situation happening globally.

“Many countries would not have done this but we are going to attempt to do it in a structured fashion, and we hope that Barbadians will work with us as we work through the process,” said Forde.

He noted that allowances have been made in the past for individuals who do not have the COVID-19 virus to still keep in touch with loved ones at the St Lucy-based isolation facility by way of telephone or Zoom calling. This is to continue.

He said assessments will be done on the new visitation measure over time to know what changes could be made in the future and whether individuals who are not COVID-19 positive could be allowed to visit the facility to see their loved ones.
marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

The post Harrison Point patients may soon get to see COVID-19 positive loved ones at the facility appeared first on Barbados Today.

The actions of four police officers are being called into question following the eviction of a 25-year-old man in the early hours of Thursday morning without a court order.

At about 3 a.m., Kenrick Miller spoke with Barbados TODAY at Clarke’s Alley, Wellington Street, The City, who was locked out of the house he shared with his relatives for all his life.

He said it was 9 p.m. on Wednesday when one of two uncles who live at the same address accused him of leaving something in the toilet. He denied that it was him and an argument ensued and he was instructed to leave.

But after he armed himself with a stick to avoid being thrown out, his uncle called the police and said that he was being threatened.

The three men live in a house owned by Miller’s grandmother who was his legal guardian as a child and the mother of the other two men. Nearly 10 years ago, the mother of eight passed away without a will and no one has secured legal title to the house.

After an extended discussion with relatives, Kenrick said he went back into bed. Then sometime between 1 a.m. and 1:30 a.m., he saw a light shining into his bedroom. It was the police, from Central Police Station,  who took a statement from him and after speaking to the oldest of his grandmother’s children, who lives in Haggatt Hall, St Michael, informed him that he needed to leave.

“There were four of them who told me to hand over the keys and find someplace to sleep,” he told Barbados TODAY. “Yes, I pulled a stick, but I didn’t hit him or anything.”

As the drama unfolded, one of Miller’s aunts, who is the daughter of his grandmother and was opposed to his eviction, called a lawyer.

“The lawyer said that police should not be putting people out of a house at this hour without a court order unless they are making an arrest or enforcing a restraining order,” he recalled.

“I am not a man that gets frightened by anything, but [the police officers] are the law. So they put me under real pressure… because the police officers kept saying ‘Kenrick come out. Kenrick come out!’ So I just put my working clothes in my bag and came outside.”

The young man said he regretted the argument with his uncle and acknowledged that had he held his tongue, the situation may have played out differently.

“To me, I feel like I was unfaired…. I am not Bajan and that is why I keep to myself. But I was living here from the time I was eight months, living here as a baby. I went to primary and secondary school while living here,” he said.

When contacted on Thursday, Police Public Relations Officer, Acting Inspector Rodney Inniss, told Barbados TODAY that he would investigate the matter.

Legal documents obtained by this newspaper indicate that the young man, who was born in St Vincent and the Grenadines, was taken in as a baby by his paternal grandmother and raised in her house.

The young man remembered going to church with his grandmother and helping her with farming and selling vegetables in The City. But he also admitted an adolescent past in which he stole from relatives and at some point was held at the juvenile detention facility at Dodds, St Philip.

According to Miller, officers told him that in their opinion, if a person dies without a will the eldest child is allowed to take control of all assets. Making matters worse, he said, were suggestions from some of his aunts and uncles that they were not biologically related because the man whose name is on his birth certificate is not his real father.

“Everything that happened in the past I put behind me. All that I did, I was young. But I am 25 years old,” said the employee of Graham’s Wholesale. “I work. It isn’t much. I sometimes work three days in and out but that is how I get my little money in my pocket.”

Kenrick said during the COVID-19 lockdowns he was staying with a girlfriend and when he returned after some time away, he realised the locks on the doors had been changed.

“In the lockdown, he was out here sleeping on the cold concrete slab with a sheet and the police let him back into the house,” Miller’s aunt, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

“But the police that came tonight are telling him that he has to leave. Although I showed them documents indicating that my mother was his legal guardian, they are saying that he has to leave, that he has no right in the house. But this is my brother’s child and I have the documents to show that my mother’s son, who is his father, was his legal guardian,” she added.

Miller said he had been paying a portion of the electricity bill before being put on the streets. kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb

The post Questions raised about police removing man from residence without court order appeared first on Barbados Today.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley is back home from a four-day working visit to Guyana with news that Barbados will benefit from a wide range of trade, investment and other initiatives, including a reduction in the cost of food as well as air travel between the two countries.

Just after touching down at the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) on Thursday, Prime Minister Mottley reported that the Barbados delegation engaged in talks not only with Guyana but Suriname as well, in order to boost the economy and make life easier for citizens.

Flanked by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator Dr The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott and her Special Envoy on Investment and Financial Services, Professor Avinash Persaud, she identified the potential for reduced food prices as one area in which Barbados stands to benefit.

“The question of food prices continues to be something that causes all of us angst, and, therefore, if we can reduce the price of food, particularly healthy food, then we believe we can add serious value.

“Of course, Guyana and Suriname have much more land than we do and they all have access to fresh water. So we are talking about training, expanded production – both in crop and livestock – and then using Barbados as a logistics hub in order to supply not just the Barbados market but other markets regionally and internationally,” the Prime Minister disclosed.

She reported that the Barbados team was also able to have discussions with Guyanese manufacturers.

“In fact, I am happy to report that there will be a group of Guyanese manufacturers coming here early in April and looking at a range of products, including prefab housing,” Mottley said.

“We have been discussing seriously the question of combined training. There are some areas in which Guyana’s training will be what we need in the area of welding and joinery…and there are other areas in hospitality where we can provide significant opportunities. They want 6,000 hospitality workers trained and we have already started the process of providing for that.”

She also reported that opportunities exist for Barbados and Guyana to do co-branding in tourism marketing, particularly in Europe where there is an appetite for eco-tourism and beach tourism.

“….Where people typically have longer vacations … the opportunities to twin the two destinations in a trip is not something that is out of their range,” Prime Minister Mottley told the media.

International transport was another topic of discussion, particularly logistics for the movement of cargo “that continues to bedevil this Caribbean region”, the Barbadian leader said.

Mottley said in that regard, some Surinamese have invested in air cargo and maritime assets for cargo and Barbados is examining ways to boost that.

“In addition to that, we discussed the question of how do we get the whole issue of reducing the cost of air travel between our countries, because once people start moving they are going to find the opportunities that governments haven’t even thought about. And I believe that, therefore, this is going to be one of the things you will see significant progress on over the course of the next few weeks,” she disclosed.

Touching on security, Mottley said Guyana will be joining the Barbados-headquartered Regional Security System (RSS).

“That is a significant impetus for us in the southern Caribbean. Guyana’s military is long established and is well-equipped and therefore the ability to have another anchor in the regional security system is something that will enhance the ability of the RSS, not only to respond to national security issues but in particular, as we are ready to go into the hurricane season…,” the Prime Minister added.

She also promised that in the coming weeks, the country will hear more from the Government regarding the initiatives taken by Barbados, Guyana, and Suriname.

“There are other matters of mutual benefit to us and I look forward to being able to welcome Guyanese businessmen up here. There was a significant contingent of Barbadian businessmen who went down with us and they, too, have reported that their talks and discussions went exceedingly well for them, and they anticipate that the future can be bright in terms of a renewal of this relationship, particularly in the post-COVID environment where everyone is looking for new opportunities to be able to build back up the volume of economic activity that obviously was displaced over the course of the last two years,” the Prime Minister said. emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb

The post Fruitful talks appeared first on Barbados Today.

Concerned about the high COVID-19 death rate among the elderly, Head of Isolation Facilities Dr Corey Forde is pleading with Barbadians to get their grandparents vaccinated and boosted against the virus.

His call came on Thursday as he indicated that of the 39 deaths associated with the Omicron variant so far, eight people were fully vaccinated, one was partially vaccinated and the others were unvaccinated.

He noted that most of the elderly people who were being admitted to the isolation facilities were experiencing respiratory challenges, severe diarrhea or vomiting, or “kidney impairment”, while some had electrolyte imbalances.

Dr Forde said while medical practitioners were doing their best to save lives, he wanted residents to take more responsibility by taking their elderly loved ones for the COVID-19 jab and then follow up with a booster.

“Since the Omicron saga, there were a total of about 39 deaths and the median age was 72 years. I think we, as a country, certainly recognise the importance of our elderly population . . . and I think we need to pay special attention to this particular group at this time,” warned Dr Forde.

“I think for most of you across the country you need to check in on your elderly individuals . . . . Apart from being our brothers’ keeper or family’s keeper, we also need to do a few things – so apart from checking in on them we need to check their vaccination status. If you have them out there and they are not vaccinated, I am begging you, please, try to get them vaccinated,” he pleaded, adding that getting the third shot was also important.

“Yes, it is okay to have your two shots but it is also strategically important that people be appropriately boosted,” Dr Forde said, noting that there has been a tapering off of individuals coming for COVID-19 boosters.

He also stressed the importance of people seeking medical treatment early when they are ill and suspect they have contracted the virus.

“If you have your elderly grandma, your great-aunt or whoever at home and they are ill, bring them early. This is one of the challenges we saw among this population of deaths. Bring them early,” the isolation facility manager stressed.

He said if people were not comfortable with taking their relatives to the Harrison Point Isolation Facility, they should take them to assessment centres either in Belleville, St Michael or Mangrove, St Philip, after calling the general operation centre to set up an appointment.

Dr Forde recommended that after an elderly person recovers from the viral illness, follow-up assessments and monitoring should be done, especially if they complain of joint pains.

Up to Thursday morning, there were some 126 COVID-19 positive patients in isolation.

“In our primary isolation area we have 11 patients and that is not so bad, but we have three of them currently ventilated,” Dr Forde reported.

“You have another 31 persons in the ICU between primary isolation A, B and secondary, who are on oxygen therapy. So that is still quite significant . . . . In that area we have a total of 15 very ill elderly individuals above the age of 80. It is very heart-breaking. They are very ill. The prognosis is not that good and they have multiple comorbidities.”

While 24 individuals were admitted to the Harrison Point Isolation Facility on Wednesday night, 11 others were discharged and there were two deaths associated with the pandemic on Wednesday.

There were also three recorded deaths on Tuesday that were associated with the COVID-19 pandemic – a 67-year-old woman who was unvaccinated, a 90-year-old unvaccinated woman, and a 76-year-old fully vaccinated man.

Officials also reported that on Monday, an 84-year-old fully vaccinated man and a 75-year-old unvaccinated man died as a result of the COVID-19 virus.

Dr Forde stressed during Thursday’s press briefing that a lot of the deaths associated with the COVID-19 pandemic were among individuals who had multiple underlying health conditions.

He said the island’s case fatality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic was at about 0.73 per cent.

(MM)

The post Not enough elderly people getting vaccinated – Dr Forde appeared first on Barbados Today.

Approximately 4,000 students at the primary level will benefit from counselling support sessions provided by the Ministry of Education, as they transition back to in-person classes from next Monday.

This revelation from senior psychologist at Student Support Services in the Ministry of Education, Juanita Brathwaite-Wharton, who spoke to the media on Thursday at a service of blessing at Queen’s College, following the use of the school as a COVID-19 isolation facility for several months.

She insisted that the mental health of students and teachers was of great importance, and work had begun several months ago on making sure that was catered for, through increasing the staff complement at Student Support Services.

“Prior to 2020, persons responsible for mental health and wellness support in the Ministry were three persons – myself and two social workers – but in the pandemic, we were given additional support staff in the Student Services. Our staff complement has increased by more than 100 per cent. We were given 23 new officers in Student Services and they span from special needs education to school safety officers who are essentially social workers placed in the secondary schools.

“So, in those schools that were used as facilities, the school safety officers along with the secondary school counsellors and guidance counsellors continue to provide support to students who were identified as needing such, in addition to the universal support that was given through the Health and Family Life Education classes,” Brathwaite-Wharton explained.

She said although the pandemic has been a testing time for students and staff alike, children who had been referred to counselling through the Ministry had been responding well to the mental health services.

“Persons would have discussed the fears and anxieties that they may have had. Some children did express that they had those concerns, but I would say that the majority of children are keen and eager and excited and ready to go back to school, based on the forums that we would have put in place to support the students,” the psychologist said.

Teachers have also been provided the opportunity to speak with professionals outside the island.

“In addition to the support for students, we have also spent quite a heavy emphasis putting support in place for staff, and this did not just start. This would have been ongoing throughout the pandemic.

“In 2020, for example, we partnered with UNICEF and they offered support groups for any teacher – primary or secondary school – who indicated that they needed some guidance, some assistance in managing with the pandemic, managing with COVID, and managing with teaching online. There also was a facility if persons were not comfortable with working with the network services because they are a local-based organisation, where they could have benefited from what we call tele-counselling from professionals who operate from outside of the region,” Brathwaite-Wharton disclosed. (SB)

The post Students get counselling ahead of school reopening appeared first on Barbados Today.

February 17, 2022 marks 27 years since David Waithe decided to change direction by committing to a drug rehabilitation programme and saying goodbye to 25 years of active drug use.

Sitting at his Bonnetts, Brittons Hill, St Michael home, in an interview with Barbados TODAY on Wednesday, the eve of his milestone, Waithe declared that because of his commitment to a strict rehabilitation programme, and a hunger to change, he is a different man.

The 65-year-old said he was happy he made the decision to walk straight out of a drug hole and into the Black Rock Psychiatric Hospital where he told authorities that he was ready to check himself into the rehabilitation programme being offered at that institution.

“On this day, February 16 in 1995, at this time I am talking to you right now, 20 minutes past six, I was in Tamarind Avenue in the dope hole, prickled, nasty, agitated, angry and very upset. And I was up and down the dope hole up to about 10 o’clock that night and I moved from there around 10 o’clock and went down to Black Rock. I slept outside Black Rock and went in the morning of the 17TH.

“But I must say that I had two previous attempts at Black Rock before that time – in 1993 and 1994. The first time I went it was about a girl I had and the second time it was about my job, but I wasn’t ready either of those two times. I was ready when I went on February 17.

“I had to turn my life around. I have done bad things and hurt people along the way. My ex-wife got the worst of me. She get the beating, she get the hot water thrown on her. And due to my drug use, the whole relationship was not good because I wasn’t really about her, I was about the drugs at that time,” he said.

Waithe is now reaping the rewards of that decision to change his habits. The father of a 41-year-old and 23-year-old, is a proud grandfather, has been married for the past 12 years but has been with his partner since 2001. He is also the property manager at Verdun House, where he is also a qualified addiction counsellor.

He is also a member of the Narcotics Anonymous, a support group which he has been a part of since he started on the road to recovery.

But how did Waithe get involved in the world of drugs?

He said the countless times he has shared his story, he always remembers to say that his addiction started when he was at a young age and could not resist licking the leftovers from the mixing bowl as his grandmother prepared her alcohol infused black cake.

Before making his way to what was called in those days, a grammar school, on mornings, he would use his school money to purchase marijuana, alcohol and cigarettes to take with him. He recalled that at that time drugs occupied his school bag and his mind, leading to poor academic performance.

After not being promoted on two occasions, Waithe was kicked out of school.

Eventually his uncle got him a job on a ship and he spent 12 years sailing all over the world.

“Within that 12-year period sailing I have done all types of drugs. I wasn’t interested in the name or where the drugs come from, once the action there, I want to be in it. In 1984, ships went bad and I came home and then I got a job in the Ministry of Public Works as a steel bender and the steel bending work wasn’t working well and then I did labour work and I went on to be an operator.

“And all that time in MPW from 1985 up to 1995, that whole ten-year period my drug use escalated. I started missing work, I started lying, cheating, stealing, robbing, carrying away things. I moved from being a person that was raised in the church, used to carry the Bishop to the altar, was confirmed, baptized, this is the person that changed from that individual and turned into a demon.

“On Easter Bank Holiday 1987 I took my first crack cocaine in a place called Church Village in town and up to that time I was popping pills, smoking weed, drinking. My life was gone. But in this whole situation I have never been to jail and I thank God for that,” Waithe shared.

Waithe said while he intends to observe his anniversary quietly, his continued focus is on helping others from where he was at that sad point in his life to where he has travelled thus far.

The counselor is so committed to helping people move from the bosom of drug addiction to a changed life, that he resigned from his government job. But he warned that drug addicts will only change when they get an awakening.

“My awakening came when I was in this said house with a pipe. When I got high my chest went tight and I did not know that I was close to getting a heart attack. I only knew that when I went to the doctor. So, my suggestion to drug addicts is to come to that place of understanding that you need the help from a family that cares about you.

“Don’t care what I do or what others do, and that person does not want to move from where they are, they are not going to move. Nobody can push recovery down your throat, you have to want to make the change and do what it takes.

“Change is possible and that is why I enjoy working at Verdun House, and that is why I moved from a government job and went to a non-profit job. There are many other people in Barbados who are like me. You will encounter challenges, but challenges are only challenges when you make them challenges. What I do today is I look for solutions,” Waithe advised.

I am very happy to be sitting, celebrating and enjoying the life of recovery. I did not allow my challenges on the road to recovery to stop me from moving forward. All the people that I used to be with, I cut them off.

“This anniversary is more important to me than my biological birthday or my wedding anniversary because if I don’t have this, without the recovery process, there is no me or there is no them. Tomorrow, I will be with my fellowship, Narcotics Anonymous. I will be in recovery until the day I die,” he added. anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

The post Recovered addict, turned counsellor, explores his journey from the ‘dope hole’ to Verdun House appeared first on Barbados Today.

Former Opposition Senator Caswell Franklyn says there has been no recorded legal move to stop the Government from continuing the sitting of the Lower House.

Yesterday, former Opposition Leader and leader of the Alliance Party for Progress (APP) Bishop Joseph Atherley told Barbados TODAY he fully expected Parliament to be temporarily suspended as a result of the constitutional motion before the High Court questioning its validity.

However, Franklyn said that while the Mia Amor Mottley Administration has the right to continue with Government business, the attorneys who brought the constitutional motion, failed to file for an injunction for the court to make a decision regarding the suspension of the sitting of the Lower House.

“The side that made the application to the court as far as I understand, did not file for an injunction. So, if the Government believes that they are doing the right thing and the court doesn’t stop them, well they will go ahead. I think it is just a strategy. “What [former Attorney General] Adriel Brathwaite’s lawyer should have done is to ask for an injunction and then the Judge would have to say yes or no. And at that point, if she says no, they could have made an urgent application before the Court of Appeal and then even to the Caribbean Court of Justice, but they didn’t do that,” Franklyn explained.

On Wednesday February 9, Brathwaite, through his attorney’s, Queen’s Counsel Garth Patterson and Michelle Russell, filed a suit challenging the validity of Parliament on the basis that not all 21 members of the Senate had been appointed.

The matter had been adjourned until February 25, however, the Lower House met on Tuesday and several Bills were passed.

Franklyn said while he is not surprised that Bills have been passed despite the ongoing court case, he is surprised that Patterson did not file the injunction.

“This Government does not behave honourably. I remember in October 2018 they promised Senator Monique Taitt on the floor of the Senate that they would come back to the Water Authority Bills because something was wrong in the legislation. “They promised to allow it to pass and then they would fix it in a couple of months. It ain’t get fixed yet.

“First of all, because there is no Opposition in Parliament, Government should follow the procedures and publish those Bills that they are purporting to pass,” Franklyn said.

“When you hear people say they beg to move that this bill be read the first time, what that entails is that it will be laid in Parliament and then published in the Official Gazette and circulated in the country to give the populace time to see it and react to it and then come back sometime after and do what they call the second reading. But now you have no opposition and nobody to check behind Government. I cried out often in the last session that they are now following the normal procedures,” he added. (AH)

The post Franklyn ‘surprised’ no injunction filed appeared first on Barbados Today.