Covid-19 en Guadeloupe: dixième semaine consécutive de chute des contaminations mais deux décès

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Guadeloupe FranceAntilles

Les autorités ont communiqué les chiffres de la situation sanitaire liés à la propagation du COVID 19. Selon l’Agence Régionale de Santé, 621 nouveaux cas ont été recensés contre 737 la semaine dernière. La prédominance du sous-lignage BA.5 d’omicron se poursuit.

Ce mercredi (14 septembre), les autorités ont communiqué par voie de communiqué de presse les nouveaux chiffres de contamination à la Covid-19.

Les contaminations

Du 5 au 11 septembre 2022, le nombre de nouveaux cas positifs dépistés sur le territoire a diminué.

Il est de 621 contre 737 la semaine dernière.

Depuis le mois de Juin, une co-circulation des sous-lignages BA.2, BA.4 et BA.5 du variant Omicron est observée sur l’archipel avec une prédominance de BA.5

Le taux de positivité est de 14,7 % .

Le R effectif est de 0,90.

Aucun cluster n’a été recensé depuis un mois. 

2 hommes hospitalisés en service de réanimation sont décédés avec le COVID. Ils étaient âgés de 60 et 79 ans.

Les hospitalisations

Le 13 septembre:

– 10 patients adultes COVID sont hospitalisés en médecine conventionnelle (stable).

– 36 patients sont hospitalisés en réanimation : 5 se trouvent en réanimation COVID du CHUG et 31 sont hospitalisés en réanimation non COVID (soit 5 au CHBT et 26 au CHUG).

– 55 se trouvent sous oxygène à domicile (baisse).

La vaccination

Au 13 septembre, on comptait 392 139 injections de:

– 1ère dose : 46,05 %

– 2ème dose : 43,94 %

– 3ème dose : 26,59 %

8 531 adolescents de 12 à 17 ans ont reçu la 1 ère injection et 8 100 ont reçu la 2 ème injection à ce jour en Guadeloupe.

295 premières doses de vaccination et 228 deuxièmes doses ont été enregistrées en Guadeloupe chez les enfants de 5 à 11 ans.

349 premières doses de Novavax et 191 deuxièmes doses ont été réalisées

Recommandations de la préfecture

Face à la circulation virale toujours très active, la Préfecture de Guadeloupe tient à faire quelques rappels:

-Il est fortement recommandé de maintenir les gestes barrières et de porter un masque en particulier pour les personnes fragiles et vulnérables. Cette recommandation vaut également pour tous dans les lieux clos où la concentration de personnes est importante et lors de grands rassemblements, y compris en plein air ;

-S’isoler en cas de signes évocateurs de l’infection et se faire tester au moindre doute que l’on soit asymptomatique ou cas contact. Les personnes fragiles doivent continuer à se protéger.

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Proportional Representation in Danger – StMaartenNews.com – News Views Reviews & Interviews

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: StMaartenNews

Julio R. RomneyPolitical Analyst

With one-third (5 out of 15) Members of Parliament having declared themselves as “Independent Members of Parliament”, this clearly undermines the fabric of our statutory Election System of Proportional Representation and endangered the application of proportional representation. It presents a danger for several reasons.

Chapter 4 of the Constitution clearly states that the composition of Parliament shall be based on proportional representation within the limits to be laid down by national ordinance. This means that the make-up of Parliament is required to reflect or “represent the entire populace of Sint Maarten”, elected by proportional representation.

By National Ordinance / Election Ordinance, this proportional representation is to be achieved through “the division of the total number of votes cast by the electorate by the number of available seats in Parliament”, referred to as “the election quota”. Thereafter, seats are assigned to the election participating political parties as many times as the election quota is included in the number of votes that the political party received. Based on these calculations every participating political party is assigned a number of seats in Parliament in proportion to the number of votes cast for that particular political party. “In other words, a party that wins 10% of votes in the election will also hold 10% of seats.” (Election Ordinance, Explanatory Memorandum, Article 47: Election of Members of Parliament)

Permitting Members of Parliament to declare themselves as “Independent Members of Parliament”, does not appear to have any basis in the Constitution, and allowing them to maintain seats in Parliament does great danger to the constitutionally mandated proportional representation of Parliament. Not only would these seats most likely be occupied by persons who have not received votes equal to or more than the election quota but would be a serious breach of the statutory order allowing for only registered political parties to participate in the election to fill Parliamentary seats.

The rules are clear, our election system is “a system of lists (political parties), not a system of persons (candidates). Candidates are nominated (to fill Parliamentary seats) via the lists that are drawn up by the political parties taking part in an election.” (Election Ordinance, Explanatory Memorandum, Section 2 paragraph 1)

Equally important, the composition and assignment of seats in Parliament are enacted by ministerial regulation on the notification of the Central Voting Bureau. Contradictory, there appears to be no ministerial regulation enacting the present observed change in the composition and assignment of seats in Parliament. The process adopted now simply seems for Members of Parliament to declare themselves as Independent Member of Parliament on the floor of Parliament and thereafter officially notifying Parliament and the Central Voting Bureau of this decision. Such an act is clearly inconsistent with the Constitution and the Election Ordinance.

The Central Voting Bureau needs to provide some explanation and justification for these apparent constitutional inconsistencies. Knowing that it was established by Government as an independent body “to ensure the application of proportional representation as mandated by the Constitution” and to further “execute the voting and election procedures as stipulated and regulated in the Election Ordinance, the Central Voting Bureau has a responsibility here.

The Bureau is to stipulate the legal basis upon which Members of Parliament can declare themselves as Independent Members and maintain a seat in Parliament, a practice that is evidently inconsistent with the principles of proportional representation. Likewise, specify which statutory order or regulation, explicitly or implicitly, affords Parliament the authority to accept the notion of Members of Parliament declaring themselves as an Independent Member effectively ascending them as a new political party faction in Parliament.

In addressing this election system of proportional representation danger, electoral reform is needed now more than ever.

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Commission of Inquiry supporting documents now public

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: The BVI Beacon

More than 11,000 pages of supporting documents that Governor John Rankin received with the Commission of Inquiry report on April 4 were posted last week on government’s website — more than four months after the release of the report itself.

The documents are varied, and some — such as legislation, Cabinet decisions, and auditor general reports on projects like BVI Airways and the cruise pier — were public prior to the inquiry. Others had been published on the COI website during the course of the probe, including position statements from elected representatives and other officials.

However, more than 100 other documents had not been publicly released until last week.

They include Cabinet minutes, correspondence about public contracts, BVI Ports Authority board meeting minutes, letters between Virgin Islands and United Kingdom leaders, a memorandum on the Register of Interests, and others (see end of article).

Commish’s urging

COI Commissioner Sir Gary Hickinbottom had urged the governor to release the supporting documents along with the 937-page COI report.

“Whilst publication of the report and its supporting documents is of course a matter for you, I sincerely hope that, after you have reviewed them but otherwise as soon as you are properly able, you will publish the report and supporting documents in a form which gives the BVI public ready access,” the commissioner wrote the governor when he handed over the documents on April 4, adding, “As you are aware, throughout, I have made the inquiry as open and transparent as possible, with hearings not only being held in public but also livestreamed with transcripts and documents being made available to the public whenever I have been able to do so.”

Sir Gary also noted that the supporting documents provide context for the report.

“Most of the documents, or parts of documents, to which I refer in the report are here,” he wrote. “Some simply provide background, but most are documents upon which I have relied to inform my findings, conclusions and recommendations, and are therefore important in aiding the reader’s understanding of the issues considered in the report.”

Only the report

Mr. Rankin received the report and the supporting documents together on April 4, and he released the main report on April 29 — the day after then- Premier Andrew Fahie was arrested in Miami on drug and money-laundering conspiracy charges.

In response to June questions from the Beacon about the missing documents, Governor’s Office spokesman Arron Rahaman cited several reasons for the decision to delay publication.

“We are hoping to publish the COI supporting documentary evidence once we have clarified some details relating to the content of some of the documents,” Mr. Rahaman wrote at the time. “We are also looking for a suitable way to store the documents in an easily accessible way, which is not easy due to the size of the supporting documentary evidence, which is nearly 10,000 pages across several PDF files.”

In response to a follow-up query, Mr. Rahaman said on Aug. 24 that the “right files” were with the VI government to upload.

“I understand that due to leave and a few minor technical issues there’s been a delay in uploading, but I was told yesterday that someone is on the case,” he wrote. “I’ll let you know as soon as these are live.”

Six days later, Mr. Rahaman wrote to say the documents were uploaded.

Documents

The documents are split into two bundles on the government’s website.

The first set is divided into sections corresponding to the 13 chapters of the COI report. The second set — titled “Legislation, International and Legal Authorities” — consists of nearly 3,000 pages in a single PDF.

In the first bundle, the largest PDF files — which correspond to the chapters “Contracts” and “Assistance Grants” in the COI report — are 2,210 pages and 1,032 pages, respectively.

The shortest correspond to the chapters titled “Commission of Inquiry Methodology and Process” and “The Scope of The Commission of Inquiry,” with 24 and 43 pages, respectively.

The second bundle includes past and present VI legislation,
international legislation, and court filings, among other documents.

The local court documents include filings by former Speaker of the House Julian Willock against COI lawyers, as well as the court ruling in a case Claude Skelton-Cline filed against government in 2019.

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Virgin Islands gets help with mosquito control

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: The BVI Beacon

The territory is building its capacity to control mosquitos and other pests with help from the Caribbean Public Health Agency, government announced Friday.

Recently, two CARPHA officials visited the Virgin Islands to monitor and evaluate the implementation of its “integrated vector-management activities,” according to Government Information Services.

Dr. Horace Cox, head of the regional organisation’s Vector-Borne Disease Unit, explained that vector-borne diseases are a heightened threat here because the Caribbean is vulnerable to hurricanes and other natural disasters.

“The reality is if we were to have an outburst of the mosquito population it can prove to be problematic,” Dr. Cox said. “It can affect tourists; it can deter them from coming. It can affect the economy, and also — and most importantly — it can affect the health of the population. So when we consider these things, it is important to have a robust programme that can respond to this ongoing threat.”

He added that the territory’s Environmental Health Department must aim to deliver a programme that is sufficiently robust to respond to the evolving changes of vector-borne diseases.

Building capacity

Meanwhile, CARPHA Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Maria Garcia Joseph said CARPHA has been working with the VI to build capacity by providing training, procuring equipment, and sharing science, resources and best-practice methodologies.

She added that monitoring and evaluation are very important to vector control.

“CARPHA has been working with BVI since 2018 and have been rolling out some interventions, and we are at a point where we want to know if the interventions are working,” Ms. Joseph said, adding, “We want to know what has been happening in the field. We want to collect information to find out what has been working, what areas needs strengthening, and what additional support we can bring to the programme to enhance it.”

Henrietta Alexander, the VI’s deputy chief environmental health officer, thanked CARPHA for the assistance.

“We do need the support of external agencies, and they have been such a tremendous help in building our capacity and making sure that what we are doing is effective and making a difference,” Ms. Alexander said.

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New post office opens in Cane Garden

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: The BVI Beacon

Government officials cut a ribbon on Friday to open a newly constructed post office in Cane Garden Bay.

“This facility is so special to me because I received my first mail at this post office because I went to school right over there,” Deputy Premier Kye Rymer said during the opening ceremony. “I know the residents have been asking about this for quite some time, and today we are happy to cut the ribbon and turn over the keys to the postmaster general.”

Mr. Rymer, who is the minister of communications and works, said the new post office is a state-of-the-art facility that was fully funded by the government, according to Government Information Services.

Natural Resources and Labour Minister Mitch Turnbull — who represents Cane Garden Bay as the Second District representative in the House of Assembly — acknowledged that government has struggled to repair facilities damaged in hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.

“I have continued to fight and make representation for and on behalf of the people in my constituency, and I want to thank them for their patience and tugging and even making representations in their own right,” he said.

Mr. Turnbull added that work is underway to reopen other facilities in the district as well.
“Everyone that is here, we invite you to come and rent your mailboxes, understand what is going on here, and let us continue to build and revive this community,” he said.

Iris Romney, the acting postmaster general, shared plans that are in the pipeline for the post office.

“It has been long in coming, but there’s a time and a season for everything, and now is Cane Garden Bay’s season for their mailboxes and reopening of the post office,” she said.

Ms. Romney invited residents to sign up for newly added mailboxes, and she said plans are also in place for an internet café.

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Leaky pen and staff job cuts: King Charles under scrutiny Loop Cayman Islands

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Cayman Compass

Reports that up to 100 staff at King Charles III’s former residence could lose their jobs have drawn criticism of the British monarchy, within days of his accession to the throne.

The Guardian newspaper reported Tuesday that dozens of staff at Clarence House, Charles’ former official residence, were given notice that their jobs were on the line. The report said the notices came in the midst of a busy period of transition as Charles and his wife Camilla, the queen consort, move to Buckingham Palace after Queen Elizabeth II’s death on Thursday, September 8.

The Public and Commercial Services Union called the royals’ decision to inform staff of job cuts during a period of mourning “nothing short of heartless”.

“While some changes across the households were to be expected, as roles across the royal family change, the scale and speed at which this has been announced is callous in the extreme,” the union’s general secretary, Mark Serwotka, said.

Britain is in a national period of mourning until Monday when the queen’s state funeral will be held.

In a statement, Clarence House said that following Charles’ accession, operations of his and Camilla’s household “have ceased” and “as required by law, a consultation process has begun”.

“Our staff have given long and loyal service and, while some redundancies will be unavoidable, we are working urgently to identify alternative roles for the greatest possible number of staff,” the statement added.

The Guardian said one unnamed member of Charles’ staff told the newspaper that “everyone is absolutely livid … people were visibly shaken by it”.

The criticism added to negative press for the 73-year-old monarch after two videos showing him visibly irritated by a leaky pen and a penholder went viral on social media in recent days.

In one video, Charles was seen losing his temper at a leaking pen while he was signing a visitors’ book in front of cameras in Northern Ireland, where he was visiting Tuesday on the latest leg of his royal tour of the UK’s four nations.

Charles was heard exclaiming, “Oh god, I hate this!” and muttering “I can’t bear this bloody thing … every stinking time.”

The video came after another pen-related incident on Saturday when the new monarch was seen gesturing in irritation at his staff when a pen holder got in his way as he signed a document during his accession ceremony.

Charles has been under intense media scrutiny and had a gruelling schedule since his mother’s death in Scotland on Thursday. He and Camilla flew from Scotland to London for his accession ceremony and a visit to Parliament to address legislators, before flying back to Scotland where he walked behind the queen’s coffin.

He then jetted to Northern Ireland on Tuesday and returned to London the same night, in time for the procession of the queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday.

______

SYLVIA HUI Associated Press

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BCIC, partners launch youth mentorship programme Loop Jamaica

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News

The British Caribbean Insurance Company (BCIC), in partnership with The Multicare Youth Foundation (MYF), and the HEART/NSTA Trust, recently launched its year-long youth development and mentorship programme called the ‘BCIC YUTE Work Project’ at the Trench Town Polytechnic College in Kingston.

The orientation introduced 30 youth from Parade Gardens and surrounding communities to opportunities for training and mentorship.

The general insurer has furthered its commitment to disadvantaged youth by extending its undertaking to complete a certificate programme at the College of Insurance and Professional Studies. This provides an additional option for the young participants to branch out into other fields of employment.

Established in 1962, BCIC is celebrating 60 years in business in 2022, and the project is an extension of those celebrations, as the company looks to give back to Jamaica and say ‘thank you’.

Managing Director of BCIC, Peter Levy, wants to re-energize the company’s commitment to building Jamaica through investment in its people.

“We wanted to celebrate in a way that showed not just how much we appreciate the people that have made it possible for us to be in business for 60 years, but that we remain committed to them. This project will impact the lives of individuals who are the future of this country, and hopefully one day 10, 15 or even 25 years from now, BCIC’s next Managing Director will be from youth who benefitted from this project” he said.

MYF, a non-profit organisation focused on youth and community development, particularly among students and young people from Kingston’s inner cities, led the recruitment of the youth, and is providing life skills training, mentorship and internship placement. They are the implementing agency, responsible for active supervision of the programme.

Executive Director at MYF, Alicia Glasgow Gentles said: “The youth enrolled in the BCIC YUTE Work project are considered unattached; they are neither enrolled in school or a training programme. The project offers young people the opportunity to be meaningfully engaged in productive activities that will produce positive outcomes in their lives and the communities in which they live. They receive vocational skills training and certification, mentorship, on the job experience and social support, leading to increased opportunities for educational, economic and social empowerment.”

HEART, a leading provider of technical vocational education and training in Jamaica, is offering a 12 week in-person training and job certification course that prepares at-risk youth for roles in customer service, business administration and record keeping.

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$12m Maitagual community centre opens

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

(centre) Minister of Sports and Community Developmen Shamfa Cudjoe and Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh unveil the plaque during the opening of the Maitagual Community Centre, Bushe Street in San Juan. -Photo by Roger Jacob

THE COMMUNITY of Maitagual in Petit Bourg, San Juan now has a $12 million community centre.

The Ministry of Sport and Community Development officially opened the facility at Bushe Street North on Wednesday morning, and line minister Shamfa Cudjoe urged residents to use it wisely.

The two-storey building features an internet cafe/computer lab, audio-visual room, gym, teaching kitchen, administrative office, auditorium, lobby and bathrooms.

(centre) Minister of Sports and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe and Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh – Photo by Roger Jacob

Cudjoe said the community is “rich in history,” adding that “community centres are the heart and soul of the community as they play a significant role in bringing people together and developing the lives of residents.

She said the “state of the art facility” is a place to share ideas and work towards community and national development.

“This is a place to be celebrated; to invest in,” she said.

“Share your ideas, hear the ideas of others, learn about others cultures and backgrounds of others and and teach them yours too.”

St Joseph MP and Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh recalled that when he was a child, community centres often were “Four walls, a concrete floor and a galvanise roof.

“Compare that to what you have here today – two stories of air-conditioned excellence with state of the art qualities, computer lab, gym and so on. This is how TT has evolved and developed over the years.”

Maitagual Community Centre, on Bushe Street, San Juan. – Photo by Roger Jacob

He thanked Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly as during her tenure as Minister of Community Development, “She would have brought the note to Cabinet to get this project going.”

He also thanked Cudjoe for completing the project and hailed Maitagual resident Yvonne Alexander as the centre was also “her dream.”

When he was first elected as St Joseph MP, he said he saw “some pillars and a column” and asked what it was. Residents told him it was the start of a community centre “since back in the 90s under the NAR (National Alliance for Reconstruction).

Looking at the school children in the audience, he said, “This (community centre) is for them.

“Now what is required is for the communities to use this community centre to make sure that those school children fulfil the words of the father of this nation (Dr Eric Williams) as we celebrate 60 years of independence. The future of the nation is in their book bags, and the future of this community is in this community centre.”

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61-Y-O man dies from Covid

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: INews Guyana

A 61-year-old man from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) is the country’s latest Covid-19 fatality.

The man, who was unvaccinated, succumbed on September 11. This takes the country’s death toll to 1,280.

There are 13 new infections, taking the total positives detected to date to 71,222. Seven persons are recovering in the hospitals while 123 are isolating at home.

Eight individuals are in institutional quarantine. Meanwhile, recoveries stand at 69,812.

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Helen’s Daughters Does Its Part To Reduce Water Insecurity in Saint Lucia – St. Lucia Times News

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: St. Lucia Times News

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Helen’s Daughters is doing its part to reduce water insecurity in Saint Lucia, with theprovision of 1,000-gallon water tanks to several of the organization’s members on farmsacross Saint Lucia.

The non-profit organization which seeks to mobilize rural women through empowerment and entrepreneurship recently launched an internal campaign, encouraging members to create amateur videos explaining their need for a water source on their farms.

In the end, ten (10) women were provided with the tanks at no cost.

“Just two months ago, Saint Lucia went ten days straight with no water. This can mean onething for a household but can be even more detrimental to a farmer. For us, we had farmers who lost their entire crop, resulting in no income coming in. Therefore, Helen’s Daughters tried to adapt to climate change, and to support our ‘FarmHer’ community, we donated ten water tanks to ladies speckled throughout the island, and hope that this initiative continues every year”, remarks Keithlin Caroo, Executive Director of Helen’s Daughters.

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Members of Helen’s Daughter are expected to put their new pieces of equipment intoimmediate use, with one member expressing “The tank is very important to me. When it’sthe rainy season, the water is sometimes dirty after five days. This will allow me to water my seedlings.”

Helen’s Daughters notes that female farmers are posed with more challenges includingwater insecurity. Therefore, the organization sought funding to purchase the water tanks and pay for their installation on farms across the island.

All water tanks were sourced from local manufacturer Brice & Co Ltd who provided the organization with a discounted price on each tank.

“Partnering with Helen’s Daughters creates an exceptional avenue to boost and change the overall agricultural experience of our rural women. Brice & Company is thankful for the opportunity to collaborate with Helen’s Daughters as we understand the need for effective and safe water security,” notes Della Daniel, administrator of Brice & Co Ltd’s GrosIslet Office.

This water tank initiative is the latest in a series of activities being implemented by Helen’sDaughters with the overall aim of empowering Saint Lucia’s female farming population.

SOURCE: Helen’s Daughters. Headline photo: One of the recipients a tank donation.

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