COVID-19 in Trinidad & Tobago (Local Updates & Discussions Only)

[paid_influencer]

the move to reduce hardware hours was driven by reports of people hiring workmen to paint houses.

Those workmen will now have to buy paint on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays only, between 9am to 12 noon.

[carluva]

What is the vibe regarding the spread of this virus locally and by extension the SIQ?

Is it conceivable that the SIQ would extend past 30-04-2020?

The testing requirements now seem a bit fuzzy, or could it be that the government is changing these requirements?

Right now, I am very confused how things are progressing and moving forward...

[Redman]

Doing the same chit as banks , funneling all traffic through less branches and less hours.
Increasing time per transaction and therefore the volume of customer s in lines.

Creating what you trying to avoid.

[paid_influencer]

Is it conceivable that the SIQ would extend past 30-04-2020?

restrictions are still being decided in an ad-hoc manner by Deyalsingh and Stuart Young.

There is no plan.

[Musical Doc]

The banking situation can be helped if people use online banking or in the cases of older people, get someone to help them through it. But these people don't want to step up and do it. It makes life so much easier but it seems that people prefer to stand in lines an risk their lives. I personally have been doing everything online and through the atm for years now without any trouble and never had to step foot in a bank until recently only to collect my new debit card.

[ST Auto]

Oil price

[paid_influencer]

^plenty people don't even have an email address. Ideally we would do everything online, but large swaths of the population is not ready for that.

[paid_influencer]

Oil priceIMG-20200420-WA0038.jpeg

I thought this was a photoshop, but good God it is real.

oil at $5 /barrel

https://www.ft.com/content/a5292644-958 ... e55d766654

[MaxPower]

Whats up with this flight that came in from Mexico today?

[Dizzy28]

Whats up with this flight that came in from Mexico today?

The cash from the Venezuelean VP visit a few weeks ago probably finally reach

[hydroep]

Eh? I taut de boredahs clothes?...

[Dohplaydat]

Whats up with this flight that came in from Mexico today?

Cargo planes dude, all skyboxes, mail companies (DHL, FedEx etc) working normal (delays though).

[De Dragon]

Whats up with this flight that came in from Mexico today?

There were some nationals, 17 iirc, on an oil exploration ship in the Gulf of Mexico who were asking to come home a couple of weeks aback, dunno if it's them.

[ST Auto]

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

Screenshot_20200420-153938.jpeg

There's a thread discussing it here
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=604437&start=1230#p10035006

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

Trinidad & Tobago chart from Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Map

[daxt0r]

went WU branch today to collect some change for some BTC ah trade an boy if u see line cuz this branch does always be empty and nobody eh followin d guidelines at all. real pressure out here with this lockdown ah really hope things pick up here and abroad b4 it gets worse.

[MaxPower]

Whats up with this flight that came in from Mexico today?

There were some nationals, 17 iirc, on an oil exploration ship in the Gulf of Mexico who were asking to come home a couple of weeks aback, dunno if it's them.

Oh, then welcome home to them if thats the case.

[Country_Bookie]

^plenty people don't even have an email address. Ideally we would do everything online, but large swaths of the population is not ready for that.

If you give ppl the option to use technology or to do things the way they accustomed seeing their grandparents doing things, a significant proportion of ppl will always choose to use the traditional way because they don't understand technology and are afraid of it.

These are the same type of ppl that choose to wait for a government pension cheque in the mail, which they then have to go line up in the bank to cash, instead of just having those funds deposited directly to their accounts.

At some point, we just have a make a hard decision and force everyone to use technology.... with maybe an exception for those above 70. I've seen older ppl learn to use WhatsApp and Facebook, surely they can learn to use a mobile banking app at some point.

[paid_influencer]

At some point, we just have a make a hard decision and force everyone to use technology....

see, in a compassionate society we can't do that. People that are most vulnerable have the least access to technology. The people you harm with that measure will face real quality of life issues from that decision. Many will be lose access to the banking system entirely if you do that.

[Country_Bookie]

At some point, we just have a make a hard decision and force everyone to use technology....

see, in a compassionate society we can't do that. People that are most vulnerable have the least access to technology. The people you harm with that measure will face real quality of life issues from that decision. Many will be lose access to the banking system entirely if you do that.

There's banking by sms for ppl that don't have smart phones and internet access. We just need to think outside the box, not only for banking, but lots of other govt and private sector services. Tstt is a good example. They have a lot of customers who have access to either a phone or internet, but still insist on paying their bills at a counter rather than online. Anyways, don't want to distract too much from the topic of this thread.

[redmanjp]

[redmanjp]

hmm i think there may be a strong link between african-americans high rate of covid deaths and Vitamin D deficiency- apparently ppl with dark skin don't make enough from the sun- which might also explain why our death rate is 8%


https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/health/vitamin-d-and-coronavirus-can-it-help-symptoms-covid-19-and-how-avoid-deficiency-during-lockdown-2542140

Vitamin D and coronavirus: can it help with symptoms of Covid-19 and how to avoid a deficiency during lockdown
Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, and these nutrients are needed to keep teeth, muscle, and bones healthy
By Helen Johnson
Monday, 20th April 2020, 9:32 am



Why is vitamin D important for our health?



Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, and these nutrients are needed to keep muscle, teeth and bones healthy (Photo: Shutterstock)

Vitamin D is important for our health because it helps to regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, which are nutrients needed to keep muscle, teeth and bones healthy.

A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia in adults.

Where do we get vitamin D from?

From around late March to the end of September, most people should be able to get all the vitamin D they need from sunlight.

The body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors.

However, between October and early March we don't get enough vitamin D from sunlight.

vitamin D is also found in a small number of foods, including:

-oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel

-red meat

-liver

-egg yolks

-fortified foods – such as most fat spreads and some breakfast cereals

Can vitamin D help with the symptoms of Covid-19?

Although vitamin D does not prevent you from getting coronavirus, Dr Chris spoke about the importance of vitamin D amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic on This Morning.

He encouraged the public to consider taking a vitamin D supplement in order to help their body fight coronavirus, explaining that the vitamin could help your immune system tackle Covid-19 symptoms.

Dr Chris also recommended looking for supplements that had 'vitamin D3' on the label.

Dr Chris suggested taking a vitamin D supplement, as it can be difficult to get the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of the vitamin while staying inside during the lockdown.

He told presenters Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford, “Vitamin D is made in your skin and in the action of sunshine.

"We are all low on vitamin D, and we should be taking vitamin D.”

Dr Chris read out a research paper that states: "Vitamin D deficiency is common - we recommend that those at risk of coronavirus urgently supplement with Vitamin D to enhance their resistance to Covid-19, and this advice is to be extended to the general adult public."

How much vitamin D do I need?

According to the NHS, babies up to the age of one year need 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day.

Children from the age of one year and adults need 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day, which includes pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people at risk of vitamin D deficiency.

The NHS notes that you should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D.

How to avoid vitamin D deficiency during lockdown

As the UK lockdown continues and we are not able to leave our house as often as usual, it is more difficult to get vitamin D from natural sunlight.

The NHS website explains that there may already be people at risk of vitamin D deficiency, noting, “Some people won't get enough vitamin D from sunlight because they have very little or no sunshine exposure.”

The Department of Health recommends that you take a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D throughout the year if you:

-aren't often outdoors – for example, if you're frail or housebound

-are in an institution like a care home

-usually wear clothes that cover up most of your skin when outdoors

If you have dark skin – for example you have an African, African-Caribbean or south Asian background – you may not get enough vitamin D from sunlight, so you should also consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D throughout the year.

[MaxPower]

Ring leader and head pest Phillip Ramdial and his irresponsible gang will be returning from Barbados tomorrow unfortunately.

My prayers are with all those departments that have to leave the comfort of their homes to deal with this nonsense.

And $25,000 usd for 33 of them? I would say $33,000 usd would have been a good price to pay for stupidity.

Quarantine them upon arrival, keep them away from the citizens of T&T.

Self quarantining will NOT work as these people will not adhere to stay at home orders. Obviously they will want to go by family and galavant etc.

[88sins]

^plenty people don't even have an email address. Ideally we would do everything online, but large swaths of the population is not ready for that.

If you give ppl the option to use technology or to do things the way they accustomed seeing their grandparents doing things, a significant proportion of ppl will always choose to use the traditional way because they don't understand technology and are afraid of it.

These are the same type of ppl that choose to wait for a government pension cheque in the mail, which they then have to go line up in the bank to cash, instead of just having those funds deposited directly to their accounts.

At some point, we just have a make a hard decision and force everyone to use technology.... with maybe an exception for those above 70. I've seen older ppl learn to use WhatsApp and Facebook, surely they can learn to use a mobile banking app at some point.

That's an idea. Not a very good idea, but an idea nonetheless.
There are many ppl living in T&T without internet because they cannot afford it, and many that don't have devices that could make full & proper use of technology because they cannot afford them.

So unless you make wireless broadband free nationwide and supply these ppl with devices to use it & teach them how, that idea dead on it's first breath

[redmanjp]

fixed

https://static.acne.org/ipb_uploads/monthly_2018_08/03-vitamin-d-sun-exposure-guide.jpg.57eabc2d29e58c53faaff0b908c7d32d.jpg

so black ppl need to stay out 1 1/2 to almost 2 hrs- no wonder they have a higher vit. D deficency in the US, and maybe here as well?

Bottom line ppl- if u not white and in lockdown start taking a Vitamin D supplement!

[paid_influencer]

Bottom line ppl- if u not white and in lockdown start taking a Vitamin D supplement!

no. we are 10 degrees north of the equator and the UV index is always maxed out here. We get tons of Vit D just from the sun.

But if you are vegetarian, alcoholic or not really eating so well, a multivitamin is a good idea. I personally had mixed experience with vitamins - certain brands are overloaded with B12 and gave me mood swings. Other brands work fine.

Omega-3 is good, but no way am I paying for OmegaXL. But every other fish-oil brand has huge capsules that are intimidating. Long time I used to get seven seas but not seeing that selling anywhere.

For COVID specifically - my thinking is the humidity here saved us. When you get off the plane, the difference in breathing is hugely apparent. Thick air makes it harder for droplets to move forward.

[redmanjp]

Bottom line ppl- if u not white and in lockdown start taking a Vitamin D supplement!

no. we are 10 degrees north of the equator and the UV index is always maxed out here. We get tons of Vit D just from the sun.

even if we our sun is equivalent to summer if u dark u still have to stay out for 100 mins- 10 times more than a white man but how much ppl doing that? in the US most black ppl are vit. D deficient

[adnj]

^plenty people don't even have an email address. Ideally we would do everything online, but large swaths of the population is not ready for that.

If you give ppl the option to use technology or to do things the way they accustomed seeing their grandparents doing things, a significant proportion of ppl will always choose to use the traditional way because they don't understand technology and are afraid of it.

These are the same type of ppl that choose to wait for a government pension cheque in the mail, which they then have to go line up in the bank to cash, instead of just having those funds deposited directly to their accounts.

At some point, we just have a make a hard decision and force everyone to use technology.... with maybe an exception for those above 70. I've seen older ppl learn to use WhatsApp and Facebook, surely they can learn to use a mobile banking app at some point.

That's an idea. Not a very good idea, but an idea nonetheless.
There are many ppl living in T&T without internet because they cannot afford it, and many that don't have devices that could make full & proper use of technology because they cannot afford them.

So unless you make wireless broadband free nationwide and supply these ppl with devices to use it & teach them how, that idea dead on it's first breath

The same is true in many countries and the solution is to make access available at distributed locations at low cost or free.

-------------

What can we learn from Sweden, the ultimate cashless society? 

The collapse of cash in Britain has been dramatic. There were 11.5 billion fewer cash transactions in 2018 than in 2008 – a decline of 51pc. It’s a pace of change that has surprised everyone, even industry insiders.

“The rise of the debit card and the decline of cash is the phenomenon of the last decade,” says Adrian Buckle, head of research for UK Finance, the banking sector trade body.

But Britain, while on the podium, is not the world champion in cashless. That title goes to Sweden, where demand for notes and coins is so limp that cash is literally disappearing: the amount in circulation has fallen from 80bn kronor (£6.6bn) to Skr58bn (£4.8bn) in the last four years, a reduction of 27.5pc. The same period has seen ATM withdrawals fall by more than half.

In Japan, among the most dedicated cash-loving rich countries in the world, 79pc of people use cash every day. In America, 70pc of people use cash every week. In Sweden only 60pc can remember using it – at all – in the last month.

It has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. As everything from Ikea stores to public transport to the Abba museum have gone cashless, so Swedes have ditched notes and coins.

In a country where public trust in government and internet coverage is high, there is no significant kick-back. Polls show that only a quarter of people miss cash, while almost half actively welcome its parting.



https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2019/10/10/can-learn-sweden-ultimate-cashless-society/

[paid_influencer]

even if we our sun is equivalent to summer

Summer is not the same as our tropical climate. We have much more consistent humidity, temperature and UV index.

our UV index is usually pegged at 10. Their summer index is only about 6 or 7, depending on their particular area and weather.

https://www.epa.gov/sunsafety/sun-safet ... ndex#tab-8