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

[Gladiator]

I an not sure if what the coast guard did was in keeping with protocols and possibly jeopardizing the entire nation. Couldn't they have just tossed them some life jackets and called the Venezuelan authorities to come for their people?[/b] Imagine if we enter another lock down and hardworking nationals go back on the breadline because of selfish aliens who couldn't stay in their own infected country

That's a breach of international maritime laws.

even in a locally & WHO declared health emergency?

did the officers, being close to a port of entry not have PPE (N95s, not cloth masks) ?

Yup.... even in a WHO whatever. The law is the law.

[adnj]

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Transmission

Other LanguagesPrint Page

COVID-19 is thought to spread mainly through close contact from person-to-person. Some people without symptoms may be able to spread the virus. We are still learning about how the virus spreads and the severity of illness it causes.

Person-to-person spread

The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.

Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).

Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks.

These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.

COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms.

The virus spreads easily between people

How easily a virus spreads from person-to-person can vary. Some viruses are highly contagious, like measles, while other viruses do not spread as easily. Another factor is whether the spread is sustained, which means it goes from person-to-person without stopping.

The virus that causes COVID-19 is spreading very easily and sustainably between people. Information from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic suggest that this virus is spreading more efficiently than influenza, but not as efficiently as measles, which is highly contagious.

The virus does not spread easily in other ways

COVID-19 is a new disease and we are still learning about how it spreads. It may be possible for COVID-19 to spread in other ways, but these are not thought to be the main ways the virus spreads.

From touching surfaces or objects. It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, but we are still learning more about this virus.

From animals to people. At this time, the risk of COVID-19 spreading from animals to people is considered to be low. Learn about COVID-19 and pets and other animals.

From people to animals. It appears that the virus that causes COVID-19 can spread from people to animals in some situations. CDC is aware of a small number of pets worldwide, including cats and dogs, reported to be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, mostly after close contact with people with COVID-19. Learn what you should do if you have pets.

Protect yourself and others

The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. You can take steps to slow the spread.

Maintain good social distance (about 6 feet). This is very important in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nc ... reads.html

[sMASH]

I still ain’t hear deal Singh say anything bout masks with exhale valves
Those less likely to smell up with bad breath

This place full ah dummies, lol

[redmanjp]

I still ain’t hear deal Singh say anything bout masks with exhale valves
Those less likely to smell up with bad breath

This place full ah dummies, lol

it also not going to protect others- an infected person wearing that will still be expelling virus droplets

[pugboy]

That’s why they are banned in many countries

I still ain’t hear deal Singh say anything bout masks with exhale valves
Those less likely to smell up with bad breath

This place full ah dummies, lol

it also not going to protect others- an infected person wearing that will still be expelling virus droplets

[sMASH]

I still ain’t hear deal Singh say anything bout masks with exhale valves
Those less likely to smell up with bad breath

This place full ah dummies, lol

it also not going to protect others- an infected person wearing that will still be expelling virus droplets

Have on a cloth mask too long and u will force it through to the other side easily.


When it rains it pours

[redmanjp]

Key Points From The Ministry Of Health’s Virtual Media Conference On COVID-19 – Wednesday May 20th 2020:

- Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh reminded that we are still in a global pandemic and COVID-19 will be around for some time. Globally, there are over 5 million cases of the virus, with 325,556 deaths recorded.

- Minister Deyalsingh noted that Trinidad and Tobago took a careful decision to reopen some sectors of the economy in phases. Phase 2, involving the reopening of the construction and the manufacturing sectors, will begin tomorrow, Thursday May 21st 2020. With more people moving around in society with the start of Phase 2 tomorrow, Minister Deyalsingh said it is "absolutely critical" that citizens adhere to the New Normal to wear face masks in public, maintain physical distance, practice hand hygiene/cough etiquette, and stay home if they are ill.

- Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh noted that some people are not wearing their masks over their faces but are letting it hang around their chins or removing it to speak. He advised citizens to follow protocols in wearing their masks.

- The following is the update on COVID-19 patients and quarantined persons across the various facilities:
CAURA: 1 patient (Stable).

CASCADIA: 3 quarantined.

NAPA: 20 health care workers who completed their tours in treating COVID-19 patients.

TACARIGUA RACQUET CENTRE: 21 quarantined.

- 1,047 Community Tests have been administered in Trinidad and Tobago and all returned Negative for COVID-19.

- Chief Medical Officer Dr. Roshan Parasram confirmed that the County Medical Officers of Health conducted follow-ups with all 107 COVID-19 patients for seven days after their discharge from the Step Down Facilities. Most had no lingering virus symptoms but one person had a slight cough and underwent a complete check-up before being discharged.

- Chief Medical Officer Dr. Roshan Parasram said if there is a resurgence of COVID-19 in T&T, the Phases in reopening the economy will be rolled back. He said how far the roll-back goes will depend on the number of new cases in the public as well as other factors like Community Spread.

- Thirty two Venezuelan Nationals are being currently being assessed for acute illnesses after they were intercepted at sea. The TT officers who were part of the team that intercepted the Venezuelans will be subject to quarantine for 14 days if they were not wearing PPEs during the operation, or are currently exhibiting viral illnesses.

[K74T]

The last hospitalized patient has been discharged.

[pugboy]

Bring on the venes

[wickedtuna]

How many unique tests ?

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

How many unique tests ?

2,805 samples submitted

[RBphoto]

Bring on the venes

Did they ever stop coming?

[MaxPower]

Bring on the venes

Yeh bro,

But remember not all Venes would’ve brought it from their homeland eh. These Trinis here are getting careless day by day.

Sad yes....imagine a innocent Vene coming in jus to be infected by a Trini....and then the whole country will come down even harder on them. Sad yes.

It doesnt change the demand for their services though.

[redmanjp]

How many unique tests ?

2,805 samples submitted

168bcc09-8.jpg

so now that all cases are resolved the final death rate (among symptomatic persons) is 7%. did the cruise ship patients cause that? or are we as a population so unhealthy that we are at higher risk from covid than most countries?

and let's say, God forbid, this Govt went for herd immunity as some ppl here advocating: 70% of 1.5m= 1050000 ppl infected

a 7% death rate = 73,000

by the way, with over a million infected over let's say 1 year, that's thousands per day at the peak. 90-95% will NEVER get treatment because even the greatest healthcare system, which we clearly doh have will be extremely overwhelmed.

which means that death rate will spike- let's say to perhaps 20-30%.

so we talking 210000-315000 dead? that's practically almost every household being affected? who getting d contract to build all the cemeteries we going to need?

[Dohplaydat]

How many unique tests ?

2,805 samples submitted

168bcc09-8.jpg

so now that all cases are resolved the final death rate (among symptomatic persons) is 7%. did the cruise ship patients cause that? or are we as a population so unhealthy that we are at higher risk from covid than most countries?

and let's say, God forbid, this Govt went for herd immunity as some ppl here advocating: 70% of 1.5m= 1050000 ppl infected

a 7% death rate = 73,000

by the way, with over a million infected over let's say 1 year, that's thousands per day at the peak. 90-95% will NEVER get treatment because even the greatest healthcare system, which we clearly doh have will be extremely overwhelmed.

which means that death rate will spike- let's say to perhaps 20-30%.

so we talking 210000-315000 dead? that's practically almost every household being affected? who getting d contract to build all the cemeteries we going to need?

Uhm 7% mortality on cases we found. We probably had 5x that but because of lockdowns we reduced their spread.

Look at countries where testing was done extensively, Qatar, Bahrain or Iceland

Qatar - 38,651 cases 17 dead - Mortality - 0.04%
Bahrain - 8,174 cases 12 dead - Mortality - 0.15%
Iceland - 1,803 cases 10 dead - Mortality - 0.56%

So the real death rate is close to 1%......to even get to 70% infection is difficult unless we wait a year or more. But that's 10K dead over that time.

[Gladiator]

How many unique tests ?

2,805 samples submitted

168bcc09-8.jpg

so now that all cases are resolved the final death rate (among symptomatic persons) is 7%. did the cruise ship patients cause that? or are we as a population so unhealthy that we are at higher risk from covid than most countries?

and let's say, God forbid, this Govt went for herd immunity as some ppl here advocating: 70% of 1.5m= 1050000 ppl infected

a 7% death rate = 73,000

by the way, with over a million infected over let's say 1 year, that's thousands per day at the peak. 90-95% will NEVER get treatment because even the greatest healthcare system, which we clearly doh have will be extremely overwhelmed.

which means that death rate will spike- let's say to perhaps 20-30%.

so we talking 210000-315000 dead? that's practically almost every household being affected? who getting d contract to build all the cemeteries we going to need?

Uhm 7% mortality on cases we found. We probably had 5x that but because of lockdowns we reduced their spread.

Look at countries where testing was done extensively, Qatar, Bahrain or Iceland

Qatar - 38,651 cases 17 dead - Mortality - 0.04%
Bahrain - 8,174 cases 12 dead - Mortality - 0.15%
Iceland - 1,803 cases 10 dead - Mortality - 0.56%

So the real death rate is close to 1%......to even get to 70% infection is difficult unless we wait a year or more. But that's 10K dead over that time.

you eh play you does talk some 2 2 nah... 5x cases so we had 600+ COVID cases?

[Dohplaydat]

How many unique tests ?

2,805 samples submitted

168bcc09-8.jpg

so now that all cases are resolved the final death rate (among symptomatic persons) is 7%. did the cruise ship patients cause that? or are we as a population so unhealthy that we are at higher risk from covid than most countries?

and let's say, God forbid, this Govt went for herd immunity as some ppl here advocating: 70% of 1.5m= 1050000 ppl infected

a 7% death rate = 73,000

by the way, with over a million infected over let's say 1 year, that's thousands per day at the peak. 90-95% will NEVER get treatment because even the greatest healthcare system, which we clearly doh have will be extremely overwhelmed.

which means that death rate will spike- let's say to perhaps 20-30%.

so we talking 210000-315000 dead? that's practically almost every household being affected? who getting d contract to build all the cemeteries we going to need?

Uhm 7% mortality on cases we found. We probably had 5x that but because of lockdowns we reduced their spread.

Look at countries where testing was done extensively, Qatar, Bahrain or Iceland

Qatar - 38,651 cases 17 dead - Mortality - 0.04%
Bahrain - 8,174 cases 12 dead - Mortality - 0.15%
Iceland - 1,803 cases 10 dead - Mortality - 0.56%

So the real death rate is close to 1%......to even get to 70% infection is difficult unless we wait a year or more. But that's 10K dead over that time.

you eh play you does talk some 2 2 nah... 5x cases so we had 600+ COVID cases?

No one knows bro, 5x could even be conservative

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04- ... dwide.html

[Dave]

Stranded nationals: Please let us come home

As vessel refuels off Trinidad...

Hundreds of Trinidad and Tobago nationals stuck on cruise ships are begging to return home.

There are currently 395 nationals on board two vessels — the Disney Cruise Line ship with 49 nationals and the Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas with 394 nationals.

All have been stranded by closure of the country’s borders to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

Now they are all are pleading with Minister of National Security Stuart Young to be granted permission to come home.

The Express spoke to several Trinidadians on both ships yesterday.

“So close to home yet so far away. Twelve miles off the north coast of Trinidad to be exact.”

This is how a Trinidadian on board the Disney Fantasy Cruise vessel described the situation as the cruise ship was being allowed to re-fuel off the coast of Trinidad but the T&T nationals are not being allowed to come home.

In a phone interview, Nalini Durgah, an assistant restaurant manager on the ship, said: “We are presently in Grenada. We dropped off our Grenadian citizens this morning and we will be here until 6.45 p.m. We will then proceed to the coast of Trinidad for refuelling. We will be bunkering at sea. We are so close to home. The captain announced that we will be 12 miles off the north coast of Trinidad at 8 a.m. (today). We are pleading with Stuart Young to reconsider and take his citizens back in.”

The nationals were employed with the Disney Dream, Disney Magic and the Disney Fantasy cruise ships but were all transferred to the Disney Fantasy to be repatriated to their home ports as per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Disney company, the employees said.

Durgah said they were then informed by management of the Disney cruise line that the vessel was granted permission to re-fuel off the coast of Trinidad, but not given permission to dock for them to enter.

Durgah added: “We have been in quarantine for two months and counting, our vessel is Covid-free ... After tomorrow if there is no communication made we will return to Orlando (Florida) then we will have to travel via air when possible.

“We are scared. We don’t want to go via plane. We want to walk off just as all the other Caribbean nationals are doing and then we will go into the quarantine process.”

Adanna Long, a quick service attendant on the ship said:, “The company decided to repatriate all crew members to their home ports. They began their voyage from Port Canaveral in Florida to Mexico, Honduras, Dominican Republic, St Vincent and at present Grenada.

“They have successfully and safely disembarked over 300 crew members overall. While other countries are currently plagued with coronavirus cases, their governments are abiding by their constitutional rights to grant them re-entry into the country which is by far the most humane thing to do at a time like this. I am a mother and we have many mothers and fathers on board who want to see their children again.”

Another national who is in the food and beverage department said: “We are watching our co-workers disembark the vessel and return home. Trinis are now the laughing stock on board.

“Everyone else is being allowed to enter their countries but we are the ones being neglected. Mentally, we’re in a bad place.”

‘Contracts up, big man and woman begging

to come home’

Several nationals told the Express, in addition to being away from their families for so long, they are now jobless as many of their contracts have ended.

Long said: “I am currently out of contract over a month now...About 30 of the crew members have completed their contracts and are awaiting the relief news that we will be allowed to return to Trinidad soon but to no avail.”

Sean Ali, another food and beverage employee said: “I have been working with Disney Cruise Line for the past four years. I am begging. I am on my knees. I am begging please, we want to come home. And it’s not me alone. It’s the rest of the Trinidadians on board this boat. We want to come home so bad.

“Our contract is finishing (today). Our contract is finishing...and I don’t even know what we’re going to do now. The boat is going to be in Trinidad.

“The other countries brought back in their nationals. We watched crew members walk off and get in their country. So we are just begging, please. We have families too. We are all healthy on board this boat. We’ve been self-quarantined. I think we’re better at self-quarantining than some people have been because it’s just been the crew on board.

“No passengers have been on board the vessel. We’ve been practising social distancing and all the safety measures, washing hands and we have been doing our part on board and there have been no reports of any sickness on board our vessel and we just begging, we just want to come home.

“We have no more jobs. We haven’t seen our families in months. If this doesn’t happen, we will probably not see them until next year. Big man and woman crying just to see home.”

Another national, Keion George, said: “I have a newborn that I want to see. When will I reach home? My contract has ended. I haven’t seen my family since November 2019.”

Trinidadians told the Express their temperatures are checked twice daily and they all wear mandatory face masks while practising social distancing.

There were similar pleas from the Vision of the Seas cruise ship, which is currently docked in St Kitts.

Patricia Mitchell, an employee in the housekeeping division said: “There are 345 Trinis on board. The company has been in contact with the Government and we were due home on May 24. We then heard May 30. Now, the latest announcement is that they put off everything until June 1.

“Still there will be no certainty when we will be returning home. We are in St Kitts right now. It is really frustrating. We do not know what is going on.

“All the nationals in this company, most of them have gone home and the rest of them are in the process of going home. It’s only Trinidadians that don’t have a definite answer as to when we are coming home.

“We have six different nationalities on board, including Trinis. Everyone is being allowed to go home because their governments are accepting them and I think the company is doing the best they can do to get us home but the problem is our Government back home isn’t being lenient.

“We were told by our captain that the arrangements to have us return home were made by the company’s Miami office. Now, the latest update they gave us is that they will resume talks and negotiations with our government on June 1.

“We are seeing progress with our co-workers. The Jamaicans had negotiations with their government and they were told to quarantine here for 14 days then their government will taken them in, 200 at a time. They will be tested then allowed to quarantine at home.

“The Vincentians did the same thing. The Dominicans were required to take Covid-19 tests so they are going home tomorrow. What happen to us? It is mentally challenging. Why is our Government treating us like this?”

To date, there have been no reports of positive Covid-19 cases on either of the cruise ships.

Minister Young could not be immediately reached for comment yesterday.




This is very sad and would hate to think an abuse of power given current circumstances is being used.

[sMASH]

How many unique tests ?

2,805 samples submitted

168bcc09-8.jpg

so now that all cases are resolved the final death rate (among symptomatic persons) is 7%. did the cruise ship patients cause that? or are we as a population so unhealthy that we are at higher risk from covid than most countries?

and let's say, God forbid, this Govt went for herd immunity as some ppl here advocating: 70% of 1.5m= 1050000 ppl infected

a 7% death rate = 73,000

by the way, with over a million infected over let's say 1 year, that's thousands per day at the peak. 90-95% will NEVER get treatment because even the greatest healthcare system, which we clearly doh have will be extremely overwhelmed.

which means that death rate will spike- let's say to perhaps 20-30%.

so we talking 210000-315000 dead? that's practically almost every household being affected? who getting d contract to build all the cemeteries we going to need?

Uhm 7% mortality on cases we found. We probably had 5x that but because of lockdowns we reduced their spread.

Look at countries where testing was done extensively, Qatar, Bahrain or Iceland

Qatar - 38,651 cases 17 dead - Mortality - 0.04%
Bahrain - 8,174 cases 12 dead - Mortality - 0.15%
Iceland - 1,803 cases 10 dead - Mortality - 0.56%

So the real death rate is close to 1%......to even get to 70% infection is difficult unless we wait a year or more. But that's 10K dead over that time.

you eh play you does talk some 2 2 nah... 5x cases so we had 600+ COVID cases?

No one knows bro, 5x could even be conservative

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04- ... dwide.html

7% TESTED persons. Symptomatic persons were denied testing due to lack of flight history. and after the Ian Alleyne episode, when they didn't restrict to flight history, people just didn't volunteer themselves. The govt, in my opinion, the made the testing exercise very unpalatable intentionally, just to keep official numbers down.

They didn't test the respiratory deaths to verify covid infection in the earlies when it had mattered so u might have lost a lot of data there.
I know of persons who exhibited symptoms, but no post mortem test was done to verify if it was covid. Not many, but enough to know that it as a significant portion. All were old people, and some with comorbidity. But if u didn't test, then u wouldnt know.

[pugboy]

Power really gone to Pinocchio head now.

News last night showed a couple who were in Miami alongside the movietowne man and they denied them yet allowed the movietowne guy to come back.

[adnj]

Woman with lupus took hydroxychloroquine for 19 years, still got COVID-19

An Oconomowoc woman is warning people that the anti-malarial drug, hydroxychloroquine, will not protect someone from COVID-19

Updated: 10:15 PM CDT May 19, 2020

OCONOMOWOC, Wis. —

An Oconomowoc woman who has had lupus for most of her life said she takes hydroxychloroquine and still caught COVID-19.

Kim, who only wants her first name used, said she has taken the anti-malarial drug for 19 years to help treat the pain caused by her lupus.

Kim said when the pandemic began, she only left her home to go to the grocery store.

She said by mid-April though, she started feeling coronavirus symptoms.

"Weak all over. Coughing, fever. The fever was very high," Kim said. "It just went downhill from there. I couldn't breathe no more."

Kim said her primary doctor prescribed antibiotics, but her conditions worsened.

She said when she went to an urgent care days later, nurses said her oxygen saturation levels were at 78 percent, when they need to be at 95 percent or higher.

Kim said after arriving at the Aurora Medical Center emergency room in Summit, she tested positive for COVID-19.

"When they gave the diagnosis, I felt like it was a death sentence. I was like, 'I'm going to die,'" Kim said. "I'm like, 'How can I be sick? How? I'm on the hydroxychloroquine.' They were like, 'Well, nobody ever said that was the cure or that was going to keep you safe' and it definitely did not."

https://www.wisn.com/article/woman-with ... 9/32605139

[Dizzy28]

^^ WRT to our nationals being denied entry I wonder if Stewie alone making the decision or Parasram and Deyalsingh also have input?

Its an issue they keeping kicking further down the road but will have to deal with at some point.

[pugboy]

Pinnochio is the man, he have all the power in the world

^^ WRT to our nationals being denied entry I wonder if Stewie alone making the decision or Parasram and Deyalsingh also have input?

Its an issue they keeping kicking further down the road but will have to deal with at some point.

[Dizzy28]

Pinnochio is the man, he have all the power in the world

^^ WRT to our nationals being denied entry I wonder if Stewie alone making the decision or Parasram and Deyalsingh also have input?

Its an issue they keeping kicking further down the road but will have to deal with at some point.

Now that we have no active cases would it not make sense to allow them in before the 2nd and 3rd waves that being predicted happen?

And I would rather get them off a boat which has been quarantined on the seas than have them go through an American airport as the US is still within the grips of their virus.

[elec2020]

^At the same time they would be used as scapegoats... the reasons behind the second wave... not undertesting and building a false narrative (i.e. coronavirus infections are extremely low)

[dogg]

Are non-retail, non-manufacturing, private offices allowed to open?

[pugboy]

mid june

Are non-retail, non-manufacturing, private offices allowed to open?

[MaxPower]

Stranded nationals: Please let us come home

As vessel refuels off Trinidad...

Hundreds of Trinidad and Tobago nationals stuck on cruise ships are begging to return home.

There are currently 395 nationals on board two vessels — the Disney Cruise Line ship with 49 nationals and the Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas with 394 nationals.

All have been stranded by closure of the country’s borders to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

Now they are all are pleading with Minister of National Security Stuart Young to be granted permission to come home.

The Express spoke to several Trinidadians on both ships yesterday.

“So close to home yet so far away. Twelve miles off the north coast of Trinidad to be exact.”

This is how a Trinidadian on board the Disney Fantasy Cruise vessel described the situation as the cruise ship was being allowed to re-fuel off the coast of Trinidad but the T&T nationals are not being allowed to come home.

In a phone interview, Nalini Durgah, an assistant restaurant manager on the ship, said: “We are presently in Grenada. We dropped off our Grenadian citizens this morning and we will be here until 6.45 p.m. We will then proceed to the coast of Trinidad for refuelling. We will be bunkering at sea. We are so close to home. The captain announced that we will be 12 miles off the north coast of Trinidad at 8 a.m. (today). We are pleading with Stuart Young to reconsider and take his citizens back in.”

The nationals were employed with the Disney Dream, Disney Magic and the Disney Fantasy cruise ships but were all transferred to the Disney Fantasy to be repatriated to their home ports as per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Disney company, the employees said.

Durgah said they were then informed by management of the Disney cruise line that the vessel was granted permission to re-fuel off the coast of Trinidad, but not given permission to dock for them to enter.

Durgah added: “We have been in quarantine for two months and counting, our vessel is Covid-free ... After tomorrow if there is no communication made we will return to Orlando (Florida) then we will have to travel via air when possible.

“We are scared. We don’t want to go via plane. We want to walk off just as all the other Caribbean nationals are doing and then we will go into the quarantine process.”

Adanna Long, a quick service attendant on the ship said:, “The company decided to repatriate all crew members to their home ports. They began their voyage from Port Canaveral in Florida to Mexico, Honduras, Dominican Republic, St Vincent and at present Grenada.

“They have successfully and safely disembarked over 300 crew members overall. While other countries are currently plagued with coronavirus cases, their governments are abiding by their constitutional rights to grant them re-entry into the country which is by far the most humane thing to do at a time like this. I am a mother and we have many mothers and fathers on board who want to see their children again.”

Another national who is in the food and beverage department said: “We are watching our co-workers disembark the vessel and return home. Trinis are now the laughing stock on board.

“Everyone else is being allowed to enter their countries but we are the ones being neglected. Mentally, we’re in a bad place.”

‘Contracts up, big man and woman begging

to come home’

Several nationals told the Express, in addition to being away from their families for so long, they are now jobless as many of their contracts have ended.

Long said: “I am currently out of contract over a month now...About 30 of the crew members have completed their contracts and are awaiting the relief news that we will be allowed to return to Trinidad soon but to no avail.”

Sean Ali, another food and beverage employee said: “I have been working with Disney Cruise Line for the past four years. I am begging. I am on my knees. I am begging please, we want to come home. And it’s not me alone. It’s the rest of the Trinidadians on board this boat. We want to come home so bad.

“Our contract is finishing (today). Our contract is finishing...and I don’t even know what we’re going to do now. The boat is going to be in Trinidad.

“The other countries brought back in their nationals. We watched crew members walk off and get in their country. So we are just begging, please. We have families too. We are all healthy on board this boat. We’ve been self-quarantined. I think we’re better at self-quarantining than some people have been because it’s just been the crew on board.

“No passengers have been on board the vessel. We’ve been practising social distancing and all the safety measures, washing hands and we have been doing our part on board and there have been no reports of any sickness on board our vessel and we just begging, we just want to come home.

“We have no more jobs. We haven’t seen our families in months. If this doesn’t happen, we will probably not see them until next year. Big man and woman crying just to see home.”

Another national, Keion George, said: “I have a newborn that I want to see. When will I reach home? My contract has ended. I haven’t seen my family since November 2019.”

Trinidadians told the Express their temperatures are checked twice daily and they all wear mandatory face masks while practising social distancing.

There were similar pleas from the Vision of the Seas cruise ship, which is currently docked in St Kitts.

Patricia Mitchell, an employee in the housekeeping division said: “There are 345 Trinis on board. The company has been in contact with the Government and we were due home on May 24. We then heard May 30. Now, the latest announcement is that they put off everything until June 1.

“Still there will be no certainty when we will be returning home. We are in St Kitts right now. It is really frustrating. We do not know what is going on.

“All the nationals in this company, most of them have gone home and the rest of them are in the process of going home. It’s only Trinidadians that don’t have a definite answer as to when we are coming home.

“We have six different nationalities on board, including Trinis. Everyone is being allowed to go home because their governments are accepting them and I think the company is doing the best they can do to get us home but the problem is our Government back home isn’t being lenient.

“We were told by our captain that the arrangements to have us return home were made by the company’s Miami office. Now, the latest update they gave us is that they will resume talks and negotiations with our government on June 1.

“We are seeing progress with our co-workers. The Jamaicans had negotiations with their government and they were told to quarantine here for 14 days then their government will taken them in, 200 at a time. They will be tested then allowed to quarantine at home.

“The Vincentians did the same thing. The Dominicans were required to take Covid-19 tests so they are going home tomorrow. What happen to us? It is mentally challenging. Why is our Government treating us like this?”

To date, there have been no reports of positive Covid-19 cases on either of the cruise ships.

Minister Young could not be immediately reached for comment yesterday.




This is very sad and would hate to think an abuse of power given current circumstances is being used.

We must let these people in.

[dean_spleen09]

i wonder if didnt get their throats cut , if they would have wanted to "return home".

[Dohplaydat]

let them in! but quarantine them.

Also, for those who don't understand testing. In most studies testing rates have been able to detect 5 to 10% of cases.

When I said we could have had 5x cases, that is pure speculation based on these studies, but the fact is, the MoH and CMO KNOW there's a high change that many cases weren't detected. So 5x is a good guesstimate as to how many cases were present but died off without spreading.

We know we don't have much spread as no one has been sick enough (5-10% of covid cases) to warrant testing.

So now, we need to hope that these persons recovered fine without spreading it due to the lockdown effects.

However, due to so many mild and asymptomatic cases (80% or higher even), we could have many people walking around with it.

That is why they are insisting on mask wearing and still not opening things back fully at least for 2-3 weeks.