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

[K74T]

Show me d way.

[MaxPower]

this is plain politics and election campaigning.

If the UNC was in power in this current situation, the PNM would obviously object to any and everything.

Text book stuff man.

[dean_spleen09]

Don't be cruel...

there were also no crew members willing to journey to TT.

crew members not cruel too ?

[Coppershot]

Don't be cruel...

UNC MP: Govt 'cruel' to Trinis stranded in Suriname
Jensen La Vende

UNC NAPARIMA MP Rodney Charles is describing as "cruel" Government's treatment of 36 nationals stuck in Suriname.

In a media release issued on Friday, Charles said the fact that the group remain trapped in Suriname is "cruel, inhumane and callous." However, three days prior to Charles’ statement National Security Minister Stuart Young said he was treating the stranded nationals as priority.

In the April 7 media briefing, Young said he and Foreign Affairs Minister Dennis Moses were in touch with their Surinamese counterparts with the aim of assisting the group to return home.

Young said Suriname’s national security ministry were making efforts to have the group tested for covid19.

In previous briefings, Young said while there were flights available to bring the group home, there were also no crew members willing to journey to TT.

However, Charles said the nationals were struggling to support themselves in Suriname.

“The 36 stranded in Suriname (are) running out of money and in various stages of depression, (they) display no visible signs of covid19 are willing to be tested before departure, and agree to be placed in quarantine upon arrival in TT. So what is the big deal about them being a health threat to the rest of us? They are even prepared to fund their return.”

Charles relayed the message of accountant Rishi Ramkissoon who wrote him asking that their plight be re-highlighted. He said Ramkissoon informed him the group was hurt to see other countries repatriate their citizens but not TT.

“If what Rishi Ramkisoon is saying is true, I am calling on the Prime Minister, Stuart Young and Dennis Moses to take shame, man up to their responsibilities, do the right thing and live up to their oath to do right by all citizens. This grave injustice to our citizens in Barbados, Suriname, Magarita and elsewhere must stop immediately.”

There are 35 nationals in Barbados and more than 30 in Magarita, Venezuela. Government has said it was in discussions with the governments about the care of TT nationals in their countries.

https://newsday.co.tt/2020/04/11/unc-mp-govt-cruel-to-trinis-stranded-in-suriname/

According to this article. Suriname closed their borders on March 13th 2020. Seems like the Suriname Airlines crew is to blame.
BTW anybody know when they arrived in Suriname?
https://www.cnc3.co.tt/trinis-in-suriname-we-want-to-come-home/

He claimed a Suriname Airways flight was scheduled to fly to T&T empty yesterday to collect its nationals stranded here, after being permitted by the T&T Government and questioned why the T&T nationals marooned in Suriname weren’t allowed to fly back home on that flight at least. He said another special Suriname Airways flight which received the T&T Government’s approval to repatriate Suriname nationals back their country on Sunday was cancelled after the entire flight crew called in sick. Ramkissoon claimed they also unsuccessfully tried to get CAL to fly into Suriname due to its closed borders. However, he noted other airlines like KLM, TIU and FlyAllways were operating flights out. Suriname closed its borders on March 13.

[MaxPower]

Friends,

Lets not pass the blame.

Negligence was the root cause.

[VII]

Link?


..the curve seems to be flattening well..

“ EU praises T&T for handling of pandemic.”

Clearly they are not on social media.

But yes, praise the T&T Govt and the very few citizens that genuinely cooperated.

[VII]

Clearly the curve is flattening and all people could do is still condemn the GOVT,it is thoss policies that has us here ffs!!! Entitled selfish inconsiderate fricking trinis are some of the ugliest things ...

They kept them away to protect all ah we nenen...

[aaron17]

We need to have a new test strategy..the current test is limited...maybe that is why we hardly getting any indications.

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

[shake d livin wake d dead]

Wah went on in the conference??? They praised themselves because of the EU article ent

[MaxPower]

Link?


..the curve seems to be flattening well..

Was in the Express bro.

I didnt take the picture.

[ST Auto]

Curve appears to be flattening cz they not testing.

Clearly the curve is flattening and all people could do is still condemn the GOVT,it is thoss policies that has us here ffs!!! Entitled selfish inconsiderate fricking trinis are some of the ugliest things ...

They kept them away to protect all ah we nenen...

[Redress10]

I don't get what the big deal is.... alright a couple idiots took a chance and went on a cruise. Test them and once they clear of the virus let them come back in. If the "Boarders Closed" to prevent COVID and they don't have COVID then cut all the bullsheit and let them and the others wherever else come in... how hard can that be to coordinate, or are we so lame that we cant arrange to properly/safely repatriate a couple dozen people from right here in the frickin caribbean.

All this beat up chess about border close.... This shows that this Govt really does not give a crap about their people or just plain lazy.

You have any idea the logistics required to bring back these people?

You have to organize an aircraft, mechanics, fuel, flight plan, crew + PPE for the crew. And that's just on TT side. Also the cost of the flight would be 10-20x normal price considering all the factors involved.

On Barbados side you have to organize transport for the locals to the airport and everything around that. Considering they're in a pseudo state of emergency it'll be 10x harder.

It's easier to just send these idiots some money and work out a deal with some hotel/resort to keep the TT nationals as they have occupancy issues anyway.

When it's safe to come back then they will normally.

If they could swim and reach then they should do so. These ppl acting as though they in the middle of a war zone. It have 4 women who went Venezuela for plastic surgery in late March who want the Government to bring them home as well. Imagine you also have born and bred Venezuelans stuck in Venezuela asking TT gov't to bring them back to TT.

These ppl living in a twilight zone..trinis have become spoilt and entitled. Anyone of them even study that when all of this ends there may not even be a CAL? Without taxpayers money keeping uo CAL, they really believe there would be a CAL?

[88sins]

I don't get what the big deal is.... alright a couple idiots took a chance and went on a cruise. Test them and once they clear of the virus let them come back in. If the "Boarders Closed" to prevent COVID and they don't have COVID then cut all the bullsheit and let them and the others wherever else come in... how hard can that be to coordinate, or are we so lame that we cant arrange to properly/safely repatriate a couple dozen people from right here in the frickin caribbean.

All this beat up chess about border close.... This shows that this Govt really does not give a crap about their people or just plain lazy.

Here's the problem
When it comes to medical sample testing, even with tests that have been around for years, sometimes tests can have a false positive result, as well as false negative results.
So image, you let EVERYONE that wants to return after the borders have been closed, and say that's 20000 people. And let's say chances of a false +/- result is 5% (since this virud is nee tousģffeè, and say for arguments sake the ratio of false positive to false negative is 1:1, and let's go with the WHO R0 that is closest to 3. If so, of those 20K returning you just let in, there would be roughly 500 people that believe they are not infected when they in fact are, and they are all walking around asymptomatic and potentially infecting 1500 unsuspecting people, who will then infect 4500, then 11500, etc. and so on and so forth.

I not saying that it was the right or wrong way to go, but if one must err, it's far better to err on the side of being overly cautious than to make a potentially deadly mistake of not being careful and cautious enough.

[linton]

Err on the side of being overly cautious ? That's like what the government did with carnival ?

[VII]

Ok gonna search it up..thanks.

Link?


..the curve seems to be flattening well..

Was in the Express bro.

442aff49-afd3-4626-a8fd-736e1222d6ec.jpg

I didnt take the picture.

[VII]

Ok,but people aren't flooding hospitals and dying at home like in other places without even a test..so it's still a good sign...

Curve appears to be flattening cz they not testing.

Clearly the curve is flattening and all people could do is still condemn the GOVT,it is thoss policies that has us here ffs!!! Entitled selfish inconsiderate fricking trinis are some of the ugliest things ...

They kept them away to protect all ah we nenen...

[K74T]

[linton]

All in all they are managing the situation well.

[pugboy]

if 3 more cruisers get positive and assuming they practicing proper hygiene in balandra then 14 days may not be enough for a quarantine period
as i think they there 20 days now

[MaxPower]

Hmmm and they now being tested positive?

[88sins]

if 3 more cruisers get positive and assuming they practicing proper hygiene in balandra then 14 days may not be enough for a quarantine period
as i think they there 20 days now

this is one of two parts of a problem
part one of the problem is those ppl in quarantine but, still mingling with each other, so those who there that may not have been infected are at risk of contracting the disease due to breaches in protocol. when you breach, protocol they have to keep you there longer.
The second is a bit more serious, because as you said, waiting 14 days for symptoms to manifest is average. but I've seen that there's been cases where ppl were infected & asymptomatic & infectious for up to 28 days. If that is the trend this thing starts, 14 days definitely won't be long enough.

[hydroep]

Before they re-open our borders the authorities need to be sure that herd immunity has developed or else they risk putting the country in the same position they've been trying to avoid.

The time factor obviously has something to do with it but I can't see how they can possibly get an accurate assessment from the current (or next week's 'spot check') testing methodology...

[bgh]

UWI link

http://bit.ly/mcovid-TT

[Dave]

Nice link

[sMASH]

Before they re-open our borders the authorities need to be sure that herd immunity has developed or else they risk putting the country in the same position they've been trying to avoid.

The time factor obviously has something to do with it but I can't see how they can possibly get an accurate assessment from the current (or next week's 'spot check') testing methodology...

eagerly awaits a week or two of the surveillance testing. but given the sparse data they release, we might not get to know what they find.

this is just one smalllll part of a large daily update that new york makes publicly available.

gortt is just like, bow ur heads, shoulder to the wheel, u dont need to know much.

[screwbash]

in other words trini's livin the the white man country.

[sMASH]

we have curfew, road blocks, only a few places open for vital supplies, parliament suspended. besides coming out to pay taxes and file for govt support, this is a friggin SoE.

[sMASH]

Ok,but people aren't flooding hospitals and dying at home like in other places without even a test..so it's still a good sign...

Curve appears to be flattening cz they not testing.

Clearly the curve is flattening and all people could do is still condemn the GOVT,it is thoss policies that has us here ffs!!! Entitled selfish inconsiderate fricking trinis are some of the ugliest things ...

They kept them away to protect all ah we nenen...

correct, good sign, except we dont have those stats.

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

We doing really good tho....

our situation is nowhere near that of USA or Italy. Our hospitals completely empty, doctors have it real nice right now I was at Mt Hope last week, place dead and staff have it pretty nice.

I doubt this going to be extended beyond 30th not at this rate