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

[jussvon101]

Some of the highlights (Average figures)...

Credit card interest down by 10%
Repo rate now 3.5%
Prime lending rate to drop to 6%
Bank say is ok to skip a payment on your loan and mortgage

Does the drop in prime lending affect consumers with current loans or for new ones?

Well when it goes up yuh mortgage does go up... so I guess the reverse will also apply. That's once you have a variable interest rate mortgage. Maybe a banking tuner can explain further...

Yes. Hope someone who knows can give some clarity on this

[skylinechild]

to be fair the tennesee honey does cut ... jim beam honey too !!!!!

Nothing wrong the honey.

The issue is how so much people willing to take the time off under the guise of isolation but still pumping in places in groups.

agreed.... you need new employees bruh..... wanna hire meh.. willing to work for 6K mth...

[hydroep]

Early estimates for additional expenditure:

Social Programs: less than $100M TT
Additional injection of Foreign Exchange for Emergency supplies (medicines, food etc.): $ 100M US

The problem with the Foreign Exchange injection is that it appears the Government is still relying on the "honour system" i.e. that the banks with allocate it for its intended purpose...and as everybody knows banks always do what is in the country's interest...ent?...

[adnj]

Some of the highlights (Average figures)...

Credit card interest down by 10%
Repo rate now 3.5%
Prime lending rate to drop to 6%
Bank say is ok to skip a payment on your loan and mortgage

Does the drop in prime lending affect consumers with current loans or for new ones?

Well when it goes up yuh mortgage does go up... so I guess the reverse will also apply. That's once you have a variable interest rate mortgage. Maybe a banking tuner can explain further...

Yes. Hope someone who knows can give some clarity on this

If you have a fixed rate loan, your rates will not change.

If you have a variable rate loan, your interest rate will follow the prime rate. The loan documents will state how often the rates are reviewed and set. The documents will also state the markup rate as "prime plus 4%" or something similar.

[adnj]

Posted earlier...

Other than an UV bath, dilute alcohol is the preferred method of cleaning electronics for many viruses.

Use a headset if you are attempting to reduce viral exposure and also mobile phone radiation risks.

We need to be cleaning phones too. Just think we touching it up and then taking calls putting it right on your face. However we should not use disinfectant as this may damage the material the screen is made of. The suggested solution is soap and water with a microfiber cloth.

Most mobiles have a glass screen. Most landline handsets are ABS plastic.
-------------

7 Easy Steps for a Germ-Free Cell Phone

These thorough cleaning steps should be done weekly to keep a phone relatively germ-free.

Unplug your phone and any attachments. Earbuds or chargers should be cleaned separately. Turn off the phone. 

Remove any protective cases or covers. These should also be cleaned separately before reinserting the phone.

In a small spray bottle, mix a one-to-one ratio of distilled water and 70% isopropyl alcohol. The distilled water is essential if you live in an area that has hard water, which is filled with microscopic minerals that can scratch the glass on the phone. Give the bottle a good shake.

Lightly spray a lint-free microfiber cloth with the water and isopropyl mixture. Never spray the phone directly. Do not over-wet the cloth.

Use the cloth to wipe down the entire phone front and back.

If small areas like the space around the camera lens, attachment ports, or buttons show signs of gunk build-up, gently use a dry cotton swab or wooden toothpick to clean those areas. Once any build-up is removed, wipe down the area again with the slightly damp microfiber cloth.

Allow the phone to air dry completely for at least 15 minutes before reinserting it into any case.

[URL]https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-clean-your-cell-phone-4163609
[/URL]

posted about this already- wipe with soap & water with microfiber cloth for the screen, disinfectants & bleach too harsh and will take off the coating on screen

What about rubbing alcohol?

[zoom rader]

Kudos to Government on some of their plans. Certain things haven't been finalized and the true test will be in the implementation and accessibility by the citizenry.

Monetary policy:
Reserve rate to be reduced from 17 to 14%; Repo rate to be reduced from 5 to 3.5%; request to lower the spread between deposit and lending rates, aiming for a prime lending rate of 6% (currently 9%).

Banking sector:
*1 month of moratorium on loan payments in the first instance with no penalties ("skip a payment" system).
*Reduction in CC Interest by 10 percentage points and for those with limits of under $ 25,000 a request to reduce that further to 10%.
*Request to increase in CC allowances.

Job security:
*Business Chambers and TTMA to encourage members to keep people in jobs for 1 month.
*Government to "accelerate" outstanding payables to businesses to mitigate the situation (if I heard correctly part of this has to do with the VAT bonds. Not sure how business owners will respond to that).

Social Services:
Additional top-ups to people on the food cards, families of children who are on the school feeding program to be brought onto the food card system as schools are closed. All benefits are for a 3 month period and beneficiaries can be prosecuted for abusing the system.

Dat mild, small change for the population

Wait for goverment to announce they gonna bail out friends and family bussines with Tax payers money HSF.

Money will start to tote out soon

[hydroep]

The U.K. grappling with more problems:

*MPs asking if the Government has drafted policies to determine who lives and dies the event that the NHS becomes overwhelmed like Italy's.

*They have cancelled (not deferred) exams and now the discussion has turned to how students are going to obtain their grades.

[hydroep]

Kudos to Government on some of their plans. Certain things haven't been finalized and the true test will be in the implementation and accessibility by the citizenry.

Monetary policy:
Reserve rate to be reduced from 17 to 14%; Repo rate to be reduced from 5 to 3.5%; request to lower the spread between deposit and lending rates, aiming for a prime lending rate of 6% (currently 9%).

Banking sector:
*1 month of moratorium on loan payments in the first instance with no penalties ("skip a payment" system).
*Reduction in CC Interest by 10 percentage points and for those with limits of under $ 25,000 a request to reduce that further to 10%.
*Request to increase in CC allowances.

Job security:
*Business Chambers and TTMA to encourage members to keep people in jobs for 1 month.
*Government to "accelerate" outstanding payables to businesses to mitigate the situation (if I heard correctly part of this has to do with the VAT bonds. Not sure how business owners will respond to that).

Social Services:
Additional top-ups to people on the food cards, families of children who are on the school feeding program to be brought onto the food card system as schools are closed. All benefits are for a 3 month period and beneficiaries can be prosecuted for abusing the system.

Dat mild, small change for the population

Wait for goverment to announce they gonna bail out friends and family bussines with Tax payers money HSF.

Money will start to tote out soon

Yup, somewhere, somehow some selfish MCs with friends in high places going to profit from this.

They boiling the frog slowly...

[wickedtuna]

Reading Jamaica recorded it's first death from covid

[rspann]

68 quarantined in Balandra . Where in Balandra? Somebody eat ah food? Is it a hotel or something to be able to hold so many people? What wrong with Couva and Caura?

[j.o.e]

68 quarantined in Balandra . Where in Balandra? Somebody eat ah food? Is it a hotel or something to be able to hold so many people? What wrong with Couva and Caura?

None of these people have symptoms why not leave Couva and Caura for people tested positive and exhibiting symptoms? These people not even under medical care. Better this than let them run free.

[adnj]

68 quarantined in Balandra . Where in Balandra? Somebody eat ah food? Is it a hotel or something to be able to hold so many people? What wrong with Couva and Caura?

I have no idea why but you don't typically use a hospital to quarantine individuals unless they also require intensive care.

[rspann]

Didn't they say they were using those facilities for quarantine ?

[Halfbreed12]

Reading Jamaica recorded it's first death from covid

Yup tested positive today and and died today

[rspann]

68 quarantined in Balandra . Where in Balandra? Somebody eat ah food? Is it a hotel or something to be able to hold so many people? What wrong with Couva and Caura?

None of these people have symptoms why not leave Couva and Caura for people tested positive and exhibiting symptoms? These people not even under medical care. Better this than let them run free.

Why not self quarantine like the ones before? Like the CAL crew , the # 1 family etc.

[j.o.e]

68 quarantined in Balandra . Where in Balandra? Somebody eat ah food? Is it a hotel or something to be able to hold so many people? What wrong with Couva and Caura?

None of these people have symptoms why not leave Couva and Caura for people tested positive and exhibiting symptoms? These people not even under medical care. Better this than let them run free.

Why not self quarantine like the ones before? Like the CAL crew , the # 1 family etc.

Sheer numbers and the heightened risk. A flight and a cruise ship are two different levels of exposure. Think about leaving 60 people to their own devices all over trinidad

[sMASH]

The U.K. grappling with more problems:

*MPs asking if the Government has drafted policies to determine who lives and dies the event that the NHS becomes overwhelmed like Italy's.

*They have cancelled (not deferred) exams and now the discussion has turned to how students are going to obtain their grades.

kinda SoE-ish..... fleck grades, if any thing hold that sitting next year or janruary, depending on the prep available after this thing blows through

[rspann]

I agree , but how much more you think roaming undetected?

[88sins]

68 quarantined in Balandra . Where in Balandra? Somebody eat ah food? Is it a hotel or something to be able to hold so many people? What wrong with Couva and Caura?

They won't quarantine potentially infected people in a hospital bec
1- they not showing symptoms, are yet to test positive and don't need medical attention. Once protocols are followed, they shouldn't be able to infect others during their isolation if their tests come back positive.
2-need to keep room and resources for patients that have actually tested positive in case there's a large outbreak or influx of identified positive patients from somewhere else
3- trying to not start a burden or panic

[eliteauto]

68 quarantined in Balandra . Where in Balandra? Somebody eat ah food? Is it a hotel or something to be able to hold so many people? What wrong with Couva and Caura?

Possibly the SDA camp up there?

[rspann]

I get that. Putting 68 people together in Camp Balandra safe? Would they stay in their rooms all the time ?

[rspann]

68 quarantined in Balandra . Where in Balandra? Somebody eat ah food? Is it a hotel or something to be able to hold so many people? What wrong with Couva and Caura?

Possibly the SDA camp up there?

Yeah , just found out . See post before.

[Redman]

Maybe we should apply more thought to what has actually happened -FACTS....instead of being caught up in useless speculation,unknowable what ifs and rank fabrication.

[pugboy]

the 68 ppl gone from being locked up in a ship with fancy food to a church compound
hope the food they getting up to standard

[rspann]

Maybe we should apply more thought to what has actually happened -FACTS....instead of being caught up in useless speculation,unknowable what ifs and rank fabrication.

We get the facts by asking questions.

[adnj]

the 68 ppl gone from being locked up in a ship with fancy food to a church compound
hope the food they getting up to standard

Crix and cheese with little WASA tap water to wash it down.

[rspann]

the 68 ppl gone from being locked up in a ship with fancy food to a church compound
hope the food they getting up to standard

Crix and cheese with little WASA tap water to wash it down.

If they make use of the available services there they will get real tasty vegetarian food. News says they brought in washers and dryers and other necessary supplies.

[zorced]

Supposedly have 3000 kits according to the press conference yesterday

It's been 5 days with 5 confirmed cases so far.
No new cases reported today - is that because we are not testing or because there truly are no more cases in T&T at this time?

Heard from a DMO buddy that they are NOT testing persons who have not traveled in 14 days. It is one of the main criteria at this time.

Basically they sticking to the "imported cases only" story. Even close contacts of infected persons are not being tested unless they become symptomatic.

Don't know if this is typical protocol for other countries or we just special.

This is true. Absurd right....

Anyone can shed light on the test kit supply? Supposedly very limited.

My bad. To clarify, I meant to say the expensive swab tests done in the hospitals, not the carpha test kits. Supposedly had some limitations in SFGH recently.

Would like to know what is the overall consensus currently because that bottleneck could cause real problems as is also happening outside of T&T.

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

T&TEC to turn off lights on all community recreational grounds and playing fields

[shake d livin wake d dead]

How come allyuh aint questioning the 30+ ttec employees who are presently quarantined??? Who were they in contact with???