Nearly 100 Barbadian LIAT workers can expect at least $2,000 from the Barbados Government to be paid immediately or within a week at the latest.

After a ZOOM Meeting today, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley shared this announcement saying that she wants to help the displaced workers who are in many instances drowning in debt.

Both the President of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), Akanni McDowall and the Acting General Secretary, Wayne Walrond, were present and thanked the Prime Minister for the support being offered to the workers by the Government of Barbados.

The full statement is below:

The Government has offered a helping hand to just under 100 displaced Barbadian workers of LIAT, who will get some relief by early next week.

During an hour-and-a-half-long Zoom meeting with dozens of the former employees who have been waiting for well over a year for entitlements from the regional airline, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley promised that each person would receive a one-off gift of $2,000 by Friday — or early next week, at the latest.

This gift, which will be provided by central Government, will give authorities time to put other measures in place that would offer further relief over a much longer period.

All former Barbadian LIAT employees who were based here, paid contributions into the local National Insurance Scheme, and are therefore entitled to severance will now benefit from expedited hearings by the NIS Tribunal.

It is expected that these hearings will also begin as early as next week, with the hope that they will be wrapped up in time for payments to be made just after the end of the month.

Prime Minister Mottley explained that it had become necessary for the cases of these workers to go before the Tribunal since the Judicial Administrator of LIAT in Antigua, Cleveland Seaforth, had so far failed to sign and deliver to Barbados the paperwork that would have automatically triggered severance payments.

The other significant group of LIAT workers being assisted comprises Barbadians based primarily in Antigua, from whose salaries deductions were made to that country’s Social Security Scheme and who are entitled to severance under that country’s laws.

Arrangements are now being put in place to allow them to receive an advance of $2,000 per month from the Government of Barbados, to be paid back at a future date from any eventual severance settlement.

Prime Minister Mottley explained that this would be provided for up to one year, to be terminated earlier if they are able to find alternative employment before the end of that year.

Mottley stressed that she understood that $2,000 a month would not equate to their salaries or erase the debt and hardships they have accumulated since they stopped working, but she was trying to assist them while balancing it against all the other urgent needs of Barbadians.

In the face of a direct request from the employees who related their encounters with banks and other creditors, the Prime Minister promised to reach out to the sector on their behalf to solicit payment eases.

The workers agreed to the immediate formation of a small working committee to liaise with Government to ensure all information necessary for the fulfilment of the promised assistance is available to the relevant agencies, and the former LIAT workers will meet again with the Prime Minister in 100 days.

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Well I want to say definitively to the people of Antigua and Barbuda that we do not have the luxury of not getting vaccinated and if we do not get the herd immunity perhaps in the next 60 to 90 days there is going to be weeping and gnashing of teeth in this country,” Browne said, adding “that is the reality of it”.

In its statement, the ministry said that the voucher is not redeemable for cash or change and must be utilized in one transaction.

Health, Wellness and the Environment Minister, Sir Molwyn Joseph said that he is delighted that Epicurean Fine Foods and Pharmacy has come forward to support the government’s drive to reach herd immunity by offering a token to individuals who receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Getting vaccinated is not only a personal choice, but it is a choice that will impact positively on individuals, families, friends, communities and the nation of Antigua and Barbuda.  The support of Epicurean Fine Foods and Pharmacy in this public health initiative is vital to the overall wellness and development of our society,” Sir Molwyn said.

The company’s human resource administrator, Nola Clarke, said that the company recognizes the importance of the nation being fully vaccinated and is delighted to support the government in offering a token to those individuals who make the responsible decision to get vaccinated.

“We proudly stand resilient with the government in this fight against the COVID-19 virus,” said Nola Clarke.

Sir Molwyn said that this initiative comes at an opportune time as the Ministry of Health ramps up its campaign to get more persons vaccinated.  He said that he looks forward to other businesses on island partnering with the Ministry to get the nation vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

The ministry has said that creating herd immunity will ensure that the majority of the population is protected from becoming seriously ill from COVID-19.

“With herd immunity, it is expected that the country will return to normalcy, which will include the facilitation of economic, social and cultural activities and the ease of travel. Individuals who received their first dose twelve weeks ago will commence receiving their second dose this month,” it added.

CMC

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With COVID-19 vaccine demand declining in the United States, some Canadians facing third-wave lockdowns are flying south to get inoculated, perhaps months earlier than they would be able to at home.

Jimmy Simmons, 37, saw friends in their 40s struggling to get a shot in the hard-hit Canadian province of Ontario. The Toronto businessman decided to spend a few weeks in New York City to meet clients and get vaccinated. He got his first of two shots on Tuesday.

Simmons, who works in real estate, is not yet eligible for a vaccine in Ontario. His girlfriend, a medical student who treats COVID-19 patients at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, has still only received one dose, he said.

“I want this (pandemic) to end, and in order for this end I need to get vaccinated,” Simmons said. “Just sitting at home in Ontario isn’t going to change anything.”

While almost a third of Americans have been fully vaccinated, Canada has inoculated only 3% of its almost 38 million people, though more than 34% have received a first dose.

Canada is allowing for a four-month gap between doses, while Americans are getting their second shots three or four weeks after the first to reach optimal protection much sooner.

The U.S vaccination campaign has reached a tipping point, with supply outstripping demand due to a combination of factors including skepticism about the vaccines. The number of Americans seeking vaccines dropped by a third in recent weeks, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. read more

That is encouraging Canadians to cross the border and tap into this oversupply without paying any fee, which means the U.S. government is paying for foreign travelers to get their COVID-19 shots. The White House declined to comment.

Simmons and others had little trouble getting vaccinated at no charge in the United States, where the government is now practically begging people to get the shots and several states do not require proof of residency.

The trick was to fly because land crossing has been closed to non-essential traffic since March of 2020.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged those who are hesitant to get a COVID-19 vaccine, saying it was a matter of “life or death.” read more

Everyone age 16 or older can get vaccinated in the United States, while in Ontario, most adults 18 and up will not be eligible for a first dose until May 24.

‘REALLY EASY’

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said everyone who wants to can be fully vaccinated by the end of September. Andrew D’Amours, 31, of Quebec City, said that could mean “another half pandemic” without getting inoculated.

He flew to Dallas and got vaccinated on April 10. With his business partner at the Flytrippers travel website, D’Amours booked an appointment for the one-dose Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) vaccine online.

“It took a couple clicks. We got an appointment in a grocery store pharmacy and we booked flights for the next day, Friday, and on Saturday morning we were vaccinated,” D’Amours said.

While D’Amours used hotel and flight points, he estimated a weekend trip to Dallas – if two people share costs – could be as low as C$750 ($611) each. He flew directly from Montreal.

David, 37, an executive from Ontario, said he and his girlfriend got vaccinated without appointments at the Ellis Davis Field House site in Dallas, after showing a Texas hotel address.

When the couple went back for their second shot, “there was no one there,” he said. “It’s immoral that they may be throwing shots out while people are dying of COVID,” he said.

Americans have been sharing vaccines with Canadians in other ways. Truck drivers from Manitoba and Saskatchewan are receiving jabs in North Dakota, while Alaska’s governor has offered surplus shots to a neighboring Canadian town to help reopen the border sooner.

While it is not known how many Canadians are traveling for U.S. vaccines, several people on Simmons’ packed flight to New York told him they would get inoculated, and D’Amours has fielded several queries from others interested in doing so.

Canada still discourages foreign travel and requires a 14-day quarantine and testing upon re-entry. D’Amours said it still may be worth it.

“If you want to travel, if you want to be fully vaccinated, and you’re able to go and you’re going to do it safely, it is really easy,” he said.

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Reuters- Riot police fired tear gas at protesters in Bogota on Wednesday during the eighth day of nationwide anti-government demonstrations, after crowds attacked police stations in the capital overnight.

The protests were originally called in opposition to a now-canceled tax reform plan, but demonstrators have broadened their demands to include government action to tackle poverty, police violence and inequalities in the health and education systems. read more

Demonstrations and lawmaker opposition led to the tax reform’s withdrawal and the resignation of the finance minister. International organizations have warned against police violence, which is so far linked to just under half of 24 confirmed deaths, mainly of protesters. read more

Many protesters are calling for the ESMAD riot police to be disbanded, but some said they did not blame individual officers.

“They get orders from the state, which they have to follow,” said student James Romero, 18, who joined a chanting crowd in Bogota’s central Bolivar Plaza.

Romero said he was struck several times in the back by a baton-wielding ESMAD officer while running from confrontations on Saturday.

“I felt fear – so much fear.”

Minutes later, police fired tear gas to deter some demonstrators from attempting to enter Colombia’s Congress.

Earlier gatherings farther north were peaceful.

Bogota psychologist Benjamin Paba Al-Faro, 53, said he was demonstrating for better education and to ensure the continuity of the peace process with now-demobilized FARC rebels, adding: “This isn’t about defeating just one law.”

Poverty, which rose to 42.5% of the population last year amid coronavirus lockdowns, has aggravated long-standing inequalities and reversed some recent development gains.

The number of Colombians living in extreme poverty grew by 2.8 million people in 2020.

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