“As we achieve collective immunity, the confidence of international visitors will be strengthened with the guarantees that the Dominican Republic will be positioned as the safest destination in the Caribbean to those who visit us,” said Collado.

110 Kilograms of vaccines arrived in the Dominican Republic on February 15 which is part of a 3 phase plan to vaccinate the population. The Caribbean island has already purchased 21 million vaccines which will be enough to inoculate every resident.

The Tourism Minister highlighted that the Dominican Republic has already been a tourism success story. Along with Mexico, it’s one of the only countries in the world that allows travelers to enter without testing or quarantines. Even with an open door policy for tourists, the Dominican Republic has seen its daily cases of Covid-19 declining.

Free Medical Insurance For Tourists

The Dominican Republic is currently offering free medical insurance for all tourists who visit the island until April 30. The program has already been extended once and it’s likely to be extended again with the success of the tourism restart. 

The free travel insurance covers:

• Emergencies
• Covid-19 treatment
• Ambulatory care
• Hospitalizations
• Medicine
• Lodging for extended stays due to an infection
• Flight changes due to an infection 

How To Enroll For The Free Insurance

All tourists are automatically covered once they check into their hotel. There is no action required by the traveler to activate the insurance which is fully covered by the Dominican Republic government. 

“The free assistance plan has been a success, as it contributes to position ourselves worldwide as a safe tourist destination, where all kinds of experiences can be enjoyed with the peace of mind that there is a perfectly prepared medical system to attend to visitors in in case of any eventuality and at no cost to them,” David Collado added.

Here are some of the hotel brands and chains offering testing.

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The vaccination programme for COVID-19 is set to begin today at the Newtown Health Centre where the first doses will be given to people here in St. Kitts and Nevis.

Minister of Health Akilah Byron-Nisbett in an address on Sunday noted that the vaccine rolls out with a launch this afternoon.

“To initiate our vaccination rollout and awareness of the campaign, the general public should kindly note that at 1 pm, on Monday 22 February, the ministry of health will launch the national roll-out of its AstraZeneca Oxford Vaccine at the Newtown Health Centre, Ponds Pasture St. Kitts.”

Last week Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris said his cabinet colleagues would lead on the matter and will be the first to take the vaccine.

Byron Nisbett said the Federation continues to be proactive in its efforts to manage COVID-19 as the pandemic reeks devastating returns on communities globally.

She said the vaccines are ready to be rolled out.

“The fact that they are safe and efficacious vaccines is indeed indicative of one of the greatest public health achievements in human history. The vaccine plan will be rolled out under the auspices of the National Immunization Committee of the Ministry of Health who relied on the well-established vaccine programme with its best practice measures with relevant input from regional and international partners such as PAHO and WHO and the strategic advisory group of experts on immunization.”

The health minister said the plan will be executed utilizing a three-phased approach with the main goals being to mitigate against death and serious disease, promote maximum functioning of society and reduce the burden of COVID-19 on vulnerable persons

“The overall aim of our country’s plan is to ultimately access adequate amounts of COVID-19 vaccines to consequently vaccinate 70% of our population to achieve appropriate herd immunity threshold.”

Addressing the vaccine plan, Byron Nisbett said it would be administered to people 18 to 80 years of age while people over 80 will be required to be evaluated by their physicians before receiving the vaccine

“Administration will be based on an appointment system and those interested in being vaccinated may call the health hotline 311 or visit the nearest health centre to make an appointment. Once the first dose of the vaccine is given persons will be issued with a COVID-19 vaccination card and an appointment to return in 10 weeks for the second dose.”

She said phase one will be rolled out in Basseterre, Sandy Point and Tabernacle health centres in St. Kitts. In Nevis Charlestown, Gingerland and Combermere health centres.

Byron Nisbett said during the subsequent phases all 11 health centres in St. Kitts and six in Nevis will be utilized.

She said during the launch persons representing a cross-section of stage one including members of parliament will be inoculated with the vaccine.

“I urge you to come forward to demonstrate your love of self and country and facilitate the sense and state of normalcy by being vaccinated.”

She urged the public to take the vaccine noting it was the safest method to combat the virus.

“I submit this is the best and safest way to combat the virus and mitigate against the dire consequences of impact and transmission. Our individual and collective action will certainly alleviate the pressure exerted on our Healthcare and frontline workers relative to the virus.”

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CHARLESTOWN, Nevis — The production of the ‘One Year Off’ movie Nevis is already spurring economic activity on the island, according to Hon. Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis and Minister of Finance and Economic Planning in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA).

“I am pleased at the employment and economic multiplier being experienced from my government’s decision to encourage the start of a film industry here on Nevis,” said Hon. Brantley. “Thus far, some 30 Nevisians have been hired full time. An additional 11 have been hired as actors with speaking roles and 168 hired as supporting artistes.”

Brantley pointed out there is financial spinoff from having the cast and crew for the film staying on Nevis.

“We have seen local caterers, villa and hotel rentals, taxi operators, car rentals fully engaged,” said Brantley. “Forty-six non-nationals are also now resident on the island to support the filming of this movie.”

“This is an excellent start to our promised diversification of the island’s economy,” he said. “Nevis continues to be a safe and secure environment for investment and we welcome other film producers to consider our COVID-safe environment for their next film.”

MSR Media’s Philippe Martinez, the film’s producer, says the leading cast is already on the island. Locations around the island have been chosen, and filming is set to begin February 25.

MSR Media and the NIA recently signed off on a two-film production deal that will see the UK film company shooting two films on Nevis in 2021.

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Caribbean American Congresswoman Yvette Clarke on Thursday joined California Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez and New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez in introducing the bicameral United States Citizenship Act of 2021 that seeks to overhaul America’s immigration system.

The Act is in keeping with US President Joe Biden’s “bold, inclusive and humane” plan for the future of the United States immigration system, opening up a pathway to citizenship for millions of Caribbean and other immigrants.

“I am the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, and I am uniquely familiar with the need for comprehensive immigration reform,” said Clarke, who represents the predominantly Caribbean 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York.

“As chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Immigration Task Force, I have seen the glaring inequities, blatant racism, vicious xenophobia, and civil rights violations immigrants face, particularly in immigrant communities of African descent

“Our immigration system is broken, and I will not relent until our immigration system reflects a modern and equitable approach to this issue. Reversing the policies of the last four years is not enough. We must reimagine the immigration system in a manner that is humane, just, and fair.

“This bill is the Biden-Harris administration’s vision to fix our immigration system once and for all. The time has come for the values of our nation to be reflected in our immigration policies. I am proud to co-lead this paramount legislation,” Clarke continued.

The legislation would provide millions of hardworking, undocumented Caribbean and other immigrants a pathway to earned citizenship, including Dreamers, Temporary Protective Status (TPS) recipients and “essential workers who have made enormous sacrifices during the pandemic.”

The measure would also prioritize family reunification, keeping families together; and bolster the country’s long-term economic growth.

Additionally, the legislation would also equip the country to “responsibly and effectively manage the border with smart and effective investments”; address root causes of migration that force people to leave Central America; and restore the United States’ commitment to human rights.

Clarke said the US Citizenship Act of 2021 establishes “a moral and economic imperative and a vision of immigration reform that is expansive and inclusive.”

She said it creates an “earned roadmap” to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented Caribbean and other immigrants, providing Dreamers, TPS holders and some farmworkers with “an expedited three-year path to citizenship”, and giving all other undocumented immigrants who pass background checks and pay taxes with “an eight-year path to citizenship without fear of deportation.”

The congresswoman said the Act reforms family-based immigration system to keep families together by recapturing visas from previous years to clear backlogs, including spouses and children of green card holders as immediate family members, and increasing per-country caps for family-based immigration.

The Act also eliminates discrimination facing LGBTQ+ families, provides protections for orphans, widows and children, and allows immigrants with approved family-sponsorship petitions to join family in the US on a temporary basis while they wait for green cards to become available, Clarke said.

Additionally, she said the Act, among other things, “grows our economy by making changes to the employment-based immigration system, eliminating per-country caps, making it easier for STEM advanced degree holders from US universities to stay, improving access to green cards for workers in lower-wage industries, and giving dependents of H-1B holders work authorization, and preventing children of H-1B holders from aging out of the system.”

CMC

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NPR- A suspected oil tanker leak off the coast of Israel last week has led to Israel’s biggest maritime ecological disaster in many years, with authorities closing the country’s beaches and beginning a massive cleanup effort.

Chunks of sticky, black tar began washing up late last week. On Sunday, Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry warned people to avoid going to beaches from the country’s northern border with Lebanon all the way to the south near the Gaza Strip. Tar exposure can make people sick and irritate the skin.

More than 4,000 volunteers from the Israeli nonprofit group EcoOcean have helped remove tar from beaches so far, according to the ministry.

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority warned that the “consequences will be seen for years to come.”

Israeli environmental minister Gila Gamliel said Saturday that there are no more oil slicks visible off Israel’s coast, “which is an encouraging condition.” However the ministry warned that large waves are forecast this week. The waves could carry chunks of sticky tar from beach to beach, complicating cleanup efforts.

Israeli and European authorities are investigating what happened. Israeli officials believe a ship spilled tens or even hundreds of tons of oil in the Mediterranean, beyond the country’s territorial waters.

The spill likely happened about a week ago, when stormy weather affected the region. It’s unclear which ship or ships are responsible. Israeli authorities are working with European officials to review satellite images of ships that passed through the area.

The European Union monitors the location of oil slicks in the Mediterranean using information from a network of weather satellites. When ships release oil into the water, much of the oil pools at the surface and is carried great distances by currents. Scientists can use ocean current and weather data to reverse engineer the source of the tar that washed up along Israel’s coastline.

Gamliel said Saturday that the ministry had zeroed in on fewer than a dozen ships, and was attempting to narrow it down further in the coming days, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

The tar pollution has already affected wildlife. Volunteers rushed to rescue sea birds, turtles and fish that were covered in oily residue or had ingested oil. Israel’s National Sea Turtle Rescue Center confirmed that it was treating multiple turtles covered in tar.

One species that has ecologists particularly worried is a reef-building snail called Dendropoma petraeum. As the Mediterranean Sea heats up due to global warming, the snail’s population on the Israeli coast has plummeted. That makes the species particularly vulnerable to other ecological disasters.

Daniel Estrin contributed reporting from Jerusalem.

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Boeing 777s have been grounded around the world after the US aviation regulator announced an investigation into the United Airlines flight that suffered an engine failure on Saturday, showering debris over homes in Denver.

The aircraft’s manufacturer recommended the grounding of all 777s using the same Pratt and Whitney 4000 engines, which includes scores operating across the US, Japan and South Korea.

United had already announced that it would voluntarily and temporarily remove 24 of its planes from active service while investigations are carried out.

And following the incident, which saw the afflicted aircraft return to land safely at Denver International Airport, Japan’s transport ministry also directed Japan Airlines (JAL) and ANA Holdings to suspend the use of 777s with P&W4000 engines.

A Japanese transport ministry statement noted that on 4 December 2020, a JAL flight from Naha Airport in Japan to Tokyo International Airport returned due to a malfunction in the left engine. The Boeing 777 plane in that case was similar to the 26-year-old aircraft involved in the new United Airlines incident.

Passengers on Saturday’s flight described a large explosion shortly after take-off, and video from inside the plane showed the right engine engulfed in flames.

Later, police in Colorado released pictures that showed large pieces of plane debris on the ground outside a home and in a field, where witnesses said they were forced to run inside to take cover.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has said that an initial examination of the plane suggests most of the damage was confined to the right engine.

But the Federal Aviation Administration said that after reviewing all available safety data, a probe should be opened into all similar aircraft. “The inspection interval should be stepped up for the hollow fan blades that are unique to this model of engine, used solely on Boeing 777 airplanes,” said the agency.

Boeing said 69 such planes were in service, and recommended airlines suspend their use until the FAA inspection is complete.

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The U.S. Coast Guard rescued five men in a makeshift raft off the coast of Lake Worth.

The men said they had been at sea for 16 days after leaving Cuba, they left with hopes of seeking asylum in South Florida.

The Coast Guard picked them up about two miles off the Lake Worth Inlet.

The rescue came less than two weeks after the Coast Guard rescued three other Cuban migrants who were stranded on a deserted island in the Bahamas on their quest to reach the U.S.

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What started out as a joke with a friend has turned into an award-winning novel for Antiguan writer Rilys Adams.

Adams – who uses the pen name ‘Rilzy Adams’ – was one of 12 talented writers from across the world whose excellence in romantic fiction was recognised as among the best of 2020 by a panel of industry experts.

Adam’s earned the ‘Ripped Bodice Award’ for her book ‘Go Deep’ which has sold thousands of copies on Amazon.

Each honoree is now US$1,000 richer and has also received US$100 to donate to a charity of their choice.

The 30-year-old explained how ‘Go Deep’ – a book about a writer who enlists sexual help from her best friend to revive her inspiration – came into being seven months ago.

“My friend was like, I want a ‘friend to lovers’ book and I said, let me write you one and she thought I was joking but I did for her birthday.

“It wasn’t even the book I was meant to work on. I did it as a joke for my friend…but then it just took on a life of its own,” she explained.

Some months later, she was surprised to receive an email indicating that she had been selected as one of the winners of the Ripped Bodice Award.

Adams grew up in the village of Liberta and began writing from a young age for fun.

“I had a cousin who was really good at art and used to want to do comic books, but I cannot draw at all and my mom said to me that I don’t need to have to draw to tell a story.

“And so, the stories that I wanted to tell as a comic, I started writing them. By the time I got to State College I was writing romance novels,” Adams shared.

“I would put them in folders and circulate them; one actually became the second in a six-book series,” she explained.

Then in 2017 she published her first contemporary romance novel, ‘The Gift’.

Adams has now self-published 17 novels of the same genre; 12 set in the United States and five set in Antigua.

Of all her books, Adams revealed that ‘The Gift’ is the book that has sold and been borrowed the most, followed by ‘Will You Be Mine’ and then ‘Go Deep’. But ‘Go Deep’ is significant, she said, because it has only been out for seven months.

“Writing comes as naturally as writing can come,” Adams said as she revealed that it typically takes her about two months to complete a book.

Adams is presently working on a sequel to ‘Go Deep’ called ‘Before We Fall’ with the hope of releasing it in April.

 

 

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