Premier of Nevis Mark Brantley announced this past week that no work permits or renewal of residency will be issued, unless the applicants are vaccinated against COVID-19.
Speaking at his monthly Press conference on Wednesday, Brantley said that as a government, they have continually tried to see what they can do to tighten the safety and security of Nevisians, and have recognized that Nevis has been a very popular destination for persons seeking work, and those that are seeking to live on the island.
“The Premier’s offices handle work permits; it handles residencies. Effective May 2021, anyone seeking work permits or residency or seeking to renew their work permit or residency, will have to provide evidence that they have been vaccinated. We feel as if this is a reasonable measure to take in the circumstances,” he said.
Brantley noted that if non-nationals do not provide proof of vaccination, then documents will not be issued to them.
Read more to this article and others in this week’s Observer Newspaper
Nassau Guardian- A lesson to everyone. A man who put his name on his sister’s COVID-19 test was yesterday fined $4,000.
Chavaz Campbell pleaded guilty to possession of a forged document and uttering a forged document after he tried to travel to Abaco on the altered test result.
Police arrested Campbell at Lynden Pindling International Airport on April 24, after they noticed discrepancies in the document that was said to have been issued by the Medical Pavilion.
The lab confirmed that Campbell had not taken a COVID-19 test there.
With his ruse uncovered, Campbell told police that he had paid someone $5 on popular freelance marketplace Fiverr, to alter the negative test result that his sister had previously used to obtain a travel health visa.
Campbell told Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt that he had been required to travel to Marsh Harbour, Abaco, at short notice to photograph leaking dome houses. He claimed that he was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 after getting his final dose of the Pfizer vaccine in New York in January.
Campbell said if his travel had occurred next month, he would have been exempted from taking a PCR test, as announced by Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis recently. However, the chief magistrate said that Campbell’s alleged vaccinated status was not an issue before the court. She said he was arrested for forging a negative test and that his action could not be justified.
Shares of cruise lines including Royal Carribean were trading higher on Thursday after the Centers for Disease Control said Americans could relax and party on the high seas again as soon as this July – if they are fully vaccinated.
Cruising from U.S. ports could restart in mid-summer in American waters, the CDC said late Wednesday in a letter to the cruise industry obtained by USA Today.
“We acknowledge that cruising will never be a zero-risk activity and that the goal of the (Conditional Sailing Order)’s phased approach is to resume passenger operations in a way that mitigates the risk of COVID-19 transmission onboard cruise ships and across port communities,” Aimee Treffiletti, head of the Maritime Unit for CDC’s COVID-19 response within its Global Mitigation Task Force for COVID-19, said in the letter.
Among other things, the Conditional Sail Order requires cruise lines to establish agreements at ports where they intend to operate, implement routine testing of the crew and develop vaccination strategies.
The letter comes on the heels of a month of twice-weekly meetings with cruise industry representatives. During those meetings, the industry and the health agency discussed the Conditional Sailing Order.
In a statement about the letter, spokesperson Caitlin Shockey provided USA TODAY with a more specific timeline, saying cruises could begin passenger voyages from the U.S. as soon as mid-July, depending on cruise lines’ pace and compliance with the CDC’s proposed framework.
That was enough to prompt investors to bid up shares of cruise operators, with shares of Royal Caribbean up 2.57% at $89.72 in premarket trading on Thursday, and shares of rival Carnival up 2.3% at $28.44. Norwegian rose 2.91% at $31.11.
Last week, Goldman Sachs upgraded Norwegian Cruise Line to a buy and raised the price target on the stock amid what the firm sees as a strong post-pandemic rebound in cruising demand.
Cuba’s Health Ministry Official Francisco Duran Wednesday warned about the high spread of COVID-19 in the country, which has registered an average of 1,045 cases per day in the last month
During a televised conference, Duran urged the people to comply with the health measures imposed by the government given the COVID-19 upsurge.
In the last 24 hours, Cuba confirmed 988 new infections and ten deceased people, bringing to 104,512 the number of COVID-19 infections and 614 the number of deaths caused by the disease since March 2020.
“The country’s epidemiological scenario has worsened since we identified the circulation of more deadly strains, such as those reported in the United Kingdom (U.K.), South Africa, and California,” Duran explained.
“The mutations are causing patients to have more severe symptoms of the disease in a short period and are increasing the number of deaths,” he added.
According to the Health Ministry, over 700 children under 18 years old remain with the active virus.
In the last 15 days, 42.9 percent of the confirmed cases in Cuba are from 12 municipalities: 10 in Havana and two in the neighboring province of Matanzas.
Several United States lawmakers have sent a letter to the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken urging that Washington re-assess its policies towards Haiti.
CNW- Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory W. Meeks, and Hakeem Jeffries, Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, were among 68 legislators that wrote to Blinken regarding Haiti, where President Jovenel Moise is under tremendous pressure to step down from office.
The letter, which was also signed by every Democrat on the Western Hemisphere subcommittee, calls on the Biden administration to withhold funding for the constitutional referendum proposed by President Moïse and warns of the dangers of pushing forward with flawed elections later this year.
“Listen to the voices of Haitian civil society and grassroots organizations, who have been clear that no elections under the current administration in Haiti will be free, fair, and credible,” the letter noted.
It said “the State Department should instead focus on the underlying democratic legitimacy issues identified by Haiti’s civil society and support a Haiti-led process for change
“Elections held without meeting internationally accepted standards for participation and legitimacy will only further undermine faith in democratic governance, waste scarce resources and perpetuate a cycle of political instability and violence.”
The US legislators said that they were forced to write Blinken to “express our serious and urgent concerns regarding the quickly deteriorating situation in Haiti.”
They said while they appreciated “your personal engagement with Haiti, and the State Department’s recent criticism of some of the unconstitutional actions by the administration of President Jovenel Moïse, we believe it is past time for a more significant review of U.S. policy in Haiti. We look forward to working with you to make this a reality”.
The legislators said that they were encouraging the Biden administration to “support the sovereignty of the U.S.’s oldest neighbour in the hemisphere by reaffirming the U.S. commitment to the principles of democracy and rule of law.
“The Biden Administration inherited a multifaceted crisis (constitutional, human rights, economic, social) that the actions of the previous administration exacerbated. However, we must also recognize that the crisis of today did not start yesterday.
“For decades, the international community has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to help Haiti achieve political stability and a representative democracy. In order to move forward more productively, we must acknowledge that these efforts have failed to achieve their desired results, and that continuing along the same path will only exacerbate the situation.”
They said that nationwide unrest and political turmoil have increased significantly since 2018 and have brought about severe instability and political violence.
The lengthy letter said that parliamentary, local, and presidential elections set for later this year “could increase the risk of violence throughout the country significantly.”
But they said that “despite this alarming situation, the State Department has been insistent, both in public and in private briefings with members, that elections – now scheduled for later this year – are the only path forward.
“While elections will clearly be needed in the near future to restore democratic order, we remain deeply concerned that any electoral process held under the current administration will fail to be free, fair, or credible and that continued U.S. insistence on elections at all costs will only make this outcome more likely. President Barack Obama’s former Ambassador to Haiti, Pamela White, made clear during her testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Committee in March that legitimate elections are not possible in the current context. Witnesses from Haitian civil society agreed strenuously,” they wrote.
They said considering these factors, “we urge the State Department to: make clear that the U.S. will not provide any support, financial or technical, to facilitate the proposed constitutional referendum, including through multilateral institutions”.
Earlier this month, Washington said it was looking forward to working with the new Prime Minister of Haiti, Claude Joseph, who has pledged to continue efforts for the staging of the referendum and the organization of new elections in the country.
President Joe Biden declared that “America is rising anew” as he called for an expansion of federal programs to drive the economy past the pandemic and broadly extend the social safety net on a scale not seen in decades. Biden’s nationally televised address to Congress, his first, raised the stakes for his ability to sell his plans to voters of both parties, even if Republican lawmakers prove resistant.
India set another global record in new virus cases with 375,000 people infected, for a total of more than 18.3 million cases, behind only the United States.
An AP investigation finds that Ethiopia has swept thousands of ethnic Tigrayans into detention centers across the country on accusations that they are traitors, often holding them for months and without charges, as the government enters its sixth month of fighting in the Tigray region.
China launches the main part of its first permanent space station.
Also this morning:
Catholic bishops may press Biden to stop taking communion
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden declared that “America is rising anew” as he called for an expansion of federal programs to drive the economy past the pandemic and broadly extend the social safety net on a scale not seen in decades. Biden’s…Read More
NEW DELHI (AP) — India set another global record in new virus cases Thursday, with another 375,000 people infected, as the country gears up to open its vaccination rollout to all adults Saturday. It now has reported more than 18.3 million cases,…Read More
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Tim Scott credited former President Donald Trump and Republicans on Wednesday with creating “a joyful springtime for our nation,” using his party’s official response to President Joe Biden’s first address to Congress to say…Read More
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopia has swept up thousands of ethnic Tigrayans into detention centers across the country on accusations that they are traitors, often holding them for months and without charges, the AP has found. The detentions, mainly…Read More
BEIJING (AP) — China on Thursday launched the core module for its first permanent space station that will host astronauts long-term. The Tianhe, or “Heavenly Harmony,” module blasted into space atop a Long March 5B rocket from the Wenchang Launc…Read More
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is using his first address before a joint session of Congress to make the case that his administration has made progress during …Read More
NEW YORK (AP) — Federal investigators have executed a search warrant at the Manhattan home of former President Donald Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani, a law enforcement o…Read More
When U.S. Catholic bishops hold their next national meeting in June, they’ll be deciding whether to send a tougher-than-ever message to President Joe Biden and other Cat…Read More
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At least 21 people were killed and more than 30 injured as a result of a road accident in Haiti between two buses loaded with passengers.
The accident happened when a minibus trying to overtake another vehicle collided head-on with a bus coming from the opposite direction, according to Haitian officials.
The accident was in central Haiti, about 50 kilometers northwest of the capital city of Port-au-Prince. The injured were transferred to nearby hospitals. At least 21 people died on the spot.
According to preliminary information, the accident took place due to the fact that the driver of one of the buses could not complete overtaking in the oncoming lane.
The wounded were transferred to hospitals in the Arcahaie region, by rescue teams from the civil protection and the Red Cross.
According to testimonies collected by civil protection, a minibus trying to overtake collided head-on with a bus coming from the opposite direction.
The minibus traveled between Port-au-Prince and Saint-Marc, while the other public transport vehicle traveled between Gonaïves and Port-au-Prince.
The Arcahaie municipal committee has activated a crisis unit for further interventions.
(CNN) The coronavirus’s uncontrolled spread through the Americas accounted for a major part of all global Covid-19 deaths last week, according to Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa Etienne.
“One in four Covid deaths reported worldwide last week took place right here, in the Americas,” she said at a virtual press conference on Wednesday. “Nearly every country in Central America is reporting a rise in infections.”
Canada’s infection rates have surpassed the US infection rates for the first time, Etienne also said.
New coronavirus variants are helping drive the surge in infections across the region, while slow vaccination rollouts — due in part to lack of vaccine availability — pose additional setbacks for a number of countries in the Americas. The robust US vaccination campaign has been an exception.
Across South and Central America, many health systems are struggling to cope with the influx of patients, and are increasingly seeing younger patents, she said, noting that hospitalizations are “at an all-time high” in Costa Rica; Guatemala’s hospitals have reached maximum capacity; and hospitals in several major Colombian cities are running out of intensive care beds.
Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Uruguay are also reporting rising infections.
As of this week, more than 317 million vaccine doses have been administered across 49 countries and territories in the region, according to Etienne. Nearly 7 million of those were purchased via COVAX, the vaccine distribution facility backed by the World Health Organization and the Vaccine Alliance known as GAVI.
Countries should receive their second COVAX shipments in the next few weeks, she said.
Reuters- Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said on Wednesday that eight soldiers were killed in combat amid continuing clashes between the armed forces and illegal armed groups along the border with Colombia.
In a brief post on the ministry’s website, Padrino listed the names of the eight soldiers, without providing details about how they died. On Monday, Padrino said Venezuela’s armed forces had suffered deaths and injuries in fighting along the border in the prior 72 hours, but did not specify how many had died.
Earlier on Wednesday, Army Commander General Domingo Hernandez wrote on Twitter that four sergeants were killed on the battlefield while fighting “in defense of the fatherland,” without elaborating when, where or under what circumstances they died. Those four were also included on Padrino’s list.
Venezuela’s information ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Fighting began in the border areas of western Apure state in late March, prompting thousands of civilians to flee into Colombia, according to rights groups.
Authorities have not specified which groups they are battling, but opponents have long accused Maduro of harboring members of Colombian guerrilla groups including the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who disavowed a 2016 peace deal.
Representatives of the Catholic Church recovered the corpses of some of the dead soldiers, according to opposition activist Walter Marquez and another source who asked not to be identified. The Episcopal Conference of Venezuela did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Brazil is on the verge of registering 400,000 coronavirus deaths this week, after the Health Ministry on Wednesday reported 3,163 new COVID-19 deaths in 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 398,185.
Brazil is quickly catching up with the world’s worst death toll in the United States, which has seen more than 570,000 casualties in total but less than a thousand deaths per day in recent weeks.
Brazil’s COVID-19 crisis has spiraled out of control in recent months, with patchy restrictions on circulation and a highly contagious new virus variant driving infections.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain, has drawn harsh criticism for playing down the dangers of the virus, shunning masks and pushing unproven remedies.
Younger Brazilians are increasingly being affected by COVID-19, with those in their 20s showing the greatest increase in deaths so far this year, according to a report published by government biomedical institute Fiocruz last week. read more
Brazil’s Health Ministry also reported on Wednesday 79,726 new confirmed coronavirus cases, which now total 14,521,289.
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Brazil to receive 1 million Pfizer vaccine doses, health minister says
Reuters
A vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine is seen on a table at Ankara City Hospital in Ankara, Turkey, April 2, 2021. REUTERS/Cagla Gurdogan/File Photo
Brazil’s Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said the country would receive 1 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday, as supplies of immunizations dwindle and risk further delaying an already slow rollout.
Over the weekend, the health ministry announced that 30% fewer vaccines had been received between January and April than expected. Queiroga said the Covax facility, an international cooperation to assist countries secure vaccines, had moved up the expected delivery of 2 million doses to May.
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