 Welcome to NTN Nightly, I am General Norvel, this edition's top story. Testing equipment for COVID-19 to arrive on island, the Department of Health and Wellness urges parents to prevent the spread of germs among children and celebrating the numerous attributes of womanhood. All that plus the latest in youth development and sports and the NTN novel of Quixote. The government of St. Lucia through the Department of Health and Wellness is continuing to strengthen preparation for in-country transmission and management of COVID-19. The department is building diagnostic capacity for testing for coronavirus. Currently, all testing for COVID-19 is done at the Caribbean Public Health Agency, CARFA, which is the regional reference laboratory for the Caribbean. Specimens from suspected cases are transported to the Ezra Long Laboratory at the Victoria Hospital for Onward Transport to CARFA. However, the procurement of testing equipment will change all that. National epidemiologist Dr. Michelle Forswa explains. Being cognizant of the international spread of COVID-19 and with the endorsement of the Honourable Prime Minister, Alan Shastney, the Department of Health and Wellness has sourced equipment to facilitate COVID-19 testing on Ireland. This equipment has already been shipped and it is expected to enhance the management of cases through timely diagnosis. The ports of entry, both air and seaports, will be receiving additional public health staff to enforce the relevant regulations and protocols and to ensure the health of the St. Lucia public. The Department of Health and Wellness notes that COVID-19 is closer to our borders with the confirmation of imported COVID-19 cases in the Caribbean islands of the Dominican Republic, which has one case, St. Martin II, St. Bafelmi I, and recently Martinic II. Dr. Forswa is encouraging St. Lucia to avoid panic rather to focus on preparation. The public is asked to continue practicing the standard recommendations to prevent the spread of infections. These include regular hand washing with soap and running water or the use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Cover your mouth and nose with disposable tissues or clothing when coughing and sneezing. Avoid close contact with anyone showing signs and symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing or sneezing. Seek medical attention and share your travel history with your healthcare provider if you have signs and symptoms that are suggestive of a respiratory illness. National epidemiologist Dr. Michelle Forswa Meanwhile, the Caribbean Public Health Agency CARFA has upgraded the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to the Caribbean region to very high. The revised risk level is based on international risk assessment guidelines. Multiple countries outside the original epicenter of Wuhan City are reporting an increasing number of confirmed cases. Significantly more new cases are being reported from countries outside of China than there are new cases in China. These recent situations are clearly of concern and CARFA member states are strongly urged to increase their surveillance mechanisms and to be ready to implement the national pandemic preparedness plans which have been modified to address COVID-19. Dr. Joyce St. John is CARFA's executive director. CARFA's decision is also informed by reports of COVID-19 cases in non-English-speaking Caribbean countries in close proximity to CARFA member states. Another factor is sustained transmission of the disease in countries with direct flights into the Caribbean region. The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus. Simple everyday preventive actions can help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses. Maintain at least one meter or three feet distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. Wash hands regularly. Using soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand rub if your hands are not visibly dirty. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth and especially after touching contaminated surfaces or sick people. If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early and share previous travel history with your relevant healthcare provider. Given that the social behaviors of children tend to place them at greater risk of some infectious conditions like the cold, flu and coronavirus, parents and guardians are being called on to take the necessary precautionary measures to prevent the spread of germs among this age group. More in this report from Fernelle Neptune. As the Department of Health and Wellness continues to prepare for the threat of the coronavirus, parents and guardians are being provided with guidance on ways to reduce a child's risk of infection. Director of the Bureau of Health Education Natasha Lloyd-Philix encouraged parents to ensure their children practice good hygiene in order to prevent the spread of germs. We are encouraging that parents have their children wash their hands thoroughly from home so that when they are in school environments, environments of play or in another place where the parent may not be present, that habit has already been developed. Parents, we ask you please, when your children are at home, model hand washing. You need to show your child how to hand wash by you doing it yourself. What we have noted to be an area of importance is the duration that is given for hand washing. One way of helping your child is by singing the alphabet song to your child. That actually gives the period of 20 seconds that is required to have enough time to thoroughly hand wash. Ensure your child gets the palms covered, ensure your child is able to go between the fingers, under the nails, the back of the hands to allow for thorough hand washing. Lloyd-Philix also spoke on the best approach for infection prevention in schools. If by chance you notice your child is unwell, we are now in the flu season, the cold season, we ask you to keep your child at home as a way of protecting both your child and other children at school because by being in the presence of others, the chances of spreading disease, spreading germs, spreading the infection increases. We note that sometimes parents feel that they have no place to place their child, but we ask you please to consider a plan that in the event your child were to become ill, it may not necessarily be from Corona if it was present in St. Lucia, it may be the flu, that that child can be safely placed there to avoid him or her being in a school environment. Principles and teachers of schools around the island are encouraged to ensure that hands sanitizers are readily available and also classroom surfaces are cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis. Reporting from the Communications Unit of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, I am Fennel Neptune. This is NTN Nightly, Rhino Bryan is up next. I'm innovative. I'm competitive. I am productive. I'm creative. I constantly improve what I do. And how I do it. I provide excellent customers to visit. I never stop learning. I give all my best, always. The National Competitiveness and Productivity Council embracing excellence. Welcome back. We join Rhino Bryan for the latest happenings in youth development and sports. Thanks, Janelle. I'm Rhino Bryan and welcome once again to your update from the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports on the NTN Nightly News. Shriezel Secondry defeated Granny Vera Secondry by 121 runs as the Mass United Insurance School's cricket tournament continued last weekend. Batting first, Shriezel Secondry got to 204 all-out in 34 overs with Ed Cooper, top scorer in the 65, and he was well supported by Tristan Norbal with 32 and Chevron Brown 31. For Granny Vera, Zante Alberti back 4 for 42, and Neely Manibur 3441 and Mayor Stanislas 2 for 30. Granny Vera then applied for Poultry 83 in 23.3 overs. Shem Kamabat, top scorer of 12, Joe Joseph picked up four wickets for 12 runs, Sky Lafay 2 for 15, and Ajani Louis 2 for 20. That game completed the preliminary round of matches in the competition. In Group A, Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, Niko Secondry and Shriezel Secondry were equal on 12 points, Antipo Secondry had four, and Granny Vera had no points having lost all their games. In Group B, Tenoche Sports Academy topped the group with 16 points, winning their four matches, followed by Souffre Comprehensive with 12 points. 3-4 Comprehensive was third in a group, after collecting 8 points, PI Secondry 4-4 points, and Clinton Mason 5th without any points. Group C saw Castery's Comprehensive Secondry at top with 14 points, followed by St. Mary's College with 10 points, Barbara No Secondry finished on 8 points, particularly James 4, and John Odlem no points. Group D was dominated by Leon Head Secondry with 10 points, followed by Cardin Secondry 8 points, Sir Iro Simmons finished third in a group with 6 points, and Cicero Secondry had no points having lost all their games. Quarter-finals matchups were scheduled for Monday, Sir Arthur Lewis Community College taking on Souffre Comprehensive, Tenoche Sports Academy came up against St. Mary's College, Castery's Comprehensive with Bartholomew Corrin Secondry, and Leon Head's Comprehensive tackled Michael Secondry. In the school's track and field championships on this week, the Northern Qualifiers set for Tuesday and Wednesday, March 10th and 11th at the Darren-Sami Cricket Ground. The Southern Qualifiers on Thursday, March 12th and Friday, March 13th. The Viewport Stadium will be the venue and the semi-finals schedule for March 18th at the Darren-Sami Cricket Ground with the finals on Friday, March 20th also at the Darren-Sami Cricket Ground. And with that, we have come to the end of your segment for the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports for today. I'm Ryan O'Brien. Thanks, Ryan. St. Lucia on March 8 joined the rest of the world in celebrating International Women's Day. Ahead of the observance, a number of government ministries and agencies hosted staff activities recognizing the contribution of women to society. Anisia Antoine reports on an event spearheaded by the Ministry of Tourism, Information and Broadcasting, Culture and Creative Industries. In commemoration of International Women's Day, the Ministry of Tourism, Information and Broadcasting, Culture and Creative Industries hosted a retreat to celebrate the women within the Ministry. The retreat held under the theme to be female or to be woman highlighted the issues faced by women and the important role women play in society. Minister with responsibility for Culture and Creative Industries, Senator Honorable Fortuna Bell-Rose, stressed on the importance of these team-building exercises in achieving success. This opportunity there for the women of the department to engage, to interact, to share some thoughts with each other, I think it's so opportune, you know, it's consistent with our government's intention to continue to build that new St. Lucia where people are free to ventilate, to express their views, share it in team-setting, evaluate themselves and see exactly where they are. These are the plans of the agency that they work. So this is a wonderful working session for us. It seemed light, but I think the important thing is we get to know each other better in that environment and of course we're looking at the strengths of each other and what we all bring to the table with respect to the development of our agency. Minister Bell-Rose encouraged all women to find their passion. If you can find your passion and develop yourself around that passion that you have, then it means a lot for the country and also for yourself as an individual. So the object is to be able to find that passion, to learn to discover ourselves and who we are, understand that we, as human beings, we have our limitations, but we can always grow and learn from the environment that we are in and from those who are better than us. I think it's also important for us to literally prepare ourselves, you know, every day, you know, for the encounters that we will have and also leave ourselves open to absorbing and learning and growing, you know, as individuals. And the key to, of course, in all our passion and everything else, we need to be able to enjoy what we do and respect each other, you know, in the work that we're doing as we go about our daily lives. The day of activities included pedicures, hand and shoulder massages, as well as a make-up class. Samantha Charles, tourism officer at the Ministry of Tourism, expressed her gratitude to the heads of the department for organizing such an initiative. This is a welcomed initiative. I could speak for my colleagues. It is very heartwarming to know that, you know, your management team, your heads of department take the time out to show appreciation to you, you know, for, you know, your service and hard work throughout the months, the years. So my colleagues and I really appreciated this year and not just because it's World International Women's Day around the corner, but I think it was a genuine effort on their part. The International Women's Day retreat took place on Friday, March 6th, 2020 at the Pink Plantation House. From the Government Information Service, I am Anistia Antoine reporting. There with Antia Knightley up next, Primers Hutchinson is here with the Antia Nobel of Rio. Keeping hands clean is important for good health. However, after a disaster staying clean is hard to do, especially if there is no pipe or water. Simple things you can do to stay clean and remain healthy are wash your hands with soap and clean water. If these are not available, sanitizers with alcohol are options. Wash your hands many times during the day before preparing food, eating, caring for a sick person or baby, treating a cut wound or sore. Wash hands after using the bathroom, changing diapers, caring for animals, caring for sick or injured persons after handling garbage. Washing your hands is one of the best ways to prevent illness. For further information, contact the Bureau of Health Education at telephone number 460-5349. Welcome back. We join Primers Hutchinson for the Antia Nobel of Rio. This government has built a healthy path that continues to reinforce the preparation with the help of management to keep COVID-19 in place in the country. It has built a capacity to conduct the examination to test for COVID-19. In fact, all the tests done by the public health agency in Kauai-Bla, including the Lyon-Ki laboratory in Kauai-Bla, Piesca Maladi Salah, Department of Transmortem for the Israeli-Yong laboratory at the Victorian Hospital, to open a coffee lab. But as a government, I bought these equipment to conduct these tests. All of this has to be changed. Dr. Michel François has explained who the health department is. The government is sitting here in the direction of Prime Minister Alain Chastney. I have addressed this situation very quickly. Excellent, Dr. François. The equipment is ready to be used to conduct all the tests necessary for the disease. The health department is taking COVID-19 more closely to the country. For example, as I mentioned earlier in the Dominican Republic, it is necessary to have a safe and healthy life with a safe and healthy life with a safe and healthy life. Dr. François has encouraged to use this equipment not only for your health but also for the health of people. I encourage people to use it as a health service and never forget this. I also encourage people to use this equipment and not only that, to have a safe and healthy life. The health department is treating this continuously and rather than having questions. Dr. François has to eat a chicken that is cooked and can be eaten right away. The original security system, RSS, in collaboration with the European Development Fund, I have presented the amount of equipment that is necessary to conduct investigations of crimes against organizations in these regional countries. The amount of equipment is necessary for the officers who are forced to pay, for example, the police to pay themselves. This is a contribution to criminal cases, to go to the office of criminal cases to help improve the way to act in criminal situations in these countries, to also increase the evidence of crimes and, more often, to the officers who have conducted criminal investigations to conduct criminal investigations easily. Milton Desi, who has been in police custody for a while, has said that the officers who have been in police custody are the first to conduct criminal investigations. This is what the police Desi said. Police officers are the first to conduct criminal investigations to also improve the capacity to conduct investigations. And I have said that the police officers will continue to use these benefits for the RSS. I have said that the officers who have been in police custody will continue to assist the officers who have conducted criminal investigations and links to the battle against crime, particularly those who have conducted investigations because of the accident, and because of the lack of help. The objective of this program is to increase the capacity of the police officers to develop as fast as possible to conduct criminal investigations in the RSS and to try to strengthen the capacity of the officers who have been forced to pay themselves. Particularly those who have been in police custody and who have been in the business of drug trafficking. This RSS team has been able to estimate a total of $67,000 from the executive director of the RSS, Graham Archer. We thank the police officers and the program and mainly the team. The Ministry of National Security and the French Government. We thank the RSS organization and the European Union to assist the officers who have conducted criminal investigations in the RSS. This is the equipment that can be used to find evidence just to tell the people who have been in the police custody and all the information necessary to talk about criminal investigations. The police officers will continue to build capacity to serve Syas Forensik, which will be used to effectively find out who he is. This will be done by the Hotel Sanders Regency and the talk, which will be done by the fourth and the world mass. The Ministry of National Security, the name is Helmengeld Francis. I have declared that I am going to use the public money that has been given to the public to find out who the person is. The Minister of Justice explained that it is not possible to use the money because there is no company concerned with criminal investigations. But please, don't act, don't act and don't kill the people. This is the most possible way to prevent criminal investigations. The Minister of Justice explained that the company needs to do something to help people who are in prison to find a lot of chances to reform their lives. He added that even if there are people who continue to do criminal investigations, there are also people who really want to change their lives. The Minister of Justice said that I have made a call, a call to the front, and he said that he would like to assist recently the fourth conference of the officers who know the institution of prison and the work of the prison organization. The Minister of Justice said that after this conference, I think that this meeting was going well, like the previous meeting, and I think that the next meeting was going to be about prison and reformation. He said that there is a way to develop the reformation program for rehabilitation and the way to establish a social life for prisoners who are in prison. After this conference, after all these years, to find a solution to the problem of prison, in a different way, there is no prison needed for rehabilitation and social rehabilitation. The first capacity for the officers in prison is to fight corruption and torture, the youth who are in prison, but also for the officers in prison. After this conference, after this conference, the Minister of Justice and the Director of the Prison Facility, Baudelaire Hillary Urban. And that's it. Thank you very much, Madam. Thank you very much. Thank you very much for your invitation. I would like to consider, because I would like the next visit to a lot of people who are in prison, I would like to see the next visit to Chanel. Merci, Apil Primus. Here's a look at what's happening to us weather-wise. The skies are fair, becoming cloudy at times with a few showers. The Atlantic high-pressure system will generate moderate to brisk easterly winds and influence rough sea conditions across the eastern Caribbean region during the next few days. Patches of low-level clouds moving with the wind flow will cause a brief shower period over the island during the next 24 hours. Tides for Cassie's Harbor will high at 3.45pm and low at 9.50pm. The Tides for V4 Bay will high at 4.52pm and will be low at 11.17pm. The seas moderate to locally rough with waves 5 to 7 feet or 1.5 to 2.1 meters. Small craft operators and sea bathers are advised to exercise caution due to above-normal seas. The sun will rise Tuesday at 6.14am. That brings us to the end of NTN Nightly. Join us next time at 7pm with a repeat at 7am. You can also catch up with us anytime on the St. Lucia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I am Janelle Norvell.