 Welcome to NTN Nightly, I am Genelle Norvell, this edition's Doc Stories. St. Lucia's tourism industry shows strong signs of rebound, agricultural extension officers receive training on hoop greenhouses, and the Government of Canada provides support for COVID-19 vaccination in the Caribbean. The Ministry of Tourism has been working alongside stakeholders in preparing the national tourism product for business as vaccination against COVID-19 ramps up in key source markets. Tourism Minister Hon. Dominic Fede says while some 7,000 industry employees have returned to work since COVID-19 hit, there are thousands more waiting to return. Based on developments in the marketplace, Minister Fede says there is every reason to believe that St. Lucia's sector is well on its way to rebounding. Hon. Mark reports. St. Lucia is gearing up for an exciting summer signaled by the Witsentide weekend, an unofficial start to the summer for St. Lucia, with British carrier UTI's return to the destination. The weekend also brought more optimism that St. Lucia's tourism sector will continue along a steady trajectory, with the official reopening of several accommodation providers including Body Holiday St. Lucia, Eastwinds and Royal Turn Resorts and the welcoming of some 2,300 visitors to the destination. Increased airlift during the summer from St. Lucia's main source markets has increased occupancy levels for several accommodation providers, which is vital for the continued revival of the tourism sector. Doreen Georges is the St. Lucia Tourism Authority's public relations manager. Several accommodation providers are reporting increased levels of occupancy during the summer and internationally they're added gateways to St. Lucia that will open up as of the 5th of June. And so we will see the introduction of an inaugural service from Dallas and the return of American Airlines service from New York after more than a decade. Also on July 1st, we will welcome JetBlue from New Jersey and so these are all part of the excitement that we're building up for this summer and thereafter we expect international markets including Canada to open up in the weeks ahead. Minister for Tourism, Information and Broadcasting, Culture and Creative Industries Hon. Dominic Fady stated that he is happy that the tourism sector is on a rebound which can only augur well for more jobs, business linkages and more revenue. He expressed optimism about the start of what is projecting to be an exciting summer which means that hundreds more tourism employees will likely return to work noting that several taxi drivers, tour guides, vendors and others have been disadvantaged amid the pandemic. The SLTA has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the successful rebound of the tourism sector and the return of the industry workers to gainful employment. We are very happy to see that tourism is pretty much on the rebound and this augurs well for more jobs, our business linkages and more revenue. We are also optimistic that the summer is projecting to be very exciting and that means a lot more of the tourism employees can return to work. We note that several have been disadvantaged amid the pandemic and together we want to ensure that we can restore St. Lucia's tourism product and so the SLTA continues with its marketing efforts in terms of ensuring that St. Lucia is highlighted and really done so strategically within its source markets and we just hosted our Global Virtual Roadshow and right now we're focusing on the Virtual North American Roadshow really engaging with our targeted audience. We also just participated in a recent CHD Caribbean Travel Market Place 39 and we're looking forward to reaping the benefits for the destination from these engagements. The St. Lucia Tourism Authority continues to place special focus on key areas within major source markets of the USA, UK, Canada, the Caribbean and Asia in reaping fruitful benefits for the destination. Meanwhile Prime Minister the Honourable Alan Chastney says the impact of the United Kingdom's categorising of St. Lucia as a holiday destination for the British is still left to be felt. To replace its blanket ban on foreign leisure trips, the UK government decided to sort countries into three categories, green, amber or red, depending on a range of factors including the proportion of the country's population that has been vaccinated, rates of infection and emerging variants. St. Lucia is among many Caribbean islands as well as the United States on the United Kingdom's amber list for travel. Prime Minister Chastney says the full implication of the restriction has not yet been determined. None of the countries in the Caribbean were able to make it onto the green list and even the United States was put into amber. I'm waiting to see over the next couple of weeks how that works out. British Airways did reduce the number of flights from four to two. I've been speaking to many of the hoteliers. They have not seen significant cancellations as yet, but they're also not receiving a lot of new bookings. So I think everybody's waiting to see how the system works and whether in fact the British citizens gain confidence in going into an amber destination. People arriving from amber list countries are required to quarantine for 10 days at home on their return, whereas people arriving from green list countries are not required to quarantine, but they must book and pay for a mandatory PCR test on or before the two of their return. The most restrictive protocol is for people arriving from red list countries. They are required to quarantine for a full 10 days on arrival in the U.K. at a designated U.K. port in a government managed facility at their own cost, starting from 1,750 pounds per person. Honorable Shasne says the concern lies in the insurability of travelers to amber and red destinations. If a person goes to a green light, the insurance companies seem to have said, yes, we will cover you. If you go to an amber, it's still questionable as to whether the insurance companies are going to cover you or not, and certainly if you go to a red, my understanding is the insurance companies will not cover you. Prime Minister Shasne however noted that consumers will ultimately make their decision on whether to travel to red or amber list destinations. When the United Kingdom earlier in the year tried to restrict people from traveling from zones in the U.K., we did not see any change. The United States, even though almost all the Caribbean islands are in category 4 of the CDC, the American Airlines' low factor to submersion for the month of May was 93%. When I traveled up on the flight, there was one empty seat. When I came back on the flight, there was no empty seats. And we continued to see that trend grow from day to day. So the consumers ultimately are going to make the decision. We have to wait a little bit to see how the consumers react to these new protocols that the U.K. government has put in. And I think that that's how I envision it. There's a protocol for green, a protocol for amber, and a protocol for red. Let's see how the public reacts to it. We'll know better in a couple of weeks. Prime Minister the Honourable Alan Sharsney. A new collaboration between the Government of Canada and the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO, is being launched to improve the health and protection of populations in situations of high vulnerability due to COVID-19. To meet this target, Canada is contributing Canadian $50 million in support of PAHO's critical work in the Caribbean and Latin America towards readiness and access to COVID-19 vaccines for at-risk women, migrants, refugees, transient persons, indigenous and vulnerable populations in areas where health conditions are typically precarious. Dr. Carissa Atien, Director of PAHO, says the collaboration was born with the common vision that COVID-19 vaccines should not be a privilege but a right for every person, regardless of their ethnicity, economic condition, gender, migratory status or whether they reside in a city or rural area. The Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the Taiwan Technical Mission have concluded a training seminar on hoop greenhouses for agricultural extension officers. We get the details in this report. The Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the Taiwan Technical Mission under the Seven Crops Project have organized several initiatives, all geared towards reducing St. Lucia's food import bill. The most recent initiative being a training session for agricultural extension officers on a newly introduced agricultural technology, hoop greenhouses. Project coordinator of the Seven Crops Project, Adli Nudovic, noted that the newly introduced technology will be of great benefit to St. Lucia farmers. We did one year of trials with the hoop greenhouses. That's what we're talking about, what we're seeing here today. And we observed that it was very encouraging. The quality and the quantity of the fruit was way better under the hoop greenhouses throughout. So we tried it in all the regions throughout the island in several different microclimates and out of that, we realized that we did have some issues. Like anything, it's a new technology to our environment. So that is what you call adoption. So we adopted the technology wholesale as it was in Taiwan. And after that first year of trial, we realized that we have to tweak it a bit. So today we are here to show the extension officers the necessary adjustment that we have seen fit. Production specialist of the Taiwan Technical Mission, Eric Chen, explained that the changes made will boast productivity of the hoop greenhouses as they are tailored to the climate of St. Lucia. According to the research last year, since we had the whole year-round trial last year from the dry season to the rainy season, we found that the growth rate, in terms of the growth rate and the pest control and the sweeteners and the quality of the fruits is exceeded in the open field. So we import this technology to the farmers easily produced fruits, especially candelab in the rainy season. Ambassador of the Republic of China Taiwan to St. Lucia, His Excellency Peter Shen, expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the Seven Clubs project. Yeah, I'm so glad that I came today and see so many extension officers come to learn how to adjust the technology we import before. It's a hoop greenhouse, and I think what we will try to do is to cooperate with the agricultural ministry to promote food and nutrition security in St. Lucia. And this technology will help a lot for St. Lucia, especially when it comes to climate change. This hoop greenhouse will also become a very good measure to enhance the resilience of the climate change. A cohort of individuals will be trained in the installation of the hoop greenhouses. The prices of the hoop greenhouses are expected to start at $350. From the communications unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. Some 300 Caribbean health professionals and over 40 regional organizations have publicly voiced support for front-of-package warning labels to help consumers across the region protect their health. The health professionals and organizations are signatories to a month-long campaign spearheaded by the Healthy Caribbean Coalition. Voting is currently underway across the region on the adoption of the final draft Caricum Regional Standard, which contains specifications for package warning labels to be placed on food products high in sugars, sodium and fats, according to thresholds outlined by the PAHO nutrient profile model. The St. Lucia Cancer Society is among regional organizations supporting the package warning labels. President Dr. Tamara Remy says these nutrients are of great public health concern, as excess consumption is linked to obesity and non-communicable diseases, which are a significant burden to the people and economy of the Caribbean. NCDs such as Diabetes, Cancer and Hypertension are the leading causes of mortality, mobility and disability in the Caribbean region, representing 78% of all deaths and 76% of all premature deaths. Additionally, rates of overweight and obesity in the region are among the highest in the world and most worrying among children where one out of every three Caribbean children is overweight or obese. Please go to www.healthycaribbean.org voting on the standard ends on May 31, 2021. The Carricum Secretariat has launched a remote learning initiative on regional integration and the CSME. Heads to San King English Francis with more. High school students from Belize and Guyana have participated in the first leg of a merged online class on regional integration and the Carricum Single Market and Economy. Sessions held recently saw teachers from Guyana teaching students from the Ladyville Technical High School and the Sacred Heart College in Belize, and teachers from Belize teaching students from Queens College in Guyana. Speaking during the virtual launch of the initiative on May 10, Dr. Lauren Bristol, Program Manager for Human Resource Development at the Carricum Secretariat, said the objective of the initiative is to enhance the implementation of the Carricum Single Market and Economy by making the youth a key stakeholder more aware of the region and its possibilities. This is NTN Nightly. Up next, Primers Hutchinson with the NTN Nouvelle Aquial. Modified foods are harmful to health and the environment. Join the Good Food Revolution. Grow, buy and consume organic. A message from Rye St. Lucia and the Ministry of Sustainable Development with funding from the GEF Small Grants Program, UNDP. Welcome back. We join Primers Hutchinson for the NTN Nouvelle Aquial. Mr. Médard, I'm from the University of Sable to inform you of this government. It's called GIS. It's a national television in the NTN Nouvelle in the Aquial. It's called Primers Hutchinson. With this government, I've made it possible to facilitate finance, to assist this business, which I've been doing during the COVID-19 pandemic. I've started to make available money for the sector and the business to help the health and well-being of the coronavirus. To assist this business, it's the government's initiative to offer programs for the resilience of economic support. The government established this program in July 2020. We have a special arrangement to make it possible for the small business to have a special facility in the West Coast to assist this business and the health and well-being of the coronavirus. This is particularly what can be affected by the coronavirus and the climate change. We have 2.6 million dollars available for the sector and the business to help the health and well-being of the health and well-being of the coronavirus. We have a special arrangement to provide the economic support for the health and well-being of the coronavirus. The government established this program to assist the business to help the health and well-being of the coronavirus. We have 2.6 million dollars available for the sector and the business to help the health and well-being of the coronavirus. We have a special arrangement to assist the business We also have a lot of people. We have a lot of development, like SLDB, and we have a lot of money. We have a lot of assistance for the people to come to reality. We have a lot of people who need it in a big way to live with the agricultural and movement movement. A lot of business, that's bamboo springs that run in the natural water and that leads to the Martin Weeks. We have a lot of fights and they cause the situation in the street, and the way that COVID-19 is going to be gone, it will be 7% more for the children. But SLDB is still going to lose the cap for one support, under the financial assistance program that the government has never been in place to help them live in their feet. The government has also offered technical support and good advice for this business to live in operation easily. The government is here to continue the commitment to improve the whole life of SLDB. As a consequence, the government has made it possible for SLDB to find an opportunity to help the people who need it. I have several projects for development, with Bati Kai, the last one that started this project, with the development of Kai at Alven in Barbano. The National Cooperation for Kai Construction, NHC. I have declared that the development of Kai at Alven will help solve the situation for the people who need it, and the people who need it to find an opportunity for the people who need it to help them. The first phase of the project is the 9th phase of the 9th phase of the 9th phase of the 9th phase of the 9th phase of the 9th phase of the 9th phase of the 9th phase of the old times of the 9th phase of the new generation of the boy group called the Mangal team. At Mangal, Yung Ha's Own Community Centre, Yung Kaio, why did theывать load up in the Domain start construction company limited that's a Peter Felicien. Explain to me that the company is selling pepsi here, it's an opportunity for us to buy kaiyo, but it's a company that is doing a lot of necessities. We produce a lot, we look for approval, we also buy all the kaiyo themselves, it's a lot of necessities that can be sold for kaiyo kaiju and peiyo, so we are a group that is doing a lot of development here and we are doing a lot of work and we are doing a lot of projects here. We have a lot of responsibilities for agriculture, peche, co-operative and natural resources for this government, and also for the people who are working here. Joseph, explain to me that for the people who are working here, for the people who are It is not obligatory to go back to development. I have to go to work for NSC, I have to go to the UN, I have to pay $200 to take care of 600 people for a total of $25,000. According to Representative Ezekiel Joseph, I have to go to the UN and I have to go to the UN and I have to pay $6,000 to take care of the energy that is being used for the next 6 years. But that is not enough. I have to explain that the UN has to go to the UN to pay $6,000 to take care of the energy that is being used for the next 6 years. I have to go to the UN to continue to negotiate so that I can continue to pay $6,000. I have to go to the UN to try to work in a way that the government can use to establish their development in order to benefit the whole country that is using their property for the same purpose that existed in Talven. Finally, the UN has started its visitation to the UN The UN has decided to go to the UN to work officially on the operation of a prison hotel called Body Holiday, St. Lucia, East Winds and Croyalton Resorts. Finally, the UN has started its visitation to the UN to the tourist sector. The UN has started its visitation to tourist and CPI national. The UN has started its visitation to the UN to the American Airlines to the Dallas Air Force and the International Forth Wolf. The Forth Wolf is also to view the introduction to the UN Air Force to the JFK Air Force in New York after more than 10 years. JetBlue has also started its visitation to the UN to the International Forth Wolf. The UN has started its visitation to the UN to the Hawaiian Airlines to the US to the US to the US to the US to the US to the US to the US to the US to the US to the US Touristique la Déclaré qui publicité à son destination, c'est leci, j'ai touché six grand pays à la terre, à pas mieux aussi, à Fouic, except pays nation-chine, avec nation-chinois. Et d'y aussi, c'est leci, c'était à pas mieux 28 pays qui participaient recentement, à plus grand spectacle des affaires touristiques cariblaires. Merci à Pyl Primus. And 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 General Norvel.