 Welcome to NTN Nightly, I am Genelle Norvell, this edition's top stories. The Government of St. Lucia has delivered on another component of its national COVID-19 economic recovery and resilience plan in the national COVID-19 response. Strides are being made to create a more sustainable CMOS sector and strail livestock to be impounded by the Department of Agriculture effective the 14th December 2020. The Government of St. Lucia has delivered on another component of its national COVID-19 economic recovery and resilience plan in the national COVID-19 response. In partnership with UNICEF, Government has provided hygiene and care kits to children with disabilities and their families as well as children in foster care. It is one of a number of measures undertaken to assist the segment of the population during this COVID-19 period. Jesse Laos reports. The Ministry of Equity, Social Justice, Local Government and Empowerment has partnered with UNICEF to prepare and distribute hygiene and care kits to households that receive child disability grants and foster care grants. Recognizing the social and economic impact of the pandemic on vulnerable families, this initiative is aimed at better equipping the children to protect themselves from contracting COVID-19 without further burden on finances. The provision of hygiene kits to children with disabilities and children in foster care will not only help to protect them from contracting COVID-19 but will also allow for the limited financial resources of the household to be used on other items that are also needed. The hygiene and care kits distribution to children with disabilities and their families as well as children in foster care are part of interventions to strengthen social protection systems under the national COVID-19 economic recovery and resilience plan. To support household expenditure and defray COVID-19 related increased costs, grants including child disability and foster care were also increased by $100. Initiatives such as this one from part of a wider reform of the social protection system being undertaken by the Government of St. Lucia to enhance the quality of life of citizens. We are pleased to be partnering with UNICEF and other development partners in support of those most in need among us. The UN Children's Agency has made available EC $34,500 to assist with the provisions of these items in support of the Government's COVID-19 response benefiting over 500 families. Hygiene and care kits from the Ministry of Equity, Social Justice, Local Government and Empowerment are also being distributed to recipients of HIV grants. Additionally, the hygiene care packages will also be made available through the Primary Health Care Facility and local municipal offices. For the Government Information Service, I am Jesse Leance reporting. Chief Medical Officer Dr Sharon Belmar George, speaking at the 136th annual general meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, sought to address issues arising from the new policies instituted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One such issue is that of quarantine and under what circumstances? The CMO said she had been inundated with questions as to whether employees could take vacation leave in instances where quarantine is required. Dr Belmar George provided clarification. The last we got from AG was that we could not mandate someone to take vacation leave for a quarantine, which some of the business sectors did reach out to us where if someone is going on vacation, for example, on their own time and they have to come back in, would they be able to take that time on because it would be a cost to the company and added 14 days. And the final that we got from AG's chambers where we could not mandate someone to take their time on their vacation. So it would have to be the sick leave which we have continued doing. And also after contact tracing we provide sick leave for seven or 14 days based on the level of risk after their assessment in connection with the positive case. The Chief Medical Officer also explained the management of an employee with a family member in home quarantine, isolation or in the respiratory hospital. She indicated that the management depends on the level of risk associated with that individual to the workplace. If a family member has someone within their household who is on home quarantine, this should not prevent that staff member from coming to work. We've received numerous reports of persons being, businesses taking an overly conservative and we understand the fear. We understand why some businesses would prefer if they don't come but we need to be guided by the science. If they were in contact with a positive case, that is that they are in isolation, this person would be placed in home quarantine and not be allowed to come into work. But if it's a family member who's in home quarantine, it makes them a secondary contact. So for all first level contacts, that is contacts who have been in direct contact with a positive case, those persons would be given sick leave to allow home quarantine. But if there are second level contact, that is there are contacts over contact, those persons would not be mandated to stay home as well. Chief Medical Officer Dr Sharon Belmar George Meanwhile, Caricum Ministers of Trade have concluded talks on how the region could rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic that has crippled the region's tourism dependent economy. Assistant Secretary General for Trade and Integration at the Caricum Secretariat Joseph Cox begins this report by Michelle Nurse of Caricum Newstime. Caricum Ministers of Trade met on the 26th and 27th of November to consider raft of matters focusing on how the region could rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic that has crippled our tourism dependent economies. In a nutshell, what came out of the report was that we looked at the strategic pivoting of the region and what it manifests itself in is a change in terms of financial inclusion, change in terms of digital transformation, change in terms of approach to the productive sectors. How do we nuance it? How do we drive employment? How do we reduce levels of unemployment? Yes, how do we deal with engagement, re-engagement of your markets? What are the emerging opportunities that come out of it? An emerging opportunity is not just about what came out of COVID. The emerging opportunities came out of what are the CET suspensions that are being granted and therefore the obvious mechanisms and opportunities that arise from that. What are some of the trade arrangements that we engage in the third countries? What are the trade arrangements? What are the functional opportunities that came out of it? That is what, in a nutshell, is what came out of the report and that's why we are happy with the outcomes of it because what it heralded is the new normal and the transforming of our regional ecosystem to meet that new normal. Ms. Onage Walrun, Guilherme's Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, chaired the meeting. Strides are being made to create a more sustainable CMOS sector as it continues to observe an increase in farmers' market penetration and consumer demand. The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Cooperatives, Honourable Ezekiel Joseph, along with other ministry leaders, convened a meeting recently with CMOS farmers from the community of Opical Viewfort to discuss on the successes of the CMOS sub-sector to date and to chat the way forward for the industry amidst the challenges of 2020. In providing insights on the sector, Predia Larsonie continues to be flagged as the leading concern among CMOS farmers. In his response to addressing this ongoing issue, Honourable Ezekiel Joseph highlighted the current legislation already in place for Predia Larsonie, but placing even more emphasis on the importance of regulating CMOS cultivation and harvesting procedures to ensure the quality of the final CMOS product is not compromised. My understanding, based on your concerns and experiences negatively, that is, is legislation to see how you can curb the situation with persons who are not bonifying CMOS farmers in the area harvesting your CMOS. Now, if that is correct, it's very interesting because I don't see the need for further legislation, and I'm going to explain why. We have legislation already in place. We have the Predia Larsonie Group already in place functioning. Just last week we had our Heads Meeting, and it's not a matter of having legislation, it's a matter of giving support to the entity that is going to supervise and monitor the legislation that you put in place. President of the Opikos CMOS Farmers Association, Cohen Samuel, says the association will continue to give the farmers full support to ensure that CMOS farmers, the Saint Lucia National Trust and fishermen operate harmoniously. So far we have covered a conflict with CMOS farmers. The conflict we have is those non-CMOS farmers who come in and collect the CMOS. So that we are working on, and we have a clear plan as to how we work with that with National Trust because we know they use there for kayaking, and they have told us exactly where they need space for this to happen. We have move sticks. We have asked farmers to take out the stick completely and try to shift it. Cut on your farm if you have to a little bit to allow both National Trust, the fishermen and ourselves to coexist at Servants Bay without conflict. The Opikos CMOS Farmers Association currently consists of approximately 120 farmers. From the information unit of the Department of Agriculture, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. And this is Antoine Knightley. Please stay with us. Don't fall victim to peer pressure when driving. Your life and the lives of others are your responsibility. Drive safe. Arrive alive. Welcome back. Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Cooperatives have met with livestock farmers to chart the way forward. The Department of Agriculture is finalizing measures to address the long-standing issue of stray animals along the main road network around the island. Agriculture Minister Honourable Ezekiel Joseph held a meeting with livestock farmers to discuss the management and prevention of stray animals. He announced the plans of the Government of St Lucia to fully enforce the Animals Act through the Department of Agriculture to allow for the impounding of animals roaming along the roads. We are going to impound animals if our farmers are not adhering to the management of the animals in a manner that will not create problems for our trafficking public. I can also tell you that Dr Melville will give more details as to what we are doing. I can also tell you that we have entered into an arrangement legally with an individual. And I can tell you that Mr Brown, who has satisfied us along with the police and all the other legal entities that he has the capability of undertaking that exercise. Impounded animals will be kept at a secure location and upon payment of a fine by the owners, their livestock will be released. The Minister urges the public to secure all livestock immediately. We are going to allow all some time, at least one to two weeks, to make sure that you can secure your animals properly following if you are still seeing that there is a problem. Remember I am saying animals, I am not saying cattle, I am saying animals. If there is a problem, we shall implement, unfortunately, the situation as it pertains to the law. The impounding of stray livestock by the Department of Agriculture will take effect from Monday December 14th, 2020. From the Information Unit of the Department of Agriculture, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. The International Aclaimed Financial Magazine, the banker, has recognized First National Bank's inclusion yet again as Bank of the Year. This is the second consecutive year that the local bank has been recognized globally for maintaining the industry standard for banking excellence. Here are the details. First National Bank was the first bank in the Eastern Caribbean to win the Bracken Bank of the Year award in 2019, an award which was contested by the world's leading financial institutions. This year, in the midst of a global pandemic, the International Aclaimed Financial Magazine, the banker, has awarded First National Bank St. Ocean Limited as Bank of the Year yet again. Managing Director Jonathan Joanna says, to achieve this award for a second consecutive year is really a testament to how committed the organization is. I think when you go through all our branches and you interact with all 170 associates, you feel that sense of pride that we are trying to make a difference in the lives of every St. Lucian. So the service that we deliver, so the products that we put out, so the way we treated people during this most difficult time in our nation's history, with moratoria, with counseling, with just the care and attention that they need. So I think this award is truly a testament to all 174 associates at First National Bank. The Bracken Awards are handed out by the Banker Magazine, which was started in 1926 as a subsidiary of the Financial Times of London. It is considered to be the Oscars of the banking industry, involving over 1,000 applications from approximately 120 countries worldwide. According to Johannes, this is a huge achievement for First National Bank and St. Lucia as a nation. Last year, when we went after this award, some of us thought that it was too big for us to chase. Achieving it in 2019 was an amazing experience for us all. So you could just imagine how excited we are retaining, or should I say, achieving that award for excellence yet again. In addition to thanking its board of directors, management, staff and customers, Joanna says the bank wants to also thank the Banker Magazine for recognizing that a bank is not measured by its size or geography. Rather, it's adherence to good policies and international best practices. From the Government Information Service, Lisa Joseph reporting. 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 Norville.