 Welcome to NTN Nightly, I am General Norvel. This edition stops stories. Swipping amendments have been announced to national protocols as the nation battles increasing cases of COVID-19. Government increases the stock of ventilators to ensure comprehensive management of critical COVID-19 patients. And a close look at flood mitigation measures being undertaken by government agencies. Swipping amendments have been announced to the COVID-19 prevention and control regulations as the nation confronts increasing cases of COVID-19 in the community. During a live update to the nation Thursday 20th January 2021, Chief Medical Officer Dr Sharon Belmar George explained that based on data coming out of the contact tracing process, the spike in cases is due in part to mass gatherings held over the holiday season, including house parties lack of physical distancing during the period 21st December 2020 to 11th January 2021. During this time, health officials had been monitoring a total of 165 primary contacts of cases. However, from the 12th of January the Ministry of Health noted a rapid escalation in transmission. The number of individuals being monitored as of the 20th of January 2021 stands at 270. The numbers that we also noted during that period of December, January, apart from the tracing that I indicated, we also have been monitoring and regulating our COVID-19 approved accommodation sites to ensure maintenance of the required standards. Some of the numbers that we note in the spike were in relation to some of the, one of the COVID approved accommodation sites, which during the period November 23rd we had noted 60 positive cases recorded from there and this has since led to urgent measures being implemented to contain and manage the outbreak, with public health being the main priority for us. Dr Belmar George explained that the country remains at a critical point. She noted that all risks must be identified and addressed to improve the country's situation going forward. We need to look at all of the risks, we need to address all of the risks because all of them contribute to continued community transmission and how we move forward to the rest of January and February. The risk at this point remains the high risk in the international tourism markets, the illegal entry of persons from countries of high risk who come into communities, the non-adherence of citizens to home quarantine, the non-adherence of visitors to hotel protocols, the reduced use and poor use of face masks in public places, the increased mass crowd events that continue to occur across the island, the crowding of our public buses without the use of a mask. Between the period 11th March 2020 to the 20th January 2021, the Ministry of Health and Wellness has confirmed a total of 713 COVID-19 cases. 418 recoveries have been recorded with 287 cases remaining active. The country has also confirmed 8 COVID-19 related deaths. Grozilia counts for the highest incidence rate of infection. A total of 22,760 tests have been conducted to date. A look now at the new protocols. 9 adjustments have been made to the St Lucia's COVID-19 protocols for the next 10 days to reduce the spiralling rates of COVID-19 infections on Ireland. Effective 6pm Friday January 2021, only the following business and commercial activities are allowed to open. There are gas stations, supermarkets, financial services, inclusive of insurance, all with a blended approach. Restaurants take out service only, manufacturing, exports, hardware stores, public transportation, vendors on rotation, agricultural sector, call centres, hotels for international tourists, doctors' offices, diagnostic and lab services, other health support services, pharmacies, law offices with a blended approach, utility companies, media services and customs brokerage firms. Except hotels, all other listed enterprises are to seize operations and dismiss staff by 9pm daily. Separate provisions apply for essential government services, construction operations, manufacturing operations, call centres, hardware, banks and port facilities. These businesses must institute work-from-home regimes where applicable and a blended service operations approach were possible. Additionally, where possible, there should be a complete move to staff and board meetings being held virtually. Restaurants and other food vendors are to restrict their services to take away only as dining services are strictly prohibited. The sale of alcohol has been suspended at supermarkets, minimarts, gas stations, restaurants and bars. Liquor licenses have been suspended effective immediately, Wednesday the 20th of January 2021. So it means as of today, we don't anticipate there to be a sale of any alcohol beverages at the various locations where we have indicated. Additionally, public consumption of alcohol is also prohibited, particularly as a feature in small social gatherings. Social gatherings are now strictly prohibited in both public and private settings. What we have recognized is that there has been a lot of social activity, despite the protocols, despite the plea. We have heard that even people in quarantine, they have had parties returning nationals. There was one famous party over Christmas at a house in Capistate. We were told there were over 100 individuals who were at in attendance of that party. And so what we want to do is to remove the incentive. We all go to these parties and alcohol consumption is at the center of these social gatherings. Special accommodations have been made for religious services. Such institutions may operate using a blended approach. Physical service is limited to 25 people, inclusive of religious officials. Religious rites, including christings, weddings and funerals, are limited to 10 people. In education, all schools are to be closed and exclusively operational via multimedia platforms and all non-contact and contact spotting activities are prohibited. Special permissions are granted to training athletes and one-on-one personal training. The amended national COVID-19 protocols take effect 6pm Friday 22nd January 2021 and run for 10 days except legalized and suspensions which take immediate effect and will remain for 21 days. As the protocols come into effect Friday 22nd January 2021, the overall hope is that a limited movement amongst nationals and across sectors would result in a decline in the transmission rate. With active cases nearing the 300 mark, the Ministry of Health has implemented a management system in order to avoid overwhelming the medical facilities. Chief Medical Officer Dr Sharon Belmar George says individuals who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms are allowed to isolate at home. Persons who have moderate or don't have the conditions at home for isolation, we keep those within the hospital setting. So the patients that we have at the respiratory hospital, the majority of them do not actually need hospital care. They're there for isolation because they don't have safe isolation conditions at home. We're also using some guest houses and inns to house some of those positive patients. In terms of our capacity, we are not at a breaking point. We only have one critical person in care at this point. Our recoveries so far have been 418. Government has also increased the stock of ventilators with 24 new ventilators installed along with other oxygen machines. Dr Belmar George says given that 5% of COVID-19 cases require critical care, St. Lucia is capable of meeting that demand. That would be 15 people based on a number of active cases who at this point based on the statistics, which is less than the number of ventilators. The clinical team, they're monitoring the situation in terms of setup. We always ensure that we have extra ventilators prepared just in case. And this is one of the things we are hoping later this week to have a press conference indicating the measures that have been put in place by the health sector to manage the increased cases. And in this press conference we'll give you details from every aspect of management and one of them is the respiratory hospital. Dr Sharon Belmar George there. Meantime Prime Minister the Honourable Alan Sharsney says he, nor the Cabinet of Ministers, want a situation where the island's medical facilities are overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases. It is for that reason action is being taken with stricter protocols being instituted. It was sufficient to watch it on TV in Italy and in New York. We don't need to learn that example for ourselves. That's horrible. And I can say to you that that's what drives our decisions. That's what's in our conscience every day when we make decisions. But at the same time we recognize that there are livelihoods, that the state does not have the resources like other countries that just print money. In our case we have to borrow because globally the economy contracted and there was a significant shortfall in revenues from the state. But at the same time the state has an obligation to make sure that members of our society cannot take care of themselves that we're in a position to help them. And that's why the income support programs, the social stabilization programs, the feeding programs that we've done and in many cases still continue were so important. But when the opportunity arises that we can allow the economy to grow and to recover some of that revenue, not for the state alone. Individuals being able to get a salary and to go home and to take care of their own kids. To give some hope in a period which has been consumed with anxiety. Honorable Shasne however says while the new protocols are in place for 10 days in the first instance, the nation cannot remain closed for prolonged periods or indefinitely. Therefore it is critical to find the balance in coexisting with COVID-19. Keeping the ports open, shipping and airports was critical. Solutions who wanted to return home to help their loved ones, to come home for funerals, to come home for any other forms of celebration, to take care of their own assets on island. Solutions themselves who need to go abroad for medical reasons or need to continue their business and to be able to travel abroad. That's a vital lifeline that we had to keep open. We understood that keeping hotels open was a direct way of making that happen. And keeping hotels open was also a way of making sure of the 12,000 people that lost their job that we can get some of them back to work. We did it knowing that there was a risk. There's risk every day you're leaving your home. But we have to. We must. We're mindful of our children's education. Why? Because we can't take decisions every day in isolation of the future. The prime minister noted that the country has a crisis at hand, albeit small. However, if not managed by all government health authorities, public and private sector stakeholders, and most importantly the public, there is a potential for catastrophe. This is NTIA Knightly. Stay with us. When we come back, we switch focus with a look at flood mitigation measures being undertaken by government agencies. In an effort to ensure patient and first responder safety, the St. Lucia Fire Service has reviewed its patient transfer procedures, especially for patients with respiratory distress. Face masks will be provided. At no time during transportation should the face mask be removed. Please be patient and cooperative during this time to ensure you receive the best possible care while keeping our first responders safe. Welcome back. The Water Resource Management Agency continues efforts to enhance the island's capacity in flood resilience. Anissa Antwan tells us more. Three automatic flood warning stations have been installed at strategic points in Union, PI, and Magway Toot. The newly procured equipment forms part of an initiative of the pilot program for climate resilience in partnership with the University of the West Indies and Caribbean Institute for Metrology and Hydrology to reduce property damage and the disruption of commerce and human activities. Miguel Montut is the water resource specialist at the Water Resource Management Agency, WRMA. There are certain areas in St. Lucia, low-lying areas which flood easily as a result of high intensity rainfall, flash floods are experienced, and some of our structures, for instance bridges, are also vulnerable. So this station will allow us to actually assess the relationship between rainfall and river flows so that we could actually make these assessments for engineering designs and would also feed into early warning systems in collaboration with NEMO. Montut explains that in the event of an emergency, the real-time data received from the stations will be relayed to the National Emergency Management Organization, NEMO, to enable a faster, more efficient and predictable response. Basically when the flows, the various thresholds are reached, the information will be communicated to NEMO and the determination will be made based on ground truthing, truthing on the ground, and coordination with various local partners because we need also to validate the flow levels to determine whether flooding is imminent or not. So this whole mechanism is coordinated by NEMO. So it's a combination of getting that real-time data and ground truthing with the various community partners. The three solar-powered automatic flood stations are estimated at US$30,000. From the communications unit at the Ministry of Agriculture, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. Meanwhile, the Disaster of Vulnerability Reduction project has been engaged in several initiatives aimed at raising the protection levels of the country from natural disasters including floods. Jesse Leos has an in-depth look at intervention measures implemented in vulnerable communities. Flooding in certain parts of St. Lucia is seasonal and perennial. Pastries, denry, ancillary, marsha and bexaw are all flood-prone areas. Every time the river gets polluted, endless gardens and things, especially in this time, rain time, I tell you, all in the yard there, water has been over the bridge, even that bridge we're standing on right now. Country Village is a community off the Bexaw Highway with 100 residents. They are scarred by Mother Nature's annual assaults with the Bexaw River and the lack of proper drainage exacerbating the problem. The water was so high, it was up to that meter board right there. You can take a boat and ride through the flat on it. The little houses was covered. We cannot leave our home and go through the main road. They had flooded everywhere. You see the last step of my house there? They have water right up to there. You see that boy house? Right by the window, those flood. All these people here, it was taking a little shelter. Three of the main ways to reduce flooding are, one, create flood plains. Two, improve community drainage using culverts and concrete drains, engineering to handle the beyond torrential downpour. And three, disilting of rivers. The Marsha River threatens residents annually, but through the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project DVRP intervention, Marsha residents can breathe a sigh of relief. Currently, we are disilting the part of the Marsha River, the main river, and between Marsha to Wavin 212. Typically, without it being disiltered, it would have so much debris coming down throughout the lifespan of the year that it was not disiltered. You would have tree trunks, garbage and stuff that would block up certain parts of the river. And for us to be able to prevent flooding and blocking off the rivers and going over the bridges and stuff like that, the rivers have to be disiltered. The disilting of the Marsha and Mark rivers was funded by the DVRP. But when rivers threaten homes in low-lying areas, ingenuity must be employed to protect property. You had some flooding and embankment erosion and persons houses were being threatened. So you find when the river is coming down, it would erode this embankment here and then jump the embankment and flood out these two houses and houses lower down. Because if you notice, the person had to end up putting an elevated wall to the front of their property and also their staircase to get away from the flooding. The embankment was a lot further out and over the years it has been eroded. So what we came in to do was to line the embankment with some boulders to create a bit of a hard protection area so that the water would not erode that embankment anymore and more or less control the flow going back out. The Mark River snakes through the Bexaw community. Every year several houses along its banks are flooded. Over four million dollars was invested into flood mitigation works in this highly susceptible area. This culvert crossing was taken water from the entire San Diffay shore perridge and quite a bit of water comes off that catchment. And as a result of that, this area was constantly flooded out especially the homes lining the drain going back to the river. So having been aware of that, we came in and we did a complete drainage system for this area where we installed a fully concrete lined drain from this culvert crossing all the way back to the main Bexaw River. Flooding can never be absolutely solved and over the years millions of dollars have been spent in the Bexaw region in this pursuit. With the help of DVRP funding, a new drainage system has been designed to accommodate a flood of 250 millimeters to 500 millimeters of water per hour. To put that into perspective, typical rainfall intensified during Tropical Storm Debbie was 100 to 150 millimeters per hour. Basically all we've done is to look at the catchment size, look at the rainfall intensities for this area, factor in what it would be for climate change and then from that we know or we can predict what volume of water can come down in this area and then based upon that we designed the drainage channel to suit. Over the three month period, a total of 287 meters of drains were constructed in Country Village. When we were in the community, we built a drain. So I was part of the work and I was still in the drain. Most of the workers came from the community persons who are unemployed due to COVID now most of us are out of jobs. So it has helped a lot. Well I was given a small job to do one of the drains in the area. It really helped given the fact that I'm unemployed and it helped sustain my family for a little while. On November 7th of 2020, St. Lucia was drenched in 8.5 millimeters of rainfall within a 12 hour period and predictably swollen rivers caused flooding in many parts of the island especially in Baxong. The Country Village community however was not affected. And we see a good improvement in it. It wasn't flood at all. So you can see the work was very good. It didn't really flood here again. It just came up to us and went back down because of the construction of the drains. It was a little better. But since the village drain, there is no flood here. Nothing flooded here as well. No flood here. We had a couple of rains and other places flooded. But the wrong here was no flood here. The main objective of the Disaster Vulnerability Investment Project is to reduce vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change impacts in St. Lucia through investments in resilient infrastructure and improved hazard data collection and monitoring systems. The DVRP is funded by the World Bank, International Development Association IDA, Pilot Program for Climate Resilience, Strategic Climate Fund and the Government of St. Lucia. The DVRP has committed to funding flood mitigation works in Denry South, Ansleray, Miku and Sufra. Well, I'd like to say a big thank you to them. They stepped in and helped us out because before that, we really wondered if we would have gotten help. So I would like to say a big thank you and you have done a great job. For the Government Information Service I am, Jesse Leons reporting. That brings us to the end of NTN Nightly. Join us next time at 7 p.m. with a repeat at 7 p.m. You can also catch up with us anytime on the St. Lucia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I am General Norvel.