 Welcome to NTN Nightly, I am Jesse Layance. This edition's top stories, the chief medical officer calls for collective action in containing the spread of COVID-19. New rapid antigen tests could transform COVID-19 response in the Caribbean and 70 farmers certified for the field following a comprehensive training program. St. Lucia has now recorded a total of 31 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 27 of the confirmed cases have recovered and currently there are four active cases in care at the respiratory hospital. The last three cases have been nationals without a history of travel, which suggests the likelihood of community spread of COVID-19. Health teams are continuing investigations within the communities of concern, along with contact tracing and testing. Chief medical officer Dr. Sharon Belmar George says St. Lucia is at a critical stage in the COVID-19 outbreak. Undertaking an effective response on all levels, Dr. Belmar George adds, will determine the island's success in quickly identifying, treating and managing cases and preventing possible complications and deaths. I would like to make a particular appeal to all community leaders, carekeepers, political representatives, constituency council heads, heads of community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, sports club and all persons in positions of leadership and influence within our various communities to add their voice in the request for the adherence of healthy habits within communities to reduce the risk of being exposed to COVID-19. The Ministry of Health and Wellness, we are committed to ensuring our systems are prepared to manage the detection and also to manage the infection. We anticipate and we are preparing for an increase in cases within communities. The CMO is urging public support in protecting the health and safety of the entire nation, particularly the most vulnerable, including elderly and people living with chronic conditions. At this point, to maintain the gains that we have achieved thus far and also given the increased risk introduced by the new cases and to maintain public health and safety, it is necessary that each and every one of us recognize that we need to be a part of the solution to this health threat. This includes the consistent use of masks in all public places, keeping a safe distance from others, avoiding mass crowd activities and social activities, maintain the infection prevention and control measures, including at home and workplaces and avoiding contact with others with respiratory signs and symptoms, and also seeking immediate care if you develop or have any of those signs and symptoms. The five respiratory clinics remain open for those who may present signs and symptoms. Also, the 3-1-1 information hotline is available to address COVID-19 related questions and concerns and the treatment and care for COVID-19 related conditions remains free of charge to the public. As part of efforts to investigate case number 29 of COVID-19 and contact tracing, the Ministry of Health will be undertaking the necessary interventions in communities, including assessments and health education. Director at the Bureau of Health Education, Natasha Lloyd Felix explains. In response to the diagnosis of the 29th COVID case in St. Lucia, which happened this past weekend, it was imperative that the ministry took immediate action and focused on communities of concern. And as a result of that, a public health team was put together to do a number of interventions simultaneously. So amongst that would have been inviting persons who deemed themselves to be at risk in terms of this case and a wider community to come forward for testing. We also use this as an opportunity to reinforce the prevention and control measures to reduce risk of being exposed to COVID. So that include doing health education on mask use, distribution of the mask, as well as importance of hand washing and other infection control measures. This was done in the communities themselves because we wanted it to be accessible to the population. We know sometimes it's difficult for persons to access services within our wellness centers is sometimes inconvenient as well. So by us going into those communities, we brought the services directly to the community. The Ministry of Health is meeting with residents of Aulian at the Paradise Inn in Aulian, Denver for assessment and testing for COVID-19. Over the past week, we have targeted a number of communities in St. Lucia to conduct interventions, which would allow for quicker uptake of persons for testing. Today, Thursday, October 15th and tomorrow, Friday, October 16th, we'll be in the Aulian community in Denver from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Paradise Inn where we will be doing COVID testing as well as health education on infection prevention and control measures for COVID-19. This is open to the community. Anyone who is interested is invited to come forward, benefit from this opportunity as we'll be bringing those services directly into the community. That was Director at the Bureau of Health Education, Natasha Lloyd-Felix. The new affordable, reliable, antigen diagnostic tests recently approved by the World Health Organization that can be performed anywhere are set to transform the region's COVID-19 response by allowing health workers to carry out accurate rapid testing even in remote communities. The Pan-American Health Organization Director, Carissa Atian, has said, unlike previous rapid antibody tests, which can show when somebody has had COVID-19 but often give a negative result during the early stages of infection, the new rapid antigen tests are much more accurate in determining if someone is currently infected. Thanks to the tireless work of the WHO's ACT Accelerator, we now have an affordable and reliable diagnostic test that can be performed anywhere. By providing results quickly, the new test empowers frontline health workers to better manage cases by isolating patients to prevent further spread and to begin treatment immediately. And it gives healthcare workers, whether they're working in a hospital in Buenos Aires or a mobile health clinic in the Amazon, it gives them the power to test and diagnose cases within minutes, not days, at one-third of the cost of the traditional PCR tests that we have been using. These new diagnostics will allow us to test more people faster and more accurately than ever before. Particularly in remote communities, without easy access to a laboratory, which have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. If distributed widely, this new test will transform our COVID response. Today, PAHO has in its possession hundreds of thousands of visits, and we have those available via the PAHO Strategic Supply Fund, with millions more expected in the coming weeks. So we have built up a stockpile, and we are able also to access those tests for our member states. Dr. Etienne says accurate testing allows for the better management of patients and preventing the virus from infecting others. At the community level, it also allows for health officials to track changes in the virus' spread and adjust the national response. In other news, the Royal St. Lucia Police force embarks on a new approach to arrest incidents of domestic violence, suicide and child abuse. The initiative of one assistant superintendent of police led to a stakeholder consultation for Grosile and the Babunau regions. An integrated approach is being taken to address domestic violence, suicide and child abuse in the northern communities of Grosile and Babunau. The police division collaborated with the Ministry of Social Transformation and the Grosile Catholic Parish to hold a stakeholders consultation recently to elicit suggestions for awareness and intervention. We have seen in recent times how these issues have impacted society, and the problems that it has created for us, more so even suicides recently, we've had quite a few cases and so we understand that the Royal St. Lucia Police force does not have the answers to all of these issues and so it is very important for us to partner with our various agencies, the community to come together to see how best we can address these issues. Faith-based organizations were engaged on day one of consultations and community-based organizations on day two. Child Abuse presentations made by family case workers for Grosile and Babunau had participants coming away with concerning information and resolved to address this societal ill. This particular session I felt was very important to attend, particularly as Grosile where we deal with a lot of young people because these are the young ones who are most vulnerable, some of them not just vulnerable in terms of economic vulnerability, but vulnerable as well in the sense that they have very little autonomy and they depend heavily on their family, etc. So this is very important for us in terms of identifying not only the symptoms of some of the social ills that we discuss in order that we prevent them, but also to have a sense of who it is that we can reach out to. There appears to be a major child abuse problem within St. Lucia. I don't want to say especially within the northern section of the island but that's kind of how it seems from the statistics we've been shown. So just there's a lack of communication or reporting of these child abuse problems, specifically from the children themselves. Usually you have to go to the teachers, you have to find out what the teachers notice but then most of the teachers don't really know the signs and symptoms to look for that would tell you okay maybe this child is being abused at home. The role of educators in responding to child abuse came up during the discussions. An officer for District 1 Grosile, Cyrus Sepal, stressed the need for a multi-agency approach. Even though the teacher may be there, the best teacher with the best pedagogical practices and you have all the safe environment for them at the school but if when they go home, when they go to the communities then they face that level of abuse, that emotional abuse, physical, in whatever form, sexual abuse, whatever it is, when they come to school there is no way they will be able to function, there is no way they will be at peace, there is no way they will feel safe and they have been disadvantaged of their education. So I want us now to be able to work in collaboration, form a networking with human services and the community groups, the church groups and the schools because we all have the concern to ensure that the children receive a good education. Grosile's social transformation officer David Moise indicates that a joint report will be prepared by the Ministry of Social Transformation and the Royal St. Lucia Police Force to be submitted to cabinet. Through this initiative we can look at the suggestions, the recommendations that would come out of our group discussion later in the afternoon as well as what we got from yesterday and we can put these together and try to see how best we can assist these organizations, how best we can assist the churches in going out there and really executing some of those recommendations that would have been made. For the government information service I am Jesse Leons reporting. 70 farmers have certified for the field following a comprehensive training program. Here's Anissi Antoine with the details. The Agriculture Ministry welcomes a new batch of certified farmers into the fold. This as a graduation ceremony for the 2020 farmer training for Region 6 was convened Monday. The training is one of the outputs of the enhancement of the efficiency of production distribution supply chains in the fruits and vegetables sector project, also called the Seven Crops Project, which has the overall aim of reducing the food import bill. The six-week course focused on a variety of topics including good agricultural practices, pesticide use and management, production scheduling, post-harvesting, technology and marketing and record keeping. Representative of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, IKA, in the eastern Caribbean states, Greg Rawlins, encourages farmers to continue to strengthen relationships with one another. The success factors will be the extent to which you work with each other. You have to network. You have to share information because very often a lot of information, as much as we do training and capacity building, a lot of the information and a lot of the knowledge is held by the very producers, farmers who have experience. And it's very, very important that farmers share information among themselves, that they network, that they support each other. And most importantly, that they work together. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Barry Moore Feliciae, in highlighting the importance of ensuring farmers adopt the good agricultural practices learned, noted that the training is in keeping with the theme for World Food Day 2020. Grow, nourish, sustain together. Our actions are our future. When you have the skills, you have to know how to align it to the theme, that theme there. How do we now, how do we grow, nourish, sustain together? How do you align it so that it becomes profitable not for you alone, but for the entire country? So that is what you need to do. How you now go apply it and don't just let it, let it fall by the wayside. So with that said, I want to wish the farmers and all of you who graduated here, very successful career pathways, have an excellent World Food Day, rest of Creole Heritage Month. But most of all, I want to see you transfer that knowledge into something meaningful for yourself and for your life, your families and your life skills. Participant of the farmer training, Alex Foshe, expressed gratitude on behalf of the farmers to the Ministry of Agriculture, Region 6 and the Taiwan Technical Mission for the opportunity presented to them. As a young farmer and as a young man, I have acquired a substantial amount of information from this course in terms of good agricultural practices, post harvest handling, record keeping and I could go on for hours, but the time is limited. Alright, I immediately put what I began to learn into practice, hence the reason I can be confident enough to go to my farm at any moment in time and if anything may be wrong, be it soil wise, be it pest wise, that I would have some sort of knowledge which I have learned from this course, which I have obtained from this course in how to sort the problem out and resolve it. Monday's graduation ceremony for the farmer training for Region 6 saw 70 farmers receiving their certification. From the information unit at the Ministry of Agriculture, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. Up next, we have Primus Hutchinson with the NT and Novella Creole. Be aware of and follow water conservation practices. Here are a few tips to help you save water. Wash dishes in a basin of water instead of a running tap. Soak pots and pans instead of letting the water run while scraping them. Check toilets for leaks by putting dye in the tank. If color shows in the bowl without flushing, there is a leak. A leaking toilet can waste thousands of gallons of water. Use a bucket instead of a hose to wash cars and reuse great water from laundry to water plants. Water conservation reduces energy consumption and strain on the water distribution system. Conserve water whenever possible and remember every job counts. A message brought to you by the Water and Sewage Company Incorporated, Wasco. Welcome back time now for the NT and Novella Creole with Primus Hutchinson. Welcome back to the NT and Novella Creole. Welcome back to the NT and Novella Creole. Welcome back to the NT and Novella Creole. Welcome back to the NT and Novella Creole. Welcome back to the NT and Novella Creole. Welcome back to the NT and Novella Creole. Welcome back to the NT and Novella Creole. Welcome back to the NT and Novella Creole. Welcome back to the NT and Novella Creole. Welcome back to the NT and Novella Creole. Welcome back to the NT and Novella Creole. Welcome back to the NT and Novella Creole. 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