 Welcome to NTN Nightly, I am Genelle Norvell, this edition's top stories. The Minister for Home Affairs told the bodily correctional facility government to consider incentives to nationals vaccinated against COVID-19. And St. Lucia Mons, the passing of a legendary cultural icon, are for Jacobs. The island's Minister for Public Service, Home Affairs, Labor and Gender Affairs, Hon. Dr. Virginia Albert-Poyert, on Friday 17 September 2021 continued her familiarization tour of the various departments and agencies comprising her ministerial portfolio. Hon. Dr. Virginia Albert-Poyert visited the bodily correctional facility and assured management that her office will provide the requisite resources and support to the correctional facility to carry out its mandate. More from Herma de Marque. Minister for Public Service, Home Affairs, Labor and Gender Affairs, Hon. Dr. Virginia Poyert visits at the bodily correctional facility on Friday 17 September 2021 to gain insight into the operations of the island's primary penal facility. During the comprehensive tour, the minister was guided through each section of the building and was provided with a detailed account of its administration. The Minister for Public Service, Home Affairs, Labor and Gender Affairs also held discussions with the Director of the Institution, Hilary Herman, on some of the critical issues impeding the BCF. Hon. Dr. Albert-Poyert indicated that among the problems to be addressed is decreasing the number of prisoners at the bodily correctional facility. What I'm very concerned about is to ensure that we minimize the number of persons who come to bodily correctional facility. And that is a huge task, but we have to work extremely hard. And what is of even greater concern is the ratio of male to female that has always been of great imbalance. And we have to work very hard on our young people and our men so that they can control their emotions, they can resolve their conflict in a more amicable and peaceful manner and stay on the side of the law. And this is something we will want all our institutions in St. Lucia to begin to work at how can we reduce the number of persons that are admitted at bodily. Director of the BCF, Hilary Herman revealed some of the pertinent issues affecting the penal facility. As you know, our prison is almost 20 years old. The infrastructure is crumbling. We need locks. We need fences. We need gates. There are many issues. So we've highlighted some of those with the minister, but we're realist to know that resources are limited. And in a country where we need schools, roads, rivers, bridges, we know where our priorities are. So we hope that some of the requirements that we have will be attended to. And we've passed on our priority list to the minister. Honorable Dr. Virginia Albert-Poyot is expected to meet with the cabinet of ministers to devise a plan to remedy their problems at the institution and increase the success rate of the rehabilitation programs. From the Government Information Service, I'm Hermione Mark reporting. The government of St. Lucia is moving to save and secure lives against COVID-19. Minister for Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs Honorable Mose Jebatiste says government will intensify efforts for vaccine uptake. Vaccination is proving to be the most important pillar in the fight against COVID-19. St. Lucia's are encouraged to get vaccinated amid growing new cases and COVID-19 deaths. The Ministry of Health on Thursday 16 September reported 7 new COVID-19 deaths and 2 COVID-19 related deaths. All of these deaths occurred during the period September 2, 2021 to September 14, 2021. To date, the total number of COVID-19 deaths in country is 106, and the total number of COVID-19 related deaths is 42. We will increase our vaccination sites. We will increase activities which will encourage parents to get their families vaccinated as we approach the possible face-to-face environment in our schools. It is imperative for us to increase vaccination among our school population who are eligible for the vaccine. We have enough vaccines in stock. We will encourage the approval of social activities for fully vaccinated individuals as long as the consultations and proper accounting systems are put in place. In fact, the Prime Minister has advised the public servants concerned to begin the process of consultation so that we may begin as soon as practicable. Health Minister Hon. Mose Jebatiste says government will ramp up the education campaign on the COVID-19 vaccines to help the population understand the benefits and importance of vaccination. Government will also seek to provide incentives to vaccinated persons. As St Lucia continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, arrangements have been made to meet the demand of oxygen at the respiratory hospital. More industry report from Fernand Neptune. The Ministry of Health recently received an ISO tank of liquid oxygen from Martinique to assist with the surgeon and demand for oxygen at the respiratory hospital. The oxygen procured will be used to treat COVID-19 patients at the respiratory hospital. Medical Director at the respiratory hospital Dr. Lucia Eugene Ford says she's elated about the boost in oxygen supply given the greater demand for oxygen at the hospital. Oxygen therapy is a very important arm when it comes to treating COVID-19 and over the last few weeks we have noticed an increase in the number of patients that are coming that are very ill, requiring more and more oxygen. It is a very expensive process to allow us to get it. Martinique has the cases as well to deal with and we actually had a boat from Dominica who came across to drop this tank for us and they too have to deal with the cases. So we're asking us solutions, do what we need to do, mask up, hand hygiene, isolate, I mean, vaccinate. If you have to vaccinate, you need to vaccinate, vaccinate. General Manager of Winwood Island Gas is limited, Lucas Lubin says. The fourth wave of COVID-19 has put a strain on their supply of oxygen and therefore must explore options to provide oxygen to the hospital. Normally the hospitals, in particular Victoria Hospital would have done say about 240 cylinders of our oxygen in almost two weeks and right now the demand is so high that we end up doing about 240 cylinders per day and right now as of two days ago, it has ramped up to 300 cylinders per day. It has put a sort of a strain on our productive capacity and because we do have a plant and as well as we do import oxygen to compensate for any differences and as a result of that significant demand and so that we had to maintain that maintain supply in the hospitals, we ensured that we had more tanks to be able to supply the hospitals in particular Victoria Hospital. The purchasing of the ISO tank of liquid oxygen was made possible through the efforts of the government of St. Lucia, Winwood Island Gas is limited and the government of Martinique. Reporting from the Communications Unit of the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs, I am Phanoleption. St. Lucia mourns the passing of legendary and owner the 2020 cultural icon Arthur Jacobs, affectionately known as Jakes. As a young man, his love for the creative arts was evident. Arthur became a self-taught artisan and sculptor. Under the influence of Roderick Roddy Walcott, he developed his love for music and theater. The highlight of his acting career was his role as TwoSet Loverto in Sir Derek Walcott's Celebrated World Premiere of Haitian Earth, a production commissioned by the government of St. Lucia to commemorate the 150th year after the emancipation of slaves, which was also shot for film. Mr Jacobs toured with Sir Derek Walcott performing in festival seasons in Trinidad, Guadeloupe and Italy. In 2020, the Cultural Development Foundation ordered him as St. Lucia's 2020 icon at its annual cultural icon series, as an excerpt from that production. He was always a lead actor. That was his strength. He had a fantastic memory and to be a good actor, you have to have a good memory so that you can explain here, express it in a very convincing form. Ah, good morning, youngster. It's a damp, mournful walk through the forest. Only the cheap of a bird to warm one makes the old bones creak. What I could never forget about Jacobs on stage, there were two little children who were supposed to be the offspring of the princess and the princess is murdered in the play. The play, which is played, a part played by Zinn, Zinn Thibbles was another famous arts girl actress and when Jacobs thundered out in one of his lines, the children started to cry they were supposed to be dead and they were frightened out of from death. He won on the wall, I think best supporting actor for that reason and that was my first experience with Arthur Jacobs. Arthur Jacobs had a love affair with stone and wood. He was a self-taught craftsman and sculptor using salmon and mahogany found naturally in St. Lucia. Creating unique North American pieces, some of his commissioned work can be found in government of St. Lucia offices, royal palaces, foreign diplomatic offices, and places of high esteem. As a sculptor, he created bronze bus for famous St. Lucian's like Garnet Gordon, Louis McVein and Dr. Carl Le Corbinier. He studied sculpting, right? He had gotten a scholarship, a fellowship to go to the United States. I think this would have been way back in the, oh boy, maybe early 70s, I'm not even sure. No, earlier than that, no, you mean earlier than that. I think, I'm not sure, to study. So you did sculpt anything. But I mean, you couldn't really make a living as a sculptor here. And so, you know, you went into like making gravestones and plaques and that kind of thing. And also the clocks, you know, in shape of St. Lucia and that kind of thing. And that's what he put his skills, the use that he put his skills to. But I've wandered on more than one occasion what his sculpture would have been like, you know, what it would have been like, and if he had really had the freedom to do it, you know, what that would have been like. Really phenomenal, you know? As often the case with creatives, Arthur Jacobs' talent bled into music and theater. He joined the St. Lucia Arts Guild in 1959 at the age of 22. Under the tutelage of Guild founders, Roderick and Derek Walcott, Jacobs blossomed as an actor. In 2018, Mr. Jacobs was awarded the St. Lucia Medal of Merit Gold for his indelible contribution to the arts. The full Icon series featuring the life and work of Arthur Jacobs can be seen on NTN. St. Lucia joins the global commemoration of the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer on Thursday 16 September 2021. This year marks the 34th anniversary of the 1987 signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Ratified by all 198 countries of the world, the Montreal Protocol is touted as one of the most successful environmental agreements to date, as the ozone layer now shows signs of recovery thanks to the phasing out of the ozone depleting substances globally. Such chemicals are more commonly used as refrigerants in everyday appliances, such as refrigerators and air conditioners. Some are used in fire extinguishers, mobile air conditioning units, and as agricultural fumigants against pests. Hydrochlorofluorocarbons HCFCs are the main ODS used today. However, another Montreal Protocol countries have committed to eliminating their use by 2030. Minister for Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology, and Vocational Training, Hon. Sean Edward, during his address highlighted that St. Lucia has made significant strides in that regard, having eliminated the first group of chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons HCFCs in 2008. In our endeavours to meet the obligations of the Montreal Protocol, St. Lucia has developed regulations to phase out and manage ozone depleting substances. Measures were put in place to monitor and control the import and export of these substances, including the institution of import quotas and a licensing system. To prevent illegal trade, we have trained customs and other enforcement officers in the identification and classification of refrigerants and related equipment, and the enforcement of the licensing quota system. I urge all importers and retailers of refrigerants and related equipment to comply with these regulations. This year's theme, Montreal Protocol, keeping us our food and vaccines cool, highlights the agreement's invaluable contribution to a sustainable coal chain that ensures the integrity and safety of pharmaceuticals, food, and other chilled goods essential to lives and livelihoods. In October of 2016, the Montreal Protocol's Skigalia amendment was adopted, lining up another group of refrigerants called hydrofluorocarbons HCFCs for phase out. Considering its zero impact on the depletion of the ozone layer, HCFCs have been relied on as a replacement for hydrofluorocarbons HCFCs and chlorofluorocarbons CFCs. However, it is also a harmful greenhouse gas. The goal of the Skigalia amendment is to achieve an 80% reduction in HFC consumption by 2047. The minister explained that individuals in the field have also undergone extensive training to develop good practices to meet the specified goals. In partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the United Nations Environment Program, we have provided training for refrigeration and air conditioning technicians in good refrigeration and air conditioning management practices, as well as in the safe use of alternative refrigerants. We have also equipped the two main refrigeration training centers, one at the Sarfa Lewis Community College and the other at the Center for Adolescent, Renewal and Education Care, with the proper tools to provide the much needed training on flammable refrigerant alternatives to ozone-depleting substances. The coal chain referenced in this year's theme refers to the various stages that a refrigerated product passes through, either until it is removed by a customer in the retail environment or unloaded from a delivery vehicle a few meters away from its destination. For consumers, the coal chain is often associated with transport, retail and household refrigerators. However, refrigeration is also widely used in the agri-food industry for the storage of raw materials and final products, as well as for food processing. Officers in the National Ozone Unit within the Department of Sustainable Development, Shana Scott explained. We have been promoting more not only ozone but climate-friendly options or alternatives when it comes to cooling and not only that, we have started training our local refrigeration technicians to use these alternatives safely. Also, we are working to finalize St. Nusha's national cooling strategy, which would introduce minimum performance standards. And what that means in general is that we want to ensure that the equipment that comes in is not only efficient but it will not waste energy and that it will not put a dent in our pocket at the end of the day. Also vital for the safe supply of vaccines, medicines and healthcare applications, public awareness of the coal chain has increased under current global pandemic conditions, primarily for its delivery of life-saving COVID-19 vaccines to countries around the world. The commitments under the Kigali Amendment can help parties work together to use new, sustainable coal chain systems that are highly efficient, safe and use climate-friendly refrigerants. From the Government Information Service, I am Janelle Norvel. This is NTN Nightly. Primers Hutchinson is up next. Stay with us. Suicidal thoughts, like other mental health challenges, can affect anyone. It can be you, your colleague, family member or neighbor. Everyone has a role to play in preventing suicide. Know the warning signs. If you or someone you know is in crisis or emotional distress, call the suicide hotline at 203. Remember, help is available. This is a message from the Employee Assistance Program, Department of the Public Service. Contact us at 468-2269 or 468-2260. Welcome back. We join Primers Hutchinson for the NTN-Nouvelle-Aquiolle. We have Pierre, the Prime Minister, also saying that you will be able to see that you will never be able to disobey these protocols, even if you have been in prison for a long time. So, it is still necessary because, unfortunately, you will not be able to pay 154 for the police you are currently in prison. So, it is necessary to protect the police and the family. The Prime Minister said that you will be able to protect these people, including the elderly, the elderly people, the people of the country. The Prime Minister said that you will be able to see the corona and always here, always there. If you are in a government, you have to be very afraid of being in this way. Speaking of this, Prime Minister, this year we will be able to protect the people. Thanks to the example of the 18th of September 2020, we will assist the Government's chief of government, the government of Kareb-la, the government of the United States. We will continue to make this progress in the office of the Prime Minister, and the objective of this is to support the people of the Corona province. If you want to place a division in the same position, you have to work with respect. I came back here with rights, money, law, and rights, preparation, case files, buy evidence, money to investigate, and we're poor. What's the problem? There's a lot of money here. In fact, there's no police here. There's no exhibition here. There's a lot of work here. Money to handle and present to the audience. Now, if there's a lot of work here, we can do it. What's the problem? In the links here, the department, the minister, the department of agriculture, I suppose there are a lot of refrigerators here. There's a lot of food here, so we don't have to do that. We don't have to pay for it, we don't have to pay for it. We don't have to pay for the weekend, we don't have to go to Geneva, we don't have to pay for free. We just have to go with the refrigerators here. Mr. Albert Kaki asked the farmers to open a coffee shop to make their effort to encourage them to go to the salad. We have to leave it at work. We have to make sure that we can have the coffee at their house, to make sure that the coffee is fresh. That's our objective. We'll do it in the future with a good quantity of food here. We do that together, but the price doesn't go down on the price. So, we don't have to pay for it. We just don't have to pay for it. We have to pay for it, but our financial problems, we don't have to pay for it. I'm All of this is because of the internet connection, so the people started to do this. And here, for the police, I don't know where it is. I don't know where the police came from. So I encourage people to go to the salar. I encourage people. The information that is given to the police, to the police, to the police. If the department is closed, we will have to contact the station. Because we have to work Monday to Friday to get there. But we don't have to. Because we have to do everything we can to get there. We have to join the police. This is a message from the staff of the University's Department of Justice. The division is about animals. And the ministry is about to manage the animals here. That's what we will do with the government. We will have to work until the end of the week. And we have to work until we get there. So we will have to do everything we can to get there. We will have to do everything we can to get there. primus. We now take a look at the weather. Saharan dust will continue to cause a reduction in shower activity, air quality and visibility over the lesser antelies during the next forecast period. Persons with respiratory ailments and dust allergies are advised to take the necessary precautions. A tropical wave located over the central tropical Atlantic is moving westward near 20 miles per hour or 31 kilometers per hour. This system has a high chance of tropical cyclone formation during the next five days.