 Coming to you from our GIS Studios, I am Anistiaan Twan and this is your midday news brief. Schools island-wide are undergoing rehabilitation works that are not only routine maintenance, but retrofitting for COVID-19. The Ministry of Education says despite a reduction in the budget for our infrastructural upgrades, all schools are being attended to. Chief Education Officer Dr Fiona Philip Meyer says the rehabilitation works include the installation of additional hand-washing stations and sanitizing dispensers. The Ministry will be communicating with the principals of schools that will be experiencing delays in the rehabilitation works with an indication of completion guidelines for the safe reopening of schools. Dr Meyer is encouraging parents to help the children with the personal hygiene practices and protocols that will protect them from COVID-19. The Ministry of Education has in stock face masks, face shields and hand sanitizers which will be distributed to schools to assist with the adherence of the COVID-19 protocols. With banana production being negatively impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the governments of St Lucia and the Republic of China Taiwan through the Banana Productivity and Improvement Project continue to provide financial assistance to banana farmers in St Lucia. The BPIP entails a full slate of projects and initiatives in the areas of pest control, education and sensitization among others get towards bringing banana production to an optimum level. The banana industry has an annual turnover in trade of approximately $20 million. Acting Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Cooperatives Hon. Harrod Stanislaus expressed gratitude to the government of the Republic of China Taiwan for their continuous support. Ambassador of the Republic of China Taiwan to St Lucia, His Excellency Peter Chen, reaffirmed Taiwan's commitment to providing assistance to the banana farmers in St Lucia. The hand in over ceremony took place on Tuesday, August 25, 2020 at the Ministry of Agriculture. Several early childhood development centres on Ireland have been approved for reopening in September. This is according to Chief Education Officer Dr Fiona Phillip Meyer. The World Health Organisation advises that children aged 5 years and under should not be required to wear masks. This is based on the safety and overall interest of the child and the capacity to approximately use a mask with minimal assistance. Similar to primary and secondary schools, early childhood centres, Ireland-wide, have submitted their COVID-19 conscious instructional plans to the department. In collaboration with the St Lucia Bureau of Standards, the department's Early Childhood Education Unit has been reviewing each plan before submitting them to the Environmental Health Department for approval. All adults must wear a mask while on the compound of any early childhood development centre. This has been your midday news brief. Thank you for watching.