 Welcome to NTN Nightly, I am Janelle Norville, this edition's top stories. Invest St. Lucia breaks ground on the Lafag development in Schuessel. The Bahamas is removed from the travel bubble as it records spikes in COVID-19 cases, and members of the public are urged to seek help if unable to cope with the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Invest St. Lucia ISL on Wednesday broke ground on its newest land project, the Lafag Development in Schuessel. The development forms part of ISL's promise to provide every St. Lucia an opportunity to acquire ownership of residential and commercial property at a reasonable cost. The Lafag development offers both residential and commercial use lots, and is approximately 28.4 acres of flat land. The project will be completed in four phases, as opposed to the original three phases, and three contractors from Schuessel have been engaged and are working towards its completion. We get the details from Jesse Laos. Initially airmarked for completion in early 2020, the Lafag Housing Development Experience delays associated with the coronavirus pandemic. Back on schedule, a groundbreaking ceremony was held this Wednesday, 5th August, at the entrance of the 28.4 acre site in Schuessel. This is the third ongoing land project, spearheaded by Invest St. Lucia, geared at creating 600 new property owners on island. The Lafag Development is the largest project towards this goal of the agency. Chairman of the board is Pinkley Francis. Originally, this project had an estimated completion date for the first quarter of this year. Although progress slowed, we did, although progress so sorry, as did most economic activities in St. Lucia. Invest St. Lucia is pleased to be back on track with most of our projects. The Lafag Development will be done in four phases, as opposed to the original three, and three contractors from Schuessel community have been engaged and are working towards its completion. Commerce and Industry Minister and Parliamentary Representative for the area, Honourable Bradley Felix, expressed pride that Schuessel natives were awarded contracts in the tendering process for the three phases of the project. He further encouraged Invest St. Lucia to consider proceeding with the fourth phase, which had been put on hold. There was a bit of hesitation after the COVID that the uptake of the lots may have been slow, and so Invest St. Lucia was a bit skeptical of going with all four phases, because the last phase is the biggest. But in terms of what I have been brought to my attention, I think very soon you would have to open up that four phase because the application forms have been filled in and lodged at a very, very fast pace. Situated on flat land with stunning views of the Caribbean Sea and the peak of Gopiton, the Lafag Housing Development will offer 114 commercial and residential use lots, ranging in size from 4,193 to 26,000 square feet. Economic Development and Housing Minister Honourable Guy Joseph commends Invest St. Lucia's efforts toward increasing land and housing stock for citizens. In the Ministry of Housing itself, we have a target of 5,000 households to be made available to St. Lucia. So what you are doing at Invest St. Lucia is helping us to meet the target. I applaud Invest in the area that you are not just looking at foreign direct investment. Usually when we speak about Invest St. Lucia or what used to be MDC, the focus was usually on getting foreigners to come and invest. But we are happy that some of the money that you are collecting is being invested right here in St. Lucia. Prime Minister Honourable Alan Chastney congratulated Invest St. Lucia and Honourable Felix for their commitment and dedication to ensuring that the land development project was launched despite the setbacks of COVID-19 and his pitch. I'm going to say to both Schwozilians who are here in the constituency now, Schwozilians who reside abroad, hurry and buy a piece of land. Because very soon they will be very, very expensive to be able to buy land in this constituency. And that's why I really applaud the Minister and also Invest St. Lucia that this early stage of the development making sure that residential land is available to people from the constituency and even more importantly to solutions. Very soon, more and more people will be migrating back down to the south, both from the north and also I can assure you that our solutions living in the diaspora, you know I'm not lying when I tell you that I wish they were home now, home not so bad. Invest St. Lucia is currently working on two other land developments, one in Bois Jolie-Denri and the other in Beauchamp-Micoux. Anyone wishing to apply for Invest St. Lucia's land sales can find application forms at either its castries or viewport office or online at www.investstluxia.com. For the Government Information Service, I am Jesse Leance reporting. Minister for Commerce, Industry, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs and Parliamentary Representative for Chousel Saltybus Hon. Bradley Felix stated that the project will offer many benefits to the people of Chousel and the environs. It's not just about the land development where we have Chousel contractors who are engaged in the construction of the infrastructure but as you heard Chousel has some of the most skilled workmen and they will be getting an opportunity not just in the construction of the infrastructure but when people will start constructing their homes. So you have a hundred and fourteen lot opportunities for our contractors, our mesons, our tylers, our electricians, you know, our joiners, a lot of opportunity to get employment here. So I embrace the development because I see, you know, multi-fold the benefits for the residents. That was Minister for Commerce, Investment, Industry, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs and Parliamentary Representative for Chousel Saltybus Hon. Bradley Felix. The St. Lucia Tourism Authority, SLTA, under the guidance of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, continues to monitor trends in bubble countries as it relates to their COVID-19 cases. This is to ensure that the SLTA is able to make appropriate decisions where necessary in order to keep the people of St. Lucia safe. Bubblecation is a marketing campaign recently launched by Carribecation allowing travelers from countries within the designated travel bubble to visit St. Lucia. Details. The Bahamas has been removed from the travel bubble due to a spike in its cases. The Bahamas Ministry of Health as of Thursday 6 August 2020 indicated that there were 36 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 751. St. Lucia Tourism Authority's marketing manager for Caribbean and events, Christopher Gustav, said that the authority guided by the Ministry of Health and Wellness continues to monitor the situation on the ground to adjust the bubblecation campaign as necessary to ensure the health and safety of all the inclusions. Bahamas was recently taken out of the bubble because of the increasing cases and the fact that the country is now on a 14-day lockdown. We are going to continuously adjust our protocols based on the situation on the ground. Working with the Health Department to ensure a safe bubble experience. I would like to take time out to thank the over 80 accommodation providers who have signed up to be part of the Bubblecation Program and would like to encourage even more providers to apply. The program is open to all hospitality providers registered with the Ministry of Tourism including providers with villas, hotels, ABNBs, currentals, restaurants and bars, day tours, nightclubs, shopping, taxi associations and yachting and other ocean activities. All arriving visitors from within the bubble must have traveled directly from a country within the bubble and have been in that country for at least 21 days. These individuals will be exempt from quarantine however they are required to submit a negative PCR COVID-19 test prior to arrival into St. Glutia within seven days of travel and are subject to mandatory screening on arrival. Bubble visitors are also subject to all applicable on-island protocols including testing, quarantine and isolation were necessary. Gustave explained that the Caribbean market is important to St. Glutia's tourism industry and its St. Glutia's second largest source market. He noted that unlike other markets there is a strong kingship. Our data reveals that apart from vacation, meeting with friends and family is one of the major reasons Caribbean people travel to St. Husia. It is important that we focus on ensuring that this bridge remains open. This is why we have worked with the airlines like Caribbean Airlines, Inter-Caribbean, One Caribbean and Air Antilles to connect our islands. To recap from our earlier release, the bubble countries approved by the Department of Health and Wellness currently include Antigone, Barbuda, Aruba, Anguilla, Barbados, Barbuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montstrat, Saint Barfellamy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos. The St. Lucia tourism authority reaffirms its commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all the inclusions while stimulating the economy and returning jobs. Recognizing that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected members of the public psychologically as well, the Bureau of Health Education is advising on measures that can be taken to care for one's mental and physical health. Individuals are also urged to reach out and seek help within this stress and unable to cope. Anisia Antoine tells us more. The impact of COVID-19 has left no country and no one untouched. All age groups are affected as the life changes have been drastic in many cases. The new reality of working from home less social contact with family and friends, homeschooling for children and being unemployed is actually a difficult time for most persons. As St. Lucia adapts to a new sense of normalcy, the public is encouraged to maintain their physical and mental health. Practicing self-care can help alleviate the psychological distress and anxiety caused by the pandemic and prevent lasting adverse psychological effects. Bureau of Health Education's family life educator Naomi Granderson highlighted the importance of developing a regular routine and or schedule. This is the most important point right now because it's a new normal and one has to sit down and establish and think about what would work for me, what do I do. If I am home now and I do not have work what are some of the things that I can put into my daily schedule to occupy my time to stay sane for mental well-being, for physical well-being and also for social I would say well-being because you have tensions within the household and when there is structure especially with children overall health is better because the tension and the stress is reduced. Another important tip in practicing self-care is healthy eating. The family life educator explained that the food and individual consumes can affect the body's ability to prevent, fight and recover from infections or illnesses. If you haven't seen the thing or you cannot recognize almost instantly or quickly where it is from reduce your consumption of that significantly and if you follow that principle then you know what type of healthy snacks to reach for. It needs to be as whole as possible or next to its whole form so you see here we have nuts and seeds nuts and seeds healthy fats fiber that can hold you that can sustain and reduce your hunger for a good bit of time and we have some veggies, same vegetables you can carry that with you some whole grain crackers and instead of all these juice juice juice juice guys water water. Grandson noted that a person's environment and their relationship with others also play a significant role in maintaining their mental health. Our different domains has a direct impact on our self on me and my well-being so although there's nothing wrong with taking an occasional lime and having some ice cream to what extent how much does it include somebody who's positive is it a binge so all of these things have to be taken into consideration balance is all part of self-care no man and no woman stands alone you understand so we have to connect to others our environment we have to connect well to our family and our work or else we would not be happy we would not be satisfied ourselves would not be happy. Individuals are encouraged to seek help at the National Mental Wellness Center or from trusted family members and friends or call the helpline at 2 0 1 if needed from the government information service i am Anicia Antoine reporting the department of the public service is dedicated to transforming the public service into an efficient government machinery run by well-trained and engaged professionals dedicated to excellent service delivery to achieve that reality the training division is tasked with the responsibility of providing that cadre of professionals through the development of learning initiatives in that feeling skills and competency gaps among public officers in the context of scarce resources and to ensure sustainability the training division has recognized the need for collaboration and the pooling of resources in order to fill those gaps by approaching this mammoth task with a combined effort the department can transform the public service to achieve excellence to this end the training division will compile a government trainers directory to include a list of experienced and qualified public officers who have volunteered to serve as government trainers and facilitators for training and development initiatives hosted by the training division these elite public officers will have the privilege of participating in the training divisions first train the trainer program that will be designed and conducted specifically for them the department of the public service therefore invites public officers to indicate their interests in being featured in the governments of St Lucia's trainers directory by completing a short survey the link to the survey can be found on the government of St Lucia's website www.govt.lc slash news slash call for trainers the survey closes august 29 2020 this is ntn nightly up next primus hutchinson with the ntn level a whale covid-19 is a new pandemic disease as declared by the world health organization it is transmitted directly by respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes or indirectly through rubbing the face with contaminated hands there is still no specific treatment or vaccine against covid-19 and as such the farming community should adhere to some special recommendations limit the number of crew members to only essential persons practice frequent hand washing and cleaning of all boat surfaces limit contact with the public keeping a safe distance between each person limit unnecessary conversation with customers and pairs during the sale of fish wash hands frequently with soap and running water or use 60 to 95 percent alcohol based hand sanitizer until water and soap are available sneeze and cough in a flexed elbow or into a tissue immediately discarding the used tissue into a bin and wash hands with soap and water or use an alcohol based hand sanitizer until soap and water is available and avoid close contact with persons having respiratory symptoms more than ever before your important role as gatekeepers of st. Lucia's nutritional health and food security should be taken seriously when you exercise these precautions you not only safeguard your health but also continue to allow all st. Lucia's access to freshly caught fish and other seafood remember it is our responsibility to ensure our nation eats fresh st. Lucia's best welcome back we join primus hudginson for the ntn novel acquial messiota general missy madame department can you ask us ability for information and government services as a gis a television national pay ntn was it a novel acquial was it a primus hudginson missio technical dpi taiwan abadjid project is a government fix it was he to assist a farmer when you can continue to fight court prison track us ma qioka espionce a prediction fake particularly malady blacks it could talk a project for a movement prediction figure set was he cut away e p the cultivator abel a farmer payla for a d a improvement for duo express man they really put malady blacks it could talk a consideration malady coroner he affected prediction fix it tell me so yeah it was to you move a car room to pose a frosty and presque devalues a industry figure government said let's see obviously can you guys get people jade is a poor man fix it let's see al-qarnal janki explains that the farmers are to be a huddy 2008 will make nef mill saguano point d augment a prediction janki ajutiki for the farm are to be degui assist us a lot for transfer you need for an order it's a lady separate as soon as a lot need for a day in your condition kika muti ikawisi where attraction echo chip action obviously you ask us protection plan minister the agriculture cleats alexander diki government ja établis yoma neve for aduci control control malady blacks it could talk a cassia be fast so we can make a pretty much the coordination mr alexander explains that the laparco yon paca detui ve minna kika in a cause black she could talk a say kaff say kaffa c'est pour apêcher ve minna c'est manger c'est fait c'est fin là et qu'on est restaploitation alexander fait qu'au point qui c'est venu blacks c'est pas active pas active du montant quand même mais c'est le temps la pluie yooka venu yooka fait dommage comme je n'ai besoin de loup pour rester vivant alors c'est zone la plia car argent dwee capability venu salat pour dommager y'a lot problem c'est officiel non c'est c'est mille bug kika détrui figs et qui c'est c'est fixe à la ex juste c'est c'est c'est pas pour les autres salars c'est officiel encore là t'organiser un clinique à ce divers protection pour endisctric pour instruir les femmes à maire façon pour contrôler cet immeut salar gouvernement car continue pour assister les femmes pour prouver à ce protection et qu'il m'est facile pour menager operation production figs c'est le c pour je pour bâtir kai à la fag choisie c'est y'a un qui pas cellement car facilité éploiement pour un bordeaux trois hizid qui patica travail mais aussi ça augmente développement économique apparaît salar ça c'est opinion ministre des affaires et développement économique à cette c'est ça c'est on a gai joseph mc joseph t-présent diwan sermoni pour mâcher commencement travail pour pocher salar à la fag me qui n'y passer c'est la ministre de développement économique là ça c'est une direction qui gouvernement caposé attention à ce principal manfaçade sur ce lesi a effor pour sui fait operation machine développement mais plus important j'ai choisi qui trouver location pour dimanche au théo qu'est ça eux-mêmes parce que au cas de la chaute qui saut même au cas de la kaï qui saut même et aussi au cas endéconomia pour aller douf à d'aimant qui c'est facile car il est pour je I don't know what development we are going to be able to do to buy it. Do we have to try to make it happen so that we can benefit from it? Well, it's not about the money. It's not about everyone who plays with the money. But we have to benefit from it. We have to pay for it. We have to have credit unions. We have to choose credit unions. We have to have credit unions. We also have to have different banks that have given us money. We have to pay for it. We have to treat our money really quickly so that we can pay for it. We have to invest our money so that we can benefit. We have to pay our money for it, so that we can benefit from it. We have to pay for it, so that we can benefit from it. But we have to pay our money to the credit unions. We must pay our money. So we have to encourage these banks We are going to the ministerium to go and approve what I have done. We are going to meet here in light. Yes, after noon, we are going to meet here in light. We are going to work with the people who are working here. Especially the people who are on the side of the river. Because we are not going to work here in the hurricane. The river is going to go down and we are going to blow it up. Unless people are going to cross the river. The year before last, we were working here. This is the first phase. We are going to the second phase and continue on the third phase. We are going to work in the development. We are going to work on the government side to look at the development. This is the current year since the beginning. This is the first time that we have worked in the development. We have worked hard and we have done everything to build our development. So this is a good project. I am the development, I am the worker. I have been working on this project. I am also very happy because it was a commitment of mine to be able to come and do this job at a new level. Another job that I have seen right away, maybe next month for October, is to have the experience to go to Diamant. It is a job that is very important for me, for St. Jacques, for Soufouillet. I have the experience, I have the experience to do this job at a new level. And for this job that I have seen right away. We have achieved to do Zenon, we have achieved to do Belphont, we have achieved to do Zenon. And then there is also the little project to do a palm-miss, a frebun, a free fund, a chatom-belet, and then how do we do it at a new level? I think that it is very important for us to do this new level. I thank Mr. Autran for his guidance. He invited me to come and do this job at a new level. Thank you very much. I wish you all the best. I wish you all the best. Thank you very much.