 Welcome to NTN Nightly. I am Genelle Norvell. This edition, Stop Stories. Saint Lucien's urged to finalize preparations for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins first of June. The SLHTS says amendments to the COVID-19 protocols will have a positive economic impact on thousands of displaced inclusions. And more than a dozen students and teachers earn the right to read. Saint Lucien's have been called upon to finalize preparations for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. Tuesday 1st June marks the official start to the hurricane season. However, the region did see the formation of tropical storm Anna on the 22nd of May. Anna, a sub-tropical cyclone, was short-lived and posed no threat to life, no property. Director of the Saint Lucien Met Services, Andrzej Wai, says this hurricane season will be above normal. He says this is the sixth consecutive year that forecasters are predicting above normal activity. The Colorado State University in the April 2021 forecast anticipates that there will be 17 named storms, of which it will develop into hurricanes, with four attaining major hurricane status. NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, predicts a 70% probability of above normal cyclone activity this year. They are expecting the formation of 15 to 20 named storms, of which 6 to 10 will become hurricanes, including 3 to 5 major hurricanes. The tropical storm risk out of the United Kingdom has predictions for 18 named storms, 9 of which will attain hurricane strength, and 4 of them will become major hurricanes. Mr. Jwai is urging the public to have in place disaster management plans at the household level, as well as the business level. While Saint Lucia traditionally experiences heightened cyclone activity between the months of September to November, Mr. Jwai reminds that rain events can occur at any time. We encourage you to consistently follow regional weather developments, and to pay particular attention to local weather reports, advisories and bulletins issued by the Saint Lucia Met Services. The National Emergency Management Organization, NEMO, will also be issuing important directives and information which you are strongly advised to heed. Pre-season rainfall over Saint Lucia this year has generally been near normal, and this trend is likely to continue into July. Rainfall thereafter is expected to be normal to above normal. In spite of this prediction, note that heavy rainfall episodes are an expected feature of our rainy season, and the occurrence of flooding and landslides remain a major concern. The hurricane season officially ends November 30. Prime Minister the Honourable Alan Chastney on Friday 28 May 2021 announced that Cabinet on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer had approved amendments to the COVID-19 prevention and control regulations, effective 31 May 2021 to 30 June 2021. Among the adjusted measures is the lifting of quarantine for returning nationals and visitors who present a negative PCR test and are fully vaccinated. However, random testing will be done at all arrival points. Notwithstanding the relaxation of measures, Honourable Chastney said Saint Lucia is still at a critical point in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, and as such, government anticipates the risk involved and will continue to strengthen the public health system. The Prime Minister also emphasized the need for Saint Lucia to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccination, he noted, reduces the risk of severe illness and transmission. Nevertheless, everyone including fully vaccinated persons must continue to wear their masks, social distance and sanitize. It is even more important that everybody in our communities continues to adhere to the current set of protocols. But at the same time, we're hoping that many more Saint Lucians are going to be encouraged Now that there's seen the number of people who have been vaccinated globally and even here in Saint Lucia, over 27,000 people have already been vaccinated, over 18,000 people have already received their second dose to encourage many more Saint Lucians to become vaccinated. Having a large percentage of the population fully vaccinated, Honourable Chastney added, would enable the country to fully open its economy. Saint Lucia, many Saint Lucians have suffered because of COVID-19. And while the government has done everything we can to mitigate against the fallout, it was impossible to eliminate it. So today's announcement allows many of those small businesses that have been affected, the car rental businesses, small guest houses, Airbnb, bars and restaurants to reopen. But we need to do this safely because as quickly as we've opened up our economy, if in fact we see an increase in cases, as you know, it would cause the government to have to reverse some of our protocols again. So we're all in this together. We can do this. We must do this. And I'm asking you one more time, all of us, despite some of the hesitation that we have, in order to move on and get back to some level of normalcy, to give many solutions the opportunity to take care of themselves and their families, please get vaccinated. 46,771 Saint Lucians have received the AstraZeneca vaccine. 28,118 individuals have received the first dose of the vaccine. And 18,653 individuals have received the second dose. And the National Vaccination Drive continues this week. The sites are as follows. Tuesday, June 1, Darren-Sarmie Cricket Grounds and Philip Masler Grounds. Wednesday, June 2, VG Sports Complex and Denry Mothers Preschool. Friday, June 4, Darren-Sarmie Cricket Grounds, Jack Melwellness Centre and VG Sports Complex. Meanwhile, the Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association, SLHTA, has welcomed the amendments to the COVID-19 protocols. The SLHTA believes these amendments will have a positive economic impact on the lives of the thousands of people who have been displaced within the sector since the COVID-19 pandemic began last year. The SLHTA recognizes that these amendments to the protocols are critical as they convey excellent news to small and medium enterprises, which can now come back on the stream after suffering a tremendous economic blow. While the science is informing the decisions the SLHTA maintains, that all nationals have a responsibility to ensure compliance with the safety protocols and avail themselves of the vaccines. The SLHTA also indicated that it appreciated the quality of engagement between the association and the various government agencies that predated these amendments. President Paul Collimos says relaxing the protocols positions the island to benefit from the windfall of opportunities as the global economy gradually reopens and further reduced the high unemployment caused by COVID-19. Still with COVID-19 developments, this time assistance for impacted individuals under the UN Women and Gender COVID-19 Response Subvention Project. Under the UN Gender, Enabling Gender Responsive Disaster Recovery, Climate and Environmental Resilience in the Caribbean Project, Global Affairs Canada has repurposed funds to support a COVID-19 response through UN Women Multicountry Office in the form of small grants for the tourism and agricultural sectors. Persons in these sectors have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the funds will be offered as a source of relief. This aligns with the Engender Project's mandate as it seeks to further integrate gender equality and the human rights based approaches into disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, environmental management frameworks and interventions, as well as identifying and addressing some of the gaps to ensure equal access to disaster risk reduction, climate change and environment solutions for men, women, boys and girls in nine countries, including St. Glutia. Janie Joseph is the Director of Gender Relations in the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development. None of us, especially those of us whose incomes were not impacted by the pandemic, can fully comprehend what the women whose livelihoods were lost to the COVID-19 pandemic are really experiencing. This initiative only provides a small response to a very deep problem. We know that, but we are very grateful to UN Women for their support in this initiative and their support generally to us in St. Glutia. We are grateful to the Project Management Unit of the Engender Project for their unwavering support, but we are eternally grateful to the Government of Canada for their support at this our lowest point. We hope that the small gesture of support of which you will hear more about during the ceremony will go a long way towards providing relief to the 110 recipients in this most challenging time. Given that in St. Glutia a large majority of jobs and livelihoods are within the agriculture and tourism sectors, many farmers have suffered significant losses during the global lockdown due to the stay-at-home orders and the inability to sell produce to the hotels. Chief Extension Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Natural Resources, Physical Planning and Cooperatives, Komiya Jabatist expressed gratitude for the initiative. But purchasing power is still down and so these vendors at the street markets they continue to contend. They head out with this primary produce and sometimes 50% is sold, 20% there's no telling. And so we see that this COVID-19 has had some severe impact but not just on the vendors, we have the agro-processors. They're involved in producing condiments, they're involved in producing an assortment of products but because purchasing power is highly reduced we see that there is a reduction in the earnings for these women. And so the Department of Agriculture is really thankful that the Engender Project and United Nations women have taken the decision to provide support to those vulnerable populations. The travel restrictions affected accommodations, restaurants, local craft vendors, souvenir shops, taxi drivers, tours and other activities frequented by locals as well as international tourists. Ministry of Tourism, Information and Broadcasting, Culture and Creative Industries, Tourism and Research Officer Tussel Lewis explained that thousands of employees in the tourism sector were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. And again, this program is very important. We see that a lot of women have been disadvantaged during this pandemic we know that a lot of other work is coming up. We have a lot of construction happening on Island. However, we know that it's mostly men who are usually employed within that field. So it's very difficult. We have a lot of women in terms of their skill set for these persons to be re-employed. So this program really is going to be beneficial to them. So on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and its operators we would like to say our heartfelt thank you to the Department of Gender Relations for the introduction and the successful rollout of the UN Women and Gender COVID-19 Response Program. The assistance you have provided here is extremely crucial to these women who depend on the sector in these uncertain times. 60 women craft vendors and tour guides across St. Lucia will receive support in the form of cash grants and food vouchers for two consecutive months. 50 small rural female farmers will be receiving financial support towards purchasing farming equipment. Each recipient will be receiving a voucher valid for one month from the date of issue to redeem at any of the four local farming equipment stores which were pre-selected by the Ministry of Agriculture. From the Government Information Service, I am Janelle Norville. The thrust to inculcate a culture and love for reading amongst the nation's students received a shot in the arm with the publication of writings by students and teachers as part of the OECS-USAID Early Learners Program's Write to Read initiative. Hermadi Mark has that story. The OECS-USAID Early Learners Program celebrated a significant accomplishment with the culmination of the Write to Read program. The program was established in 2017 and provided students and teachers across the OECS the opportunity to become offers of books using the region's early childhood curriculum. After a rigorous process of collection and evaluation of submissions, winners were announced and their submissions were published. The St. Lucia Early Learners Program of the Department of Education held a book launch on May 28th, 2021 where the student and teacher offers from St. Lucia were recognized and provided with copies of their books. Angel Caglin, Curriculum Officer of English at Camdou says this is the beginning of localizing the literature used in schools. Really we want to look at this as a first step to having more locally authored texts in the classroom, in our classroom libraries, in our school libraries, and in our instructional curriculum. So for anyone listening to this program, whether it is today or tomorrow or sometime in the future, consider this the opening ceremony for more publications authored by our students, by our teachers, and by our community members. 18 books were displayed written by 19 students and teachers. The books were published by Caribbean Reads and covered a variety of genres by providing locally made reading resources, the initiative aimed to create an authentic reading experience for students of the OECS and increase their love for reading. Rafa Gauden is the education specialist in the Education Development Management Unit of the OECS. We recognize that we're putting so much emphasis on buying books from the outside to have children to read, and I know from being a former teacher and working with the Ministry of Education, working with teachers directly that we have so much talent out there. We have teachers who are superb writers. We have students who are superb writers. And I remember some of my students when I taught at this iris and secondary school, students that persons may underestimate may assume are not necessarily the most capable. And I think back to some of the writings that I got from some of those students and we realized that rather than putting all the emphasis on getting commercial material that is being produced by people who are, for the most part, outside of the region, we need to celebrate our own. Chief Education Officer in the Department of Education, Dr. Fiona Philip Meyer, encouraged the student officers to celebrate their successes. She expressed gratitude to the agencies involved in the initiative and commended them for their dedication to improving education in the region. We cannot live without me on behalf of the Department of Education extending my sincerest gratitude to USAID, UNICEF, OECS, a partner who is family to us, always there with us as we continue to forge ahead for me always with the most significance of children. Education must be about children. What else? And sometimes it's really the others that take the forefront but we must focus on them. So let me say to you, to everyone here, a job well done. The book launch coincided with Reading Month 2021 which was held under the theme Readers as Creators. From the Government Information Service, I'm Hermione Mark reporting. This is India Nightly. Up next, Primers Hutchinson with the NTN Nouvelle. Welcome back. We join Primers Hutchinson for the NTN Nouvelle. Thank you so much, General. Thank you, Madam Department of Education for the information about this government. This is GIS, National Television, NTN Nouvelle. This is Primers Hutchinson. This government, I have proved, it was by now a charge that was governed in a way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the country. It began in May, in January 2021, when this government continued to enforce the vaccination program and after a series of deliberations under the recommendation that came out of the West Coast to address the operation of COVID-19 in this country without having to go to the Centre. I agree to set up an arrangement for these protocols to make it possible for me to find all the doses of the vaccine so that I can be more free after that. But the public does not understand and follows all these principles for this public, when we serve the masses, the public, social distance, well-being, sanitize, because it can be charged. This is the first time that we have done this in the last four years. I am very happy that we have the opportunity to talk about the diversity of the people in this country in order to help the people in need. This is the first time that we have done this in the last four years. I am very happy that we have the opportunity to make it possible for me to find all these people who have the opportunity to assist the activity I have found in the vaccine all the activities of the public that we can find to approve by the minister of health. The citizens here and the strangers Minister de santé qui a aussi fait assurer que le monde qui a débattu trouver testé. Maguesa, chef officier medical, n'est pouvoir placer n'importe étanger qui a visité un quarantine pour protéger santé publique à cette liste. Pièce activité sociale qui parait plus qu'il s'est qu'un monde qui a trouvé permission après autorisation Minister de santé. La gouvernement cette liste n'est assurée à qui se cherche au salar, qui a fait possible pour ses divers secteurs qui détruvent affecter le salviable par Corona pour commencer opération, et aussi agrandir à son service. Pada Péya continue pour ver façon qui m'a dit salar, que si manger, et que tout le monde peut tout pour conscience qui est nécessaire pour protéger croyo, la famille, examen, pour réduire la capacité malade de Corona Minister de santé qui a formé public la, à cette liste qui continue à s'il y a un programme de la vaccination Commencez l'héritier les trente ans au mois de mai 2021 et qui a un service pour juste vendredi les quatre ans au mois de mai 2021 Programme de la vaccination salar c'est pour public la généralement Commencez à l'âge dix-huit ans et plus haut à plus haut l'âge ça c'est pour trouver première dose là, et que si yo Kikai point deuxième dose là vous commandez pour les individus Kikai, vous recevez deuxième dose la vaccination pour marcher et puis quatre la vaccination qui n'osent là-dedans le premier dose là les peuples ni pour marcher aussi et puis quatre ID national yo pour faciliter service de registration et Kikai nécessaire aussi pour marcher et puis yo qui mangez les jeux et glo comme yo pénis pour aspirer pour un titre pour trouver vacciné c'est ça pour la vaccination Kikai, vous pouvez depuis 9h00 pour jusqu'à 4h00 après midi les peuples qui a trouvé écouagement pour servir aussi ces cliniques au niveau de cette liste qui, yo Kikai, ça a trouvé première dose là, et que si deuxième dose la vaccination Commencez depuis l'héritier les trente ans au mois de mai pour juste aujourd'hui les quatrième au mois de mai 2021 lundi, ça là, qui passe qu'il y a lundi jeudi là c'était à l'hôpital saufier et facilité support à la vigie m'a dit, ça c'est le premier jeun c'est à Kaya Darin somie cricket grounds et ça c'est un beau séjour gosilais et Philippe Mansley grounds à un vieil fort mais que d'ici le deuxième jeun Kaya facilité support à la vigie et Mothers preschool à Denner va-t-il les quatrième jeun Kaya Darin somie cricket grounds avec un wellness centre là Jack Mell, avec aussi facilité support à la vigie Compagnie de l'eau cette liste, ça c'est Wasco j'ai commencé pour placer Tio en fait 300 pieds longés, à sous ponds bonnet pour arriver à Gap 1.0 Compagnie de l'eau Wasco a collaboration avec le gouvernement cette liste, j'ai commencé go initiative ça là with rehabilitation and link Tio sorti à sous ponds au choc pour entrer au cap au jeun salat qui a adressé ces places-là qui plus valuable, à fait qui plus sensible quoi côté je j'ai estimé plus qu'il d'eux pour 3 millions galons de l'eau qui a perdu par jour par conséquence Wasco, j'ai commencé établi à peu près 300 pieds longés Tio à fait sorti à sous ponds bonnet pour Gap 1.0 au gosilais pour replacer ces vieilles Tio 14 mousses qui j'aimais service passé dans mes îles j'ai estimé qui pour Gap 1.0 ou pas plus qu'il d'eux alors Wasco a fait un appel pour cooperation maman publique qui a conduit l'eau aussi à l'année pièce de difficulté de m'entendre à travailler sur la Gap 1.0 c'est quoi ça ? merci mesdames, merci mesdames merci d'avoir invité je n'ai plus encore c'est de concevoir la vie c'est quoi ça ? c'est ce que je veux merci à mesdames merci à tous c'est tout pour la fin de Nt and my Glee Join us next time at 7pm with a repeat at 7am you can also catch up with us anytime on the St. Lucia Government Facebook page or Youtube channel I am General Norwell