 Hi there, I'm Hermadi Mark from the Government Information Service. This is your Midday News Brief. The Ministry of Health and Wellness is now better equipped to monitor and manage the home quarantine process in the national battle against COVID-19. Faced with breaches of home quarantine protocols, the ministry has announced an improved approach to surveillance through the use of technology. This will be achieved through the use of two electronic monitoring devices, the Biobutton and wristwatch. On Monday 4 January 2021, the police force announced that it is assisting the Ministry of Health with detaining individuals who refuse to abide by the provisions of home quarantine and escorting them to government quarantine facilities. Authorities have made it clear that anyone not adhering to the terms of home quarantine upon a review by the Ministry of Health will have their approval revoked and placed at a government quarantine facility at his or her own expense. A ton of information regarding possible breaches of the conditions of home quarantine is asked to call the nearest police station immediately. Caribbean hotel magnet Gordon Butch Stewart has died. The founder and chairman of Sandals Resorts International died on the evening of January 4th, 2021. Prime Minister Hon. Alan Shastney has paid tribute to the Caribbean giant, whom he said was never an ordinary man. Butch Stewart Hon. Shastney added, dreamed big as a pioneer and a trailblazer. Prime Minister Shastney recalled as a young director of tourism in the 90s, he had convinced Butch Stewart to take a chance on St. Lucia. Three hotels and 2,000 jobs later, the legacy and impact of Sandals is indisputable. No one individual Hon. Shastney notes has ever left such an indelible footprint on the Caribbean region or had been more responsible for the development of the Caribbean brand. Hon. Shastney says not only has he lost a former boss from his airline days, but a mentor and more importantly a close friend. Prime Minister Hon. Alan Shastney has pledged St. Lucia's support to sister Isles and Vincent under Grenadines and Martinique amid seismic activity in the two countries. Hon. Shastney did so during an emergency meeting of the OECS authority held virtually on December 31, 2020. A three-member team from the University of the West Indies UWI Seismic Research Centre is in St. Vincent to monitor the volcanic activities. There has been no evacuation for residents thus far, however OECS member states have pledged over 3,000 rooms for accommodation and will continue to assess their accommodation capabilities should more rooms be needed as they remain on standby to assist if an evacuation is ordered. Member states also pled support of personnel, air, sea and land transportation among offers of other practical assistants. This has been your Midday News Brief. Stay tuned to the National Television Network. Until next time, I'm Humadi Mark.