 Welcome to NTN Nightly. I'm Hermadi Mark. This edition, Stop Stories. Government to increase resources for contact tracing and testing amid heightened COVID-19 measures. The Allen's Prime Minister calls on Saint-Duchess to do the right thing as the nation faces soaring COVID-19 cases. Over the last 14 days, Saint-Duchess has seen a dramatic increase in the cases of COVID-19. 497 new cases were recorded from August 4th to the 14th, taking the number of active cases in country to 1,025. On Wednesday, 18th August, the Ministry of Health reported 158 new cases and two deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths in country to 69 and the total number of COVID-19 related deaths to 28. The deceased are a 69-year-old female from the Dennery District and a 79-year-old female from the Grosally District. At a press conference Thursday, Minister of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs Hon. Moses Jabattus stressed that testing and contact tracing remain important tools in mitigating against the spread of the virus. Hon. Jabattus informed that government is working on increasing the resources available to the public health sector. During the period January to March 2021, 17,527 tests were done. And between the period April to July 2021, 22,722 tests were done, an increase of 5,200 tests. We encourage more solutions to get tested. We will increase the testing sites and are seeking support for additional supplies for testing. It is only when we test as many people as possible will we know the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic here in St. Lucia. I am advised that the Ezra Long Lab now has the capacity to also increase the number of tests per day with the acquisition of new and advanced machines. We are in the process of providing additional support to the contact tracing team and to the team which monitors patients in home isolation. Currently, we have only one doctor and four home isolation monitors for the whole of St. Lucia. We will change this situation and make it better. Prime Minister Hon. Philip J. Pierce says the government is taking a holistic approach to combating COVID-19. However, the cooperation of the general public is crucial. The Prime Minister has called on St. Lucia to take responsibility for their actions. He says vaccination and education are key pillars in the fights. It's very simple. The science has shown that the vaccination plus the public health matters are the only way for now that will stem the surge of COVID. So our first approach is to get people vaccinated. And very soon, in fact, tonight, we're going to be having a discussion on vaccination. We cannot force people to get vaccinated, but we can ask them that vaccination may save their lives. So it's going to be constant education and constant discussion and constant trying to get people to understand that they have to vaccinate for their own good and the good of their families. Health Minister Hon. Moses Jabatis has echoed the Prime Minister's plea for the public to adhere to the COVID-19 measures. I'm advised that mass gatherings for social events are still taking place and the leadership of the Royal St. Lucia Police Force have reviewed the situation with a view to ensuring that the owners and organisers of these events, some of them very well known, desist. The contact tracing information has demonstrated that most of the current cases, in fact a large majority of the cases, have originated from very large social gatherings, mainly in the north of St. Lucia. And the age range most affected is the 25 to 49 age range. Social activities, mainly in the north of St. Lucia. Grozile, babuno, castries. In addressing government's decisions not to implement stricter protocols, Prime Minister Pierre indicated that the government will not intimidate nationals into compliance, rather encourage people participation in the management of the pandemic. There are thousands of cases in our court system. I'll give an example. In traffic cases, there are a number of people who have traffic tickets and the police just don't have the manpower to prosecute them. So it doesn't make any sense that we create that level of animosity. Did you see that animosity of people being dragged for wearing a mask and the fights and things? What we're saying is that we're trying to encourage people to do what is right for them. And we think that the majority of people in St. Lucia understand that what the government wants for them is good. And I believe basically in the goodness of mankind and I think by constant education and constant speaking, not coercion or force that people will wear a mask and will bring this scourge under control. But if it doesn't happen, then after consultation with the people who matter, the scientists, then we'll take another position. And I really believe I have faith in the people of St. Lucia that they will do the right thing. Prime Minister Philip J. Pier. Meantime, the national fight against COVID-19 received a major shot in the arm with the arrival of thousands of doses of the Pfizer vaccine from the United States. More from Lisa Joseph. Immunisation against COVID-19 is imperative in ending the global pandemic. As such, St. Lucia, like many countries around the world, are ramping up vaccination efforts. A donation of 52,650 doses of Pfizer vaccines now provides St. Lucia who have decided to get the job with a choice between Pfizer and AstraZeneca. At a ceremony for the arrival of the Pfizer vaccines at the George F. L. Charles airport, Prime Minister Philip J. Pier welcomed the assistance of the government of the United States in St. Lucia's efforts to manage and mitigate against COVID-19. The world's response of shutdowns of social and economic activity and travel bans have been painful and has had significant collateral effects on our societies and economies. We cannot shut down forever. Though not the only measure, vaccines are currently our best defence amongst a number of other interventions which we have had to adopt personally and collectively. Few people love the idea of taking medicines. However, medicines like many other technologies are an indispensable part of today's world. We in the Caribbean have had a long and successful history of using vaccines to protect our people from infectious diseases. Vaccines have enabled society to manage and overcome many diseases like measles, smallpox, polio, yellow fever, among others. US ambassador to the eastern Caribbean and Barbados, Excellency Linda Tagliatella, reaffirmed President Joe Biden's commitment to St. Lucia, indicating that it was fitting that the first in-person meeting with Prime Minister Pierre began with the vaccine handover. The donation the US ambassador said is a concrete demonstration of the partnership between St. Lucia and the United States. The United States is proud to donate more than 52,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses free of charge to the people of St. Lucia. This is the first tranche of the 169 COVID-19 vaccine doses committed to St. Lucia. We thank the manufacture of these vaccines, Pfizer, for the research and the work in making this donation possible. I also want to thank the many people of the United States, from the White House, to the CDC, to my own embassy, who have spent countless hours organizing a holo government global health campaign to defeat the virus. I want to thank the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health, and everyone on your team for working with the United States and the international community for taking these steps that will restore health and prosperity to the region. Minister for Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs Hon. Mose Shabbatis says the government will roll out new initiatives to encourage vaccination among St. Lucia's young population. These vaccines will specifically be helpful in vaccinating our younger people who are at increased risk from the Delta variant of the vaccine. This vaccination drive will also be useful in facilitating the safe reopening of our schools and continuing the education of our young people. This historic donation to the countries by the United States government will protect the health of people throughout the world who will benefit from these life-saving vaccines. Minister for External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation, and the Diospora Affairs Hon. Alva Baptiste reiterated the government's appreciation for the timely donation. This generous donation of the United States comes at an opportune moment when the country is experiencing an upsurge in COVID-19 cases. It is my expectation that the donation from the United States will complement the doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine already procured by the government, thus improving people's access and choice to vaccines, decreasing the infection rate on fatalities, improving the health and medical capacity, and bringing economic recovery and social development. These vaccines will be properly administered and allocated to ensure the utmost benefit to the people of St. Lucia. The vaccines which arrived in St. Lucia on 17 August 2021 is the first tranche of 169,000 doses committed to St. Lucia from the United States of America. From the Government Information Service, Lisa Joseph reporting. Sadricot General Insurance has partnered with the Darren Sammy Foundation to provide educational tools and supplies to the island's youth. Five students will now get a chance to pursue their dreams as a result of this initiative. More in this report. The Darren Sammy Foundation was launched in July 2016 as a non-profit charitable organization to assist the youth of St. Lucia. Earlier this month, the organization awarded 20 full academic scholarships to the Zilvian students across the island with the assistance of several sponsors, including Sadricot General Insurance. According to the Assistant Manager for Eastern Caribbean Operations, Mrs. Deborah Rahul, Sadricot General leans very deeply into the overall vision of Sadricot, which is to impact the lives of people in the communities it serves. And the Foundation provided the perfect opportunity to do just that. You find that people, you know, families, their needs have increased, or their need for assistance, rather. It has increased significantly by persons being affected as a result of the pandemic. So we really saw this as an opportunity to play our part in impacting those lives positively. And based on what the Foundation has informed us, we will be assisting primary school students and we will actually be able to assist five students with that donation. Vice President of the Darren Sammy Foundation, Kathy Danielle Sammy, says one of the long-term goals of the Foundation is to support the island's youth through education or sports as far as the university level into island sports groups and the Olympics. According to Mrs. Sammy, it is extremely encouraging when companies lend their support as more resources can impact more students. Every year we get parents who give testimonies, students who give testimonies. We had about three our last event held last week. And it's always a reminder of why we're doing what we're doing. The parents are grateful. The children are grateful. We can see that the impact of the Foundation goes a really long way, not only just in school supplies, but just a burden lifted off of the parents' shoulders, even the entire family. And the children themselves are motivated to know that Darren Sammy has a hand in their education and is backing them 100%. So that, again, pushes them to even do better than before. As part of its corporate social responsibility drive, Surgical General has recently made donations to the Cassie's Lions Club towards the building of wheelchair ramps in Active Hill and will be launching several of its own initiatives to educate and support communities, such as an arts competition associated with climate change and an educational campaign around defensive driving. From the Government Information Service, Lisa Joseph reporting. A unique exhibition that presents the diversity and complexity in the Caribbean before the arrival of the Europeans. August 1st to the 31st at the 100-year-old Anglican Annex open daily, 8am to 5pm. Be part of the past, still present today through stunning exhibits accompanied by live cultural street entertainment. Save the dates. August 1st to the 31st. Welcome back. We'll now join Primus Hutchinson for the Antion Nouvelle Cuyol. I say good morning. Prime Minister Honourable Philip J. Pierre and the Minister of Public Health for the City of Mosejiabatis, the chain of consultations and the media work, the journalists, in a certain financial administration to better consider the many places where Prime Minister Honourable Philip J. Pierre says that the Government has placed a lot of pressure on its education. They also work to establish a programme to encourage more people to get vaccinated. But it is said that the same set of commands that the Government presents immediately are the decisions that are necessary to ensure that these costs can be placed here and the opposition that it serves. The Minister of Public Health for the City of Mosejiabatis declares that the Government has the power to help the people of Mosejiabatis and the people of Mosejiabatis. The Minister of Public Health for the City of Mosejiabatis declares that the Government has the power to help the people of Mosejiabatis discuss the issue of racism between the Government and the City of Mosejiabatis. The Minister of Public Health declares that the Government has placed a lot of pressure on its education to ensure that the Government To make sure the hands sanitise, I know it's a minibus association, even if it's done the same way. There's a minibus driver who has a hand sanitizer in his office, that's a great thing, nobody else has a hand sanitizer, even if it's a machine, just put it in the minibus. We can continue to talk with you, and how can we help you? We can sanitise, and you can do anything. Goverment Nouveau recite ici, j'a cas considuer pour établir un système d'éducation qui caille sympaiment les étudiants. C'est ministre qui n'y a pas responsabilité pour égalité avec justice sociale au noir du Hakem Hennuil qui fait annonce au salar d'une sérumonie pour les membres parlementés sérumonés m'a dit pas si même pas c'est. C'est le ministre Nui, gouvernement qui a commencé à souffler cela pour aider payer premièrement facilité collier et que l'on l'abuisait pour les étudiants aussi pour y équiper l'égromination matamarique avec anglais. On a décidé de payer 6 exipomatiques anglais, c'est un commencement, c'est un mouvement d'expo parce que nous voulons échoager, maman, participer à l'éducation coté, yoccawayoccafort, contribution, un commencement coté, nous continuons pour exister qu'on paye aussi bien à d'autres leviers plus, du coup c'estluding, c'est juste de manière à la stoked position d'un recommandant pour les boîteur. On godt rentrer un quart engine, mais un It's a good advice to you who are able to fight for the health of the people who live and are good to everyone. It's healthy food, a good cycle, a good health care, a good day and a good night. We have the Gophice in North, the one called Power Sdenry, in the North, Yolanda, Alcindor. We have the Law Scythe that has affected the stroke, the tension. It causes pressure. It's important for us to connect with each other, so that we can be happy with each other, so that we can be satisfied with each other. Because if we want to help each other, if we want to help each other, we have to have complications. We have to understand these complications, so that we can help each other, so that we can help each other, so that we can control the disease, so that we can prevent the worst. If we want to help each other, it's important for us to connect with each other, so that we can help each other, so that we can be satisfied with each other. So that we can adopt a good habit of the new age. So that we can help each other, so that we can help each other, so that we can immediately change the habit of the new age. It's important for us to be active, to exercise every day, to eat well, to eat a lot of food, to cut off the amount of food that we eat, to drink water, to sleep well, to serve alcohol, to serve moderation, to not smoke, and so on. So that we can have a good health, so that we can develop diseases. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the end of today's news. I want to thank Mr Otta for inviting me to the invitation. I would also like to mention that we have a lot of new people to help us, so that we can help each other. I'm Umadi Mark.