With the recent re-opening of beaches, a party of Officers from the Maracas Bay Police Station, the North Eastern Division Traffic Unit, the ISOS Unit and motorcyclists of the Traffic Branch Unit conducted both mobile and foot patrols from as early as 8:30am this morning (Saturday 31st October 2020), along the North Coast Road.

The ISOS Officers rewarded beachgoers who were ‘caught in the act’ wearing their masks and observing social distancing practices while enjoying their day out.

They received KFC vouchers for adhering to the Public Health Guidelines.

The Ministry of Health revealed in its daily 4pm update this afternoon (Saturday 31st October 2020) that there is another unfortunate COVID-19 related death in Trinidad and Tobago, plus twenty-four (24) additional cases. This represents a 25% decrease in reported cases from yesterday. The latest death is an elderly male with co-morbidities.

​The Ministry reported thirty-two (32) cases yesterday. The country’s death toll now stands at 108. T&T’s confirmed cases now rises to 5,692, with 974 being active cases. A total of 4,610 patients have recovered from the virus to date.

The Ministry states that of the twenty-four (24) new positive cases, six (6) are persons who recently repatriated. Further, the number of positive cases reported reflects the samples taken during the period 28th - 30th October 2020 and not the last 24 hours.
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In its latest update, the Ministry notes that three (3) persons have been discharged from public health facilities and there have been 152 recovered community cases. Recovered community cases refer to persons who were previously COVID-19 positive and in self-isolation at home, and subsequently met the discharge criteria and were released from self-isolation. ​

The Ministry also notes that there are currently sixty-four (64) COVID-19 positive patients being treated at Hospitals:

• 49 at Couva.
• 13 at Caura.
• 0 at Arima.
• 0 at Augustus Long.
• 0 at St. Ann’s.
• 2 at Scarborough Regional. ​
• 0 at Scarborough General.

Among the patients at Couva, three (3) are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and five (5) are in the High Dependency Unit (HDU). There are also currently thirty-three (33) COVID-19 positive patients in step-down/transition facilities.

​The twenty-four (24) new patients will be processed for admission at the discretion of the CMOHs.

This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates.

The Ministry of Health held a virtual Press Conference at 11am this morning (Saturday 31st October 2020) to update the public on the latest developments with COVID-19 in Trinidad and Tobago. ​

​Below are the key points discussed today:

- Minister of Health, Terrence Deyalsingh, stated that the long-awaited Antigen Rapid Testing Kits have arrived, on schedule, this week. Minister Deyalsingh indicates that the decentralization of COVID-19 testing is now complete.

- The Health Minister also stated that these Antigen tests, apart from being able to yield results much faster than the PCR tests, are also far cheaper - priced at US $6 each as opposed to US $100 for the completion of a single PCR test.

- Technical Director of Epidemiology at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Avery Hinds, displayed statistics that showed that COVID-19 is on the increase on a global scale. However, the data collected in T&T shows that new cases of the virus continue to decrease.

- Principal Medical Officer of Epidemiology, Dr. Naresh Nandram, shared some details about the advantages of the Antigen Rapid Testing Kits and how they compare to PCR testing. Dr. Nandram stated that while PCR testing requires a Laboratory setting with highly trained staff, the Antigen tests do not require a lab at all and are point-of-care machines, which means that they can be carried to the patients.

- Dr. Nandram demonstrated the relative ease in which these Kits are operated and said that they are able to give results in 30 minutes. He also indicated that the Accident & Emergency Departments of all Hospitals will be supplied with these Antigen Test Kits.

Watch the Press Conference below in its entirety.

The Ministry of Health will be hosting a virtual Press Conference at 11am this morning (Saturday 31st October 2020) to update the public about the latest developments with COVID-19 in Trinidad and Tobago.

​The Ministry reported thirty-two (32) cases yesterday. The country’s death toll currently stands at 107.

​Watch the live stream of the Press Conference below when it begins at 11am.

This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates.

Sean Connery, the Scottish actor whose five-decade long movie career was dominated by the role of James Bond, has died at the age of 90, according to a BBC report, which cited a statement from his son, Jason Connery. He was the first Bond and is widely-regarded by fans as the best Bond in the entire franchise.

Connery, who was knighted by the Queen in 2000 for his contribution to the arts, played the British spy in a total of seven (7) movies between 1962 to 1983: "Dr. No," "From Russia with Love," "Goldfinger," "Thunderball," "You Only Live Twice," "Diamonds are Forever," and "Never Say Never Again."

Connery undertook the difficult task of breaking free of his Bond character and was successful - starring in many other films, including an Alfred Hitchcock film - 1964's "Marnie," opposite Tippi Hedren, 1974's "Murder on the Orient Express," 1989's "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (playing Indiana Jones' father), "The Hunt For Red October," and "The Rock." He won an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his performance as Chicago cop Jim Malone in the 1987 film "The Untouchables."

​He also won 2 BAFTA awards and 3 Golden Globes and held the "Sexiest Man Alive” crown. He once finished third place in the "Mr. Universe" contest back in 1953.

Connery is survived by his second wife, Micheline Roquebrune, and his son Jason. RIP.

The Ministry of Health revealed in its daily 4pm update this afternoon (Friday 30th October 2020) that there are thirty-two (32) additional COVID-19 cases in Trinidad and Tobago. This represents a 23.81% decrease in reported cases from yesterday.

​The Ministry reported forty-two (42) cases yesterday. The country’s death toll currently stands at 107. T&T’s confirmed cases now rises to 5,668, with 1,106 being active cases. A total of 4,455 patients have recovered from the virus to date.

The Ministry states that the number of positive cases reported reflects the samples taken during the period 27th - 29th October 2020 and not the last 24 hours.

In its latest update, the Ministry notes that one (1) person has been discharged from public health facilities and there have been 161 recovered community cases. Recovered community cases refer to persons who were previously COVID-19 positive and in self-isolation at home, and subsequently met the discharge criteria and were released from self-isolation. ​

The Ministry also notes that there are currently sixty (60) COVID-19 positive patients being treated at Hospitals:

• 46 at Couva.
• 12 at Caura.
• 0 at Arima.
• 0 at Augustus Long.
• 0 at St. Ann’s.
• 2 at Scarborough Regional. ​
• 0 at Scarborough General.

Among the patients at Couva, three (3) are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and five (5) are in the High Dependency Unit (HDU). There are also currently thirty-three (33) COVID-19 positive patients in step-down/transition facilities.

​The thirty-two (32) new patients will be processed for admission at the discretion of the CMOHs.
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This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates.

Netflix is gearing up for another price hike for its streaming service. The updated pricing is already in effect for new customers while existing users in the United States will see the increase over the coming weeks.

Netflix’s basic plan (single screen) will continue to cost U.S $8.99 per month, while its most popular standard plan (2 screens) will see a jump by 7.7% from U.S $12.99 to U.S $13.99 per month. The top-tier premium plan will get the biggest increase, by 12.5%, from U.S $15.99 to U.S $17.99 per month.

What does this mean for Netflix customers in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean? Well, for now the price hike only seems to apply to U.S customers but this could foreshadow what’s to come in the near future.

The last time Netflix raised its prices was back in January 2019. The company is facing increased competition in the streaming market with recent services like Apple TV+, Disney+, Peacock and HBO Max.

Netflix’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Product Officer, Greg Peters, recently hinted that a price jump was coming at an earnings call. He said that as the company invests more into both content and tech developments, they’ll “occasionally go back and ask [customers] to pay a little bit more to keep that virtuous cycle of investment and value creation going.”

​In the past, Netflix’s CEO Reed Hastings has said the company is okay with losing some customers due to things like price hikes and competitors.

[Source]

The Ministry of Health revealed in its daily 4pm update this afternoon (Thursday 29th October 2020) that there are forty-two (42) additional COVID-19 cases in Trinidad and Tobago. This represents a 61.54% increase in reported cases from yesterday.

​The Ministry reported twenty-six (26) cases and another unfortunate death yesterday. The country’s death toll currently stands at 107. T&T’s confirmed cases now jumps to 5,636, with 1,236 being active cases. A total of 4,293 patients have recovered from the virus to date.

The Ministry states that of the forty-two (42) new positive cases, one (1) is a person who recently repatriated. Further, the number of positive cases reported reflects the samples taken during the period 26th - 28th October 2020 and not the last 24 hours.

In its latest update, the Ministry notes that four (4) persons have been discharged from public health facilities and there have been forty-three (43) recovered community cases. Recovered community cases refer to persons who were previously COVID-19 positive and in self-isolation at home, and subsequently met the discharge criteria and were released from self-isolation. ​

The Ministry also notes that there are currently fifty-eight (58) COVID-19 positive patients being treated at Hospitals:

• 45 at Couva.
• 10 at Caura.
• 0 at Arima.
• 0 at Augustus Long.
• 0 at St. Ann’s.
• 3 at Scarborough Regional. ​
• 0 at Scarborough General.

Among the patients at Couva, three (3) are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and six (6) are in the High Dependency Unit (HDU). There are also currently thirty-two (32) COVID-19 positive patients in step-down/transition facilities.

​The forty-two (42) new patients will be processed for admission at the discretion of the CMOHs.
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This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates.

The Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service (TTMS) has advised that periodic showers and Thunderstorms are anticipated over this weekend and into the new week as a large area of convergence is approaching the region. The Met Office notes that the situation will be dynamic, however, this Friday (30th October 2020), Saturday and Monday looks like the most significant days in terms of rainfall and Thunderstorm activity.

Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami is also closely monitoring this area of disturbance and notes the following at 8am this morning (Thursday 29th October 2020):

The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) have detained twenty-one (21) illegal Venezuelans in Chatham, South Trinidad. The arrests were made by Officers of the Cedros Police Station, the South Western Division Task Force (SWDTF) and the Emergency Response Patrol (ERP).

The group, comprising of thirteen (13) males, four (4) females and four (4) children, was attempting to enter the country illegally via a beach in the Chatham area.

Two (2) Officers proceeded to the Chatham coastline around 6:45am yesterday after information from the South Western Operations Centre reported an unidentified vessel in the area. There, they observed a large group of persons walking along a track from the coastline, leading to an abandoned two-storey house. The Officers pursued the group and took up strategic positions while awaiting the arrival of SWDTF and the ERP.

After the Venezuelans entered the building, the Officers identified themselves and detained the group. While attempting to manage the situation and preserve order, the Officers observed one man holding a white crocus bag, attempting to return to the shore. One Officer intercepted the man and relieved him of the bag which contained a 16-gauge shotgun.

The firearm was seized and the group was taken to be tested for the COVID-19 virus and to be quarantined. Investigations are continuing into the matter.