COVID-19 pandemic in Trinidad and Tobago explained

COVID-19 pandemic in Trinidad and Tobago
First Case:Trinidad
Confirmed Cases:63865 (as of 17 November)[1]
Recovery Cases:54285 (as of 17 November)
Deaths:1891 (as of 17 November)
Active Cases:7689 (as of 17 November)
Origin:Wuhan, Hubei, China
Arrival Date:12 March 2020
Location:Trinidad and Tobago
Map1:File:Covid-19_Outbreak_Map_TT.jpg-->
Virus Strain:Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Disease:Coronavirus disease 2019
Fatality Rate: (as of 17 November)

The COVID-19 pandemic in Trinidad and Tobago is part of the ongoing global viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was confirmed to have reached the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on 12 March 2020.

Background

On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.[2] [3]

The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[4] [5] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[6] [4]

Timeline

See main article: Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Trinidad and Tobago.

Prevention efforts

Health Minister Terrance Deyalsingh, announced that Trinidad and Tobago had decided to implement restrictions on persons traveling from China. Persons who are living or who have visited China, will be barred from entering Trinidad and Tobago unless they had already been out of China 14 days prior to attempting to travel to Trinidad & Tobago.[7] [8] [9] [10] Travellers whose flights originate from Italy, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Iran, Germany, Spain, and France are also to be restricted.[10] On 16 March, Prime Minister Keith Rowley announced that the country will close its borders to everyone except Trinidad and Tobago nationals and health workers for the next 14 days. Additionally, bars were to be closed and the school closures extended until 20 April.[11] [12] [13] [14] [15] The closure will come into effect by midnight on 17 March.[16] [17] [18] [19]

On 13 March, Rowley announced that schools and universities would be closed across the nation for one week due to the coronavirus fears.[20] [21] On 16 March, the closure was extended until 20 April.[12] [22] [19]

On 15 March, Police Commissioner of T&T Gary Griffith said he would be going into self-quarantine.[23] [24] [25] [26]

Many Hindu associations cancelled Phagwa, Navratri, Ram Navami, and Hanuman Jayanti celebrations.[27] [28] [29] Many other events were also cancelled or postponed.[30] [31]

Restrictions were put in place with regards to prisons nationwide.[32] [33] BPTT closed their offices in their response to the coronavirus.[34] [35] Deyalsingh said there were 3,000 test kits in Trinidad as of 16 March and 1000 more would be coming.[36] Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus announced that pandemic leave would be made available to workers with children.[37] [38] On 21 March, National Security Minister Stuart Young announced the closure of all borders to everyone (including nationals & non nationals) effective midnight on Sunday 22 March. He said no international flights would be allowed to enter the country.However, cargo vessels bringing food and pharmaceuticals into the country would be allowed entry.[39]

On 6 April, Rowley extended the stay-at-home order to 30 April (later extended again to 10 May). He announced that until that date all restaurants would be closed, and several business such as supermarkets, bakeries, pharmacies and hardwares would have adjusted opening hours. He also said that people were to wear facemasks when in public, and that the government would work on distributing masks.[40] [41]

On 31 August, citizens were required by law to wear masks once they were out in public.[42]

In May 2021, the twin island state was experiencing a third wave of COVID-19, and imposed a state of emergency with curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. with some exceptions to essential services including the energy sector, supermarkets, and pharmacies.[43]

Vaccines

In April 2021, Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs announced that it had received 40,000 doses of the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (manufactured by the Serum Institute of India as Covishield) from India as part of the latter's Vaccine Maitri initiative.[44] In June 2021, the US embassy to Trinidad and Tobago was widely mocked after it announced a donation of 80 vials of vaccines (totaling 400 doses) to a country with a population of 1.4 million.[45]

Prime Minister Rowley announced mandatory vaccination for government employees in December 2021, though allowing medical exemptions.[46]

Criticisms of government accounts

Even though the first case of COVID-19 was formally diagnosed on March 12, 2020, and attributed to a traveler from Switzerland, there have been suspicions about the virus circulating locally before then. A visitor to Trinidad and Tobago who returned to Alberta, Canada, was formally diagnosed with the virus there in early March.[47] The province's chief medical officer of health made the announcement on March 11, a day before the first case in Trinidad and Tobago.

On April 16, 2020, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the former Prime Minister and current Opposition Leader, demanded that the government "come clean" about their testing capacity as well as the "true state of the coronavirus spread in Trinidad and Tobago."[48]

Statistics

Active cases per day

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: COVID-19 DAILY UPDATE - Wednesday September 15th, 2021 . 16 September 2021 . health.gov.tt.
  2. Web site: Novel Coronavirus Information Center . Elsevier . Elsevier Connect. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200130171622/https://www.elsevier.com/connect/coronavirus-information-center. 30 January 2020. 15 March 2020.
  3. News: Reynolds . Matt . What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic? . 4 March 2020 . Wired UK. 5 March 2020 . 1357-0978. https://web.archive.org/web/20200305104806/https://www.wired.co.uk/article/china-coronavirus. 5 March 2020. live.
  4. Web site: Crunching the numbers for coronavirus . Imperial News. 13 March 2020 . 15 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200319084913/https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/196137/crunching-numbers-coronavirus/. 19 March 2020. live.
  5. Web site: High consequence infectious diseases (HCID); Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England . GOV.UK . en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200303051938/https://www.gov.uk/guidance/high-consequence-infectious-diseases-hcid. 3 March 2020. 17 March 2020.
  6. Web site: World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus . www.wfsahq.org. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200312233527/https://www.wfsahq.org/resources/coronavirus. 12 March 2020. 15 March 2020.
  7. Web site: COVID-19: T&T closes borders to non-nationals for 14 days.
  8. Web site: Trinidad & Tobago Shuts Out International Community to Stem Spread of COVID-19; Schools Closed. 16 March 2020. 17 March 2020. 18 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200318011818/https://www.caribbean360.com/news/trinidad-tobago-shuts-out-international-community-for-two-weeks-to-stem-spread-of-covid-19. dead.
  9. Web site: Cabinet announces 14-day travel restrictions from China . guardian.co.tt . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200222113407/https://www.guardian.co.tt/neo/NeoProxy.dll?app=NeoDirect&com=6%2F2%2F1042978%2F7a4c342a7f . 22 February 2020 . 27 February 2020.
  10. Web site: 3 more European nations on T&T's COVID-restricted list.
  11. Web site: Jamaica Observer Limited.
  12. Web site: Trinidad and Tobago unplugged: Rowley closes nation's borders for 14 days; pubs to shut down. 16 March 2020.
  13. News: Nanton. Sampson. T&T shuts down borders, bars to be closed. 16 March 2020. Trinidad and Tobago Guardian. 16 March 2020.
  14. Web site: Government ramps up anti-COVID-19 measures in T&T.
  15. Web site: Trinidad & Tobago Shuts Out International Community to Stem Spread of COVID-19; Schools Closed. 16 March 2020. 16 March 2020. 18 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200318011818/https://www.caribbean360.com/news/trinidad-tobago-shuts-out-international-community-for-two-weeks-to-stem-spread-of-covid-19. dead.
  16. News: Clyne. Kalifa Sarah. Government shuts TT borders. 16 March 2020. Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. 16 March 2020.
  17. Web site: CMC, Added 16 March 2020 . Trinidad on lockdown - NationNews Barbados - Local, Regional and International News . Nationnews.com . 19 March 2020 . 18 March 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200318041827/https://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/244418/trinidad-lockdown . dead .
  18. Web site: Trinidad and Tobago Bans All Non-Nationals from Entering Country for 14 Days. 16 March 2020.
  19. Web site: Trinidad & Tobago closes its borders as COVID-19 cases double to four · Global Voices. 16 March 2020.
  20. Web site: Rowley: Schools, universities to be closed for one week. looptt.com. en. 13 March 2020. 17 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200317091303/http://www.looptt.com/content/rowley-schools-universities-be-closed-one-week. dead.
  21. Web site: Schools, universities close for one week, to slow spread of COVID-19. Trinidad Express Newspapers. 13 March 2020 . en. 13 March 2020.
  22. Web site: Schools to remain closed until April 20.
  23. Web site: Coronavirus: Trinidad Police Commissioner Gary Griffith to self-quarantine. 16 March 2020. 16 March 2020. 18 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200318043135/https://www.stlucianewsonline.com/coronavirus-trinidad-police-commissioner-gary-griffith-to-self-quarantine/. dead.
  24. Web site: Trinidad Police Commissioner Gary Griffith to self-quarantine. 15 March 2020.
  25. Web site: Commissioner Griffith is back; self quarantines for 14 days. 15 March 2020.
  26. Web site: Griffith on return from London: I will go in self-quarantine. 14 March 2020.
  27. Web site: No Phagwa in south Trinidad. 14 March 2020.
  28. Web site: Coronavirus scare cancels Phagwa celebrations.
  29. Web site: Phagwa, ELR concert cancelled. 13 March 2020 .
  30. Web site: Events cancelled over covid19 fears. 12 March 2020.
  31. Web site: TT, regional events cancelled over covid19. 13 March 2020.
  32. Web site: Prisons lock down over COVID-19. 16 March 2020 .
  33. Web site: Prison Service limits visits to prevent COVID-19 spread . 16 March 2020 . 18 March 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200318011851/https://www.looptt.com/content/prison-service-limits-visits-prevent-covid-19-spread . dead .
  34. Web site: Coronavirus: Trinidad and Tobago natural gas company BPTT closes offices. 16 March 2020. 16 March 2020. 18 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200318043131/https://www.stlucianewsonline.com/coronavirus-trinidad-and-tobago-natural-gas-company-bptt-closes-offices/. dead.
  35. Web site: BPTT closes offices for one month.
  36. Web site: 3,000 covid19 test kits in TT. 16 March 2020.
  37. Web site: Pandemic leave for workers with children.
  38. Web site: Trinidad: Workers, you can get Pandemic Leave. 16 March 2020. 17 March 2020. 18 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200318043143/https://www.stlucianewsonline.com/trinidad-workers-you-can-get-pandemic-leave/. dead.
  39. Web site: T&T's borders closed to all. Trinidad Express Newspapers. 21 March 2020 .
  40. Web site: Stay-at-Home order extended, PM says all restaurants will be closed . 6 April 2020 . Trinidad and Tobago Guardian.
  41. https://www.stabroeknews.com/2020/04/26/news/regional/trinidad/trinidad-extends-stay-at-home-order-until-may-10/ Trinidad extends stay at home order until May 10
  42. Web site: Parsanlal . Nneka . Senate passes bill for mandatory mask-wearing . LoopTT . 27 September 2020 . 29 August 2020 . 26 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201026162200/http://www.looptt.com/content/watch-senate-passes-bill-mandatory-mask-wearing . dead .
  43. Web site: 2021-05-15. Trinidad and Tobago declares state of emergency as COVID-19 cases surge. 2021-05-16. Reuters.
  44. News: TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO RECEIVES COVID-19 VACCINES FROM INDIA . 26 July 2021 . Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs . 13 April 2021 . en.
  45. Web site: Jankowicz. Mia. The US Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago was mocked after announcing it had donated 80 vials of COVID-19 vaccine to the nation of 1.4 million people. 2021-06-14. Business Insider. en-US.
  46. Web site: 2021-12-21. PSA slams PM's 'vaccine mandate' as unlawful. 2022-01-21. Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. en-US.
  47. News: Hudes . Sammy . 'A new normal': Alberta confirms seven new COVID-19 cases, four from Calgary area . 17 April 2020 . Calgary Herald . 11 March 2020.
  48. News: Kamla slams 'political freak show', demands 'true' COVID-19 stats . 17 April 2020 . Loop News . 16 April 2020 . 7 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200607125607/http://www.looptt.com/content/kamla-slams-political-freak-show-demands-true-covid-19-stats . dead .

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