CALL US AT:

Familiar COVID-19 restrictions and closures are back in effect, as the authorities seek to arrest the growing number of cases in the country.

Last Saturday Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Roshan Parasram confirmed community spread.

With these increasing numbers, Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley then announced the suspension of some activities and closure of places.

Hundreds of people flooded the beaches and rivers yesterday, wanting to take a dip before the closures.

Maracas was a population location and so too the Valencia River.

At Maracas Bay the head of the lifeguards station there, Captain Kirk Morton told Newscenter 5 yesterday there were thousands of persons rushing for their last soak in the salt.

He said there were even longer lines of packed vehicles waiting to get in.

Captain Morton said persons were not wearing masks.

Last Saturday Prime Minister Dr. Rowley said the wearing of masks would become law.

And an elderly man drowned at Clifton Hill Beach.

Police have confirmed that Dharaj Ramnarine drowned yesterday afternoon at a round 2 o’clock.

His body was removed to the San Fernando Mortuary.

Police say they are investigating the circumstances surrounding Mr. Ramnarine’s death.

A father of 3 has died of the coronavirus, bringing to 3 the number of related deaths in the country in less than a week.

The patient was 45 years old.

He is now the 11^th person to have died from complications due to the coronavirus.

The patient died at the Couva Hospital on Sunday.

Reports say the man showed symptoms of the virus about 2 weeks ago.

He went to a Public Health Facility and was tested for the virus.

He went into self-quarantine until the results came back positive last Saturday.

The man was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit in Couva and placed on a ventilator.

It is reported his family has been placed in quarantine, pending tests.

The number of active cases in the country was 401, up to the last release from the Ministry of Health.

The Ministry said the country has seen 552 positive cases.

The Ministry’s last update said 33 additional persons tested positive.

It said it was awaiting lab forms for categorisation purposes.

One hundred and forty persons have been treated and discharged.

A police exercise in Morvant and San Juan has led to the arrests of 2 men for narcotics possession.

The exercise last Saturday also uncovered arms and ammunition in an abandoned lot.

Police say between noon and 3:30 pm officers of the North Eastern Division Task Force visited several properties in the Morvant and San Juan areas, where they arrested a man for having 17 grams of cocaine.

Another man from Morvant was allegedly held with 160 grams of marijuana.

Officers say they found and seized 1 assault rifle with 1 magazine and 10 rounds of ammunition in a building at Saw Mill Avenue in Morvant.

The recount of the ballots in the St. Joseph constituency continues today and the Chief Elections Officer is hoping it will be completed soon.

St. Joseph is among five seats where the results from last Monday’s General Election were challenged by the United National Congress.

While the preliminary results show victory for the peoples national movement, the UNC called for a recount in the constituencies of La Horquetta/Talparo, Tunapuna, Toco/Sangre Grande San Fernando west and St. Joseph.

This morning Chief Elections Officer Fern Narcis Scope said this morning St. Joseph is outstanding.

And opposition leader Kamla Persad Bissessar is being told to accept her party has lost the election.

The call comes from former opposition MP Dr. Fuad Khan.

He says the Peoples National Movement won the August 10^th General Elections fair and square just as the Peoples Partnership did in 2010.

Dr. Khan says to cast doubt on the EBC is wrong.

Dr. Khan says it is sad that Mrs. Persad Bissessar is leading UNC supporters down this road.

He was speaking via a Facebook post yesterday.

The Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association is cautioning its members on their social media conduct.

TTUTA is calling for prudence when using the various platforms.

President Antonia De Freitas says all teachers must be mindful of what they put out in public.

Ms. De Freitas told Newscenter 5 yesterday the nation’s teachers are held to a higher standard and as such must exercise caution when posting on social media.   

Two additional cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Tobago.

In a release this morning the Division of Health Wellness and Family Development says both are contacts of a recently positive COVID-19 case.

Additionally the division says all established protocols have been implemented of contact tracing which is ongoing.

Tobago has now recorded 8 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.

The division is again urging members of the public to follow all measures outlined to mitigate the spread of the virus including staying home when ill.

The division will host a news conference this afternoon to discuss the recent developments on the island.

United National Congress candidate for Tunapuna David Nahkid says the challenge of the results should not be seen as a bad thing for the country.

Speaking with Newscenter 5 yesterday Mr. Nahkid said his party’s call for the recount shows democracy is alive.

Mr. Nahkid also said the words of Dr. Rowley worsen the situation.

He said only until the process is complete will he consider his next option.

It is now official the Peoples National Movement has won the General Election.

The Elections and Boundaries Commission yesterday released the preliminary figures for Monday’s General Election.

The preliminary figures show that the PNM won 22 of the 41 seats in the parliament, with the remaining 19 going to the main opposition United National Congress.

But the EBC said yesterday the recount was still taking place in 5 constituencies as had been requested by the defeated UNC candidates for the constituencies of St. Joseph, Tunapuna, La Horquetta/Talparo, Toco/Sangre Grande, San Fernando west.

Now that the General Election campaign is over health officials are bracing for what could be a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Roshan Parasram says during the campaign many people paid no attention to the protocols created to minimise the spread of the virus.

Speaking at yesterday’s COVID-19 media update, acting principal medical officer in charge of institutions, Dr. Miriam Abdool Richards said facilities are being checked.

Director of the Epidemiology Division, Dr. Avery Hinds said there has been a steady increase in the number of daily cases of the virus.

Dr. Hinds said 64 percent of immediate cases are from clusters.

The latest bulletin from the Ministry of Health last night said there have been 326 infections in the country.

One hundred and seventy-nine are active cases.

There is a total of 18 new cases, between August 5^th to August 12^th.