Caribbean News
It Is Important For Passengers On Specific Flights To Make Contact With Health Ministry
#Jamaica – March 25, 2020 (JIS) — The Ministry of Health and Wellness is calling on passengers of specific flights to make contact with them, as the country works to stave off the coronavirus (COVID-19).
In an interview with JIS News, Director for the Emergency, Disaster Management and Special Services Branch at the Ministry, Dr. Nicole Dawkins-Wright, explained that there are numerous reasons for reaching out to persons who may have come into the island on a particular flight.
She said it is important for persons to self-identify to reduce the level of risk for themselves and for their loved ones.
“If, for example, we recognise that there’s an individual who becomes ill and it is detected in our system that they came in on a flight, then there is scientific support to gauge the level of risk to the persons who were in the immediate vicinity of that person while in flight,” she said.
Dr. Dawkins-Wright noted that this information would have been taken from the flight manifest, which the airport operators would have had from fairly early, and that the health authorities would have already reached out to the persons who are at highest risk, even before the call goes out to the public for persons to call.
“We do know that… while the greatest risk is for those who are around those persons for extended periods, short flights (less than two hours) are not so bad,” she said.
“The longer flights tend to be the ones that are more concerning, especially because on those flights people are more likely to move about in the cabin,” she added.
Dr. Dawkins-Wright explained that the Ministry has increased its capacity for this response by partnering with a business process outsourcing entity “to develop a call centre that allows persons to call in, so that we can screen those individuals”.
“That allows us to reach people who are on the flight a lot faster, although we would have already identified those at highest risk,” she said.
According to Dr. Dawkins-Wright, the system is also used as a means to allay fears that passengers may have about possible exposure to COVID-19.
“We know as well that with the current situation, when people realise that an infected person was on their flight, persons are going to be anxious and need to be reassured, so we open up and say that this is a flight of concern,” she said.
According to Dr. Dawkins-Wright, when persons call the Ministry, personnel can help to reduce the level of anxiety and panic in the population.
Bahamas News
Work of NAECOB critical in ensuring high standards in education, says Minister Hanna-Martin
“We’re the Ministry of Education and they’re our schools. We are accountable to NAECOB. They ensure that what is happening on the campuses throughout the nation meets the physical standards and the qualitative standards of education. You would have heard classroom size and teacher/student ratio. We may have challenges, and we do at the Ministry of Education but when these issues are brought to our attention we are obliged and compelled to seek resolution to ensure that the standards are met.
the criteria to offer an educational service in The Bahamas as outlined in the Education Act. She said it is mandatory that all educational institutions/provider offering/proposing to offer an educational service in the Bahamas must be registered according to the NAECOB Act and the Education Act.BIS Photos/Mark Ford
Header: Seated at the table, from left: – Lorraine Armbrister, Permanent Secretary; Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin; Dominique McCartney Russell, Acting Director; Cassia Minnis, Registration Officer; Thelma Grimes, Council Chairperson; Howard Newbold, Inspector, Council Member; Shena Williams, Council and Inspector; Dorothy Anderson, Inspector; T. Nicola McKay, Deputy Chairperson; (seated behind) Willard Barr, Council and Inspector.
1st insert: Thelma Grimes, Council Chairperson
2nd insert: Howard Newbold, Inspector and Council Member
3rd insert: The Hon. Glenys Hanna-Martin, Minister of Education and Technical and Vocational Training
4th insert: Cassia Minnis, Registration Officer
#TheBahamas, March 27, 2023 – As the 50th anniversary of our nation’s independence approaches, Bahamians everywhere are teeming with excitement and expectancy around the year-long celebrations set by The National
Independence Secretariat.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister joined H.E Leslia Miller Brice, Chair of The National Independence Secretariat to unveil the Calendar of Events for the 50th Independence celebrations.
The calendar comprises a host of events, initiatives and recommendations for celebrations throughout all 33 islands of The Bahamas.
At this jubilant occasion the PM stated, “Celebrating independence is about acknowledging the greatness around us, the greatness within us, and the greatness ahead of us.
We are Bahamians. That identity is special.”
View the newly released calendar of events here:
#Kingston, March 28, 2023 – There are currently 12,362 seniors registered under the Government’s new Social Pension Programme.
Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Karl Samuda, made the disclosure during the sitting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House on March 2, at Gordon House.
The initiative targets all Jamaican citizens 75 years and older who are not currently in receipt of a pension (overseas or local) or any other retirement, old-age or disability benefit or regular income, and are not living in a government
institutionalised care facility.
“We are evaluating the manner in which we qualify persons to go on the programme. This is a discussion we will have to have, as some people fall through the cracks simply because they might have a refrigerator, or they might be lucky enough to have a television at home,” Mr. Samuda said.
“The direction in which we are heading, to have those things, does not move you from poverty to prosperity. So, the Government has an obligation to do everything possible to improve their quality of life, and so we will be looking at that,” the Minister added.
Mr. Samuda said between March 2022 and January 2023, the programme disbursed $446 million.
To register for the social pension programme, persons may visit any of the Ministry’s parish offices islandwide.
They will be required to complete a social pension application form, accompanied by their Tax Registration Number (TRN), National Insurance Scheme (NIS) card, and proof of age in the form of a birth certificate or a valid passport.
They should also take along a valid identification (ID), such as a driver’s licence, passport or voter’s ID, proof of bank account and any other document that may be required to process the application, for example, proof of citizenship.
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