TCI News
People sleeping in cars hoping for help; No testing in TCI creating a Humanitarian crisis
#Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – September 7, 2020 — People have given up their apartments and are sleeping in their vehicles, some are hanging around just hoping and waiting and others are crying as they plead for assistance, but still there is no help for foreign workers who are out of money, out of time and seemingly out of luck when it comes to having a Covid-19 PCR test done in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
It has now become a humanitarian crisis for some of those who have been, for days, waiting to hear that the Turks and Caicos Islands Government has approved a community-based laboratory, which can perform the desperately needed test.
Entry requirements amidst the pandemic continue to be a stranglehold for travel, globally. It is no longer easy and from the Turks and Caicos to destinations which demand a negative result for COVID-19, it seems impossible.
Government, despite months of outcry, is “stubbornly” holding its positions.
One, that they will not prioritise testing for travellers and two, that they will not permit anyone else to test or even take swabs in order for results to come from approved laboratories abroad.
It is a mystifying posture, to put it mildly.
One which is driving people to extremes, including begging for help, camping out at the local lab, Accu Diagnostics and calling media attention to their plight.
No one from the Ministry of Health is speaking. No one from government is offering any public statement to navigate a way through this manageable dilemma.
A flight out of the Turks and Caicos tomorrow is what nine Filipinos are hoping they are aboard. The group is made of staff who have resigned or been terminated due to the impact on travel and tourism of the coronavirus pandemic.
Three stops for the travelers require negative PCR tests; Dominican Republic, Dubai and home in the Philippines. The DR is a transit stop, with a seven hour layover; but Dubai will not allow the travelers in without a negative test result. Already, the Filipinos who hope to depart tomorrow will be cutting it close, due to the days within which the negative result has to be provided.
ACCU Diagnostics has submitted the final standard for Ministry of Health approval since this past Thursday. Four days on and there is no approval and the official authorization is a must for ACCU which would otherwise face criminal offence; warned a Ministry of Health notice on August 31, 2020.
The notice followed a declaration by Edwin Astwood, the Minister of Health, that ACCU Diagnostics was already supporting government’s testing regime and approved as a coronavirus community testing centre.
It turned out to be another useless statement and embarrassing mix-up by the Ministry of Health.
Work permit holders were told by the Government to leave the country if furloughed or terminated. Work permit holders were also told by the Government it is illegal for them to be in Turks and Caicos unemployed or seeking new employment. Now, Work Permit holders are being told ‘no’ to requests for coronavirus testing, by the very same Government.
The Filipinos have explained to Magnetic Media, they are “suffering”, want to return to their country and that yes, they are prepared to pay for the COVID-19 test in order to begin that journey home.
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, September 19, 2023 – After an active summer of events, Turks and Caicos Islands School Sports (TCISS) season 2023/24 will open with TCISS Football for Boys and Girls on September 30, 2023.
The opening ceremony of TCISS Football will take place at the TCI Football Association on Venetian Road, Providenciales and we will commute to the National Stadium for the games. Games will take place weekly on Fridays and Saturdays. After making their debut last year, TCISS Girls Football will run concurrently with Boys Football on a split pitch from September through October. The championship games are slated for October 28, 2023.
Last year’s Girls’ football champions were the Marjorie Basden High School after defeating the British West Indies Collegiate 2-1. The Boys’ champions were the Clement Howell High School who beat out the Elite High School who forfeited the game 1-0. All current students, fans and alumni are encouraged to watch the games weekly each Friday and Saturday, with tickets for Adults $5 and Children $3.
TCISS Boys Basketball quickly picks up after the Football season ends, spanning from early November 2023 to January 2024. Home and away games are one the highlights of this event, affording all teams a chance at a ‘home-court’ advantage throughout the season. As is tradition in TCISS, schools will be randomly selected and placed into pools to compete. Ultimately the strongest teams will meet at the championships. The reigning champions are the Clement Howell High School who defeated the A. Louise Garland Thomas High School 92-56 for the gold.
In a double-team affair, TCISS Girls Softball will launch a few weeks post Boys Basketball’s commencement, for a
season which lasts from November 2023 – January 2024. This means softball and basketball seasons will run concurrently like last year, and tickets will allow entry to both games. The reigning champions are the HJ Robinson High School who won the championships 14-6 in their hometown Grand Turk against the Wesley Methodist High School. The championships will return to the nation’s capital next year, in honour of last year’s champions.
Ending the TCISS season will be the Track and Field events also known as Athletics. The Athletics opener will be the Track and Field Development meets. Historically this has been segmented into two meets: Sprints and Throws, Distance and Jumps.
Following will be the TCISS Inter-High Track and Field Championships also known as Nationals in March 2024 then the TCISS Inter-Primary Track and Field Championships also in March. Last year’s champions of Inter-High was the A. Louise Garland Thomas High School and for Inter-Primary the Ona Glinton Primary School. After being implemented last season, TCISS Track and Field champions are determined by a medal count with gold holding the most weight.
TCISS 2023/24 Sport Schedule
- TCISS Inter-High School Football Boys, TCISS Inter-High School Football Girls – September 30, 2023 – October 28, 2023 (Providenciales)
- TCISS Inter-High School Basketball – November 2023 – January 2024 (All-Island)
- TCISS Inter-High School Softball – November 2023 – January 2023 (Season Games – Providenciales. Semi-finals & Championships – Grand Turk)
- Track and Field Development Meets – February 2024
- TCISS Inter-High School Track and Field – February – March 2024 (Providenciales)
- TCISS Inter-Primary School Track and Field – March 2023 (Providenciales)
The full TCISS event schedule and further updates will be found on the TCI Sports Commission’s website www.gov.tc/sports/.
For the latest news on the TCISS, fans can follow on Instagram (@tcisportscommission) and Facebook (Turks and Caicos Islands Sports Commission). To share your experience with TCISS on social, use the hashtags #TCISS and #morethanjustsports.
Wilkie Arthur
Freelance Court Reporter
#TurksandCaicos, September 19, 2023 – A young son is left without a father, taken through gun violence and his mother, now deported back to her home country of Jamaica.
A Jamaican woman, ANDREA ROSE MARIE ATKINSON, now in her late fifties, who was married to a Wheeland, Blue Hills, Providenciales native, appeared before the Hon. Chief Magistrate Mr. Jolyon Hatmin.
Atkinson was charged on August 7th with remaining in the Islands beyond the permitted time. The Chief Magistrate (CM) asked the lady if she would like an opportunity to get legal representation? She said, your Honour, I just want
to get this over with because “mi can’t take da cell no more” “mi bin lock up now fa sa much days, mi just a plea guilty and go back to mi Yard.”
The lady, communicating in her native, raw Jamaican patois tried to explain to the CM that she once had a permanent resident certificate (PRC) but after the divorced she was trying to get a work permit.
She said, yes, she overstayed but she was trying to make herself legal.
The woman asked the CM for some time to sort out her son and her things before they send her home. The mother of a boy child told the chief magistrate that she didn’t know where her child was because since law enforcement arrested her and took her into Immigration lock-up and since, she has not seen or heard from her son.
This matter was heard in August.
Investigation by this reporter uncovered that the son, a Turks and Caicos Islander, was taken in by one of the deceased sisters; therefore an aunt to the boy.
The CM sentenced the Jamaican woman ANDREA ROSE MARIE ATKINSON to a fine of $2,000.00 to be paid immediately in default, she will serve 90 days imprisonment.
He also recommended deportation; giving the former PRC holder seven days to sort out her son and her belongings.
The First (1st) Sitting of the First (1st) Meeting of the Third (3rd) Session of the Twelfth (12th) Legislature of the House of Assembly of the Turks & Caicos Islands
The Opening Ceremony for the First (1st) Sitting of the First (1st) Meeting of the Third (3rd) Session of the Twelfth (12th) Legislature of the House of Assembly occurred on the 14th September at 10 o’clock in the forenoon with its usual pomp and fanfare.
During the proceedings, the Honourable Premier and Minister for Public Policy, Hon. C. Washington Misick, moved
the motion that the House of Assembly be suspended to allow for the reading of the Speech from the Throne, presented by Her Excellency, the Governor Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam.
The Speech from the Throne, having highlighted some of the Government’s accomplishments since being elected to office on 19th February 2021, culminated with the proposed Legislative Agenda to be considered for the upcoming legislative year which included, but is not limited to:
Constitution (Amendment) Order;
Retiring Allowance (Amendment) Bill;
Community College (Amendment) Bill;
Gaming Control (Amendment) Bill;
Business Licensing (Amendment) Bill;
Real Estate Licensing Bill
Immigration Bill; and
Crown Land (Amendment) Bill
The Speech from the Throne took a long-term perspective and placed emphasis on fulfilling the objectives of the Vision 2040 document and the Government’s strategic plan to move the Turks and Caicos Islands towards developed country status within the next two decades by investing in projects and policies that will result in a more robust triple-bottom-line economy.
The Speech from the Throne also addressed short to medium term deliverables; highlighting that the Governmen
t has twelve (12) high-priority projects being progressed. It posited that the National Delivery Unit (NDU) is tasked with assisting project owners and implementers advance the Government’s priorities. The value added by this Unit is the facilitation with streamlining of project management processes to ensure the most efficient timelines and use of available resources – all for the ultimate benefit of the citizens of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The day’s proceeding ended with a motion entitled: Write-Off of TC Invest/TOLCO Loan that was tabled by the Minister of Finance, the Honourable E. Jay Saunders. The motion which sought to write off $10.8 million in debt accumulated by scores of borrowers was passed. This write-off was a welcomed intervention by many Turks and Caicos Islanders, laden with debt obligations for over 11 years following the divestiture of the former TC Invest Agency. The write-off directly affects over 150 borrowers but is indirectly beneficial to many more.
For some, giving them a second lease on life, which, when property ownership is considered can be extended to inter-generationally.
-
News1 week agoGrand Turk Mother put in Prison; charged with possession of bullet
-
News1 week agoTCI Records First Quarter of Negative Growth Throne Speech reveals
-
Bahamas News6 days agoPM Davis: Botswana State Visit is ‘the growth of a deeply rooted friendship’
-
Bahamas News1 week agoPlane crash landed in The Bahamas, no injuries reported
-
News1 week agoTCI Boat Club Donates $17,000 to Kidney Foundation
-
News1 week agoDesperate mother takes RISK; charged HUGE FINE $12,000 for smuggling Child to TCI
-
Caribbean News1 week agoHealth Ministry Intensifies Efforts to Prevent Dengue Outbreak
-
Bahamas News1 week agoBotswana and The Bahamas ink MOU