2020_coronavirus_pandemic_in_Trinidad_and_Tobago

COVID-19 pandemic in Trinidad and Tobago

COVID-19 pandemic in Trinidad and Tobago

Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Trinidad and Tobago


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.

Quick Facts Disease, Virus strain ...

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

More information Date, # of cases ...

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.[9][10][11][12] Travellers whose flights originate from Italy, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Iran, Germany, Spain, and France are also to be restricted.[12] 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.[13][14][15][16][17] The closure will come into effect by midnight on 17 March.[18][19][20][21]

On 13 March, Rowley announced that schools and universities would be closed across the nation for one week due to the coronavirus fears.[22][23] On 16 March, the closure was extended until 20 April.[14][24][21]

On 15 March, Police Commissioner of T&T Gary Griffith said he would be going into self-quarantine.[25][26][27][28]

Many Hindu associations cancelled Phagwa, Navratri, Ram Navami, and Hanuman Jayanti celebrations.[29][30][31] Many other events were also cancelled or postponed.[32][33]

Restrictions were put in place with regards to prisons nationwide.[34][35] BPTT closed their offices in their response to the coronavirus.[36][37] Deyalsingh said there were 3,000 test kits in Trinidad as of 16 March and 1000 more would be coming.[38] Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus announced that pandemic leave would be made available to workers with children.[39][40] 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.[41]

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.[42][43]

On 31 August, citizens were required by law to wear masks once they were out in public.[44]

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.[45]

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.[46] 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.[47]

Prime Minister Rowley announced mandatory vaccination for government employees in December 2021, though allowing medical exemptions.[48]

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.[49] The province's chief medical officer of health made the announcement on March 11,[49] 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."[50]

Statistics

Cumulative confirmed cases, recoveries and deaths


New cases per day

Deaths per day

Active cases per day

Chronology of the number of active cases in Trinidad and Tobago.


Graphics

See also


References

  1. "COVID-19 DAILY UPDATE - Wednesday September 15th, 2021". health.gov.tt. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  2. Elsevier. "Novel Coronavirus Information Center". Elsevier Connect. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  3. Reynolds, Matt (4 March 2020). "What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic?". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  4. "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus". Imperial News. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  5. "World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus". www.wfsahq.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  6. "Ministry of Health COVID-19 Media Release Archive". Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Health.
  7. "Ministry of Health, Trinidad & Tobago: COVID-19 Tracker". Ministry of Health. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  8. "Cabinet announces 14-day travel restrictions from China". guardian.co.tt. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  9. Nanton, Sampson (16 March 2020). "T&T shuts down borders, bars to be closed". Trinidad and Tobago Guardian. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  10. Clyne, Kalifa Sarah (16 March 2020). "Government shuts TT borders". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  11. CMC, Added 16 March 2020. "Trinidad on lockdown - NationNews Barbados - Local, Regional and International News". Nationnews.com. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. "Rowley: Schools, universities to be closed for one week". looptt.com. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  13. "Schools, universities close for one week, to slow spread of COVID-19". Trinidad Express Newspapers. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  14. "Coronavirus: Trinidad Police Commissioner Gary Griffith to self-quarantine". 16 March 2020. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  15. "Prison Service limits visits to prevent COVID-19 spread". Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  16. "Coronavirus: Trinidad and Tobago natural gas company BPTT closes offices". 16 March 2020. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  17. "Trinidad: Workers, you can get Pandemic Leave". 16 March 2020. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  18. "T&T's borders closed to all". Trinidad Express Newspapers. 21 March 2020.
  19. Trinidad extends stay at home order until May 10, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO NEWS, published April 25, 2020
  20. Parsanlal, Nneka (29 August 2020). "Senate passes bill for mandatory mask-wearing". LoopTT. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  21. "TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO RECEIVES COVID-19 VACCINES FROM INDIA". Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  22. "PSA slams PM's 'vaccine mandate' as unlawful". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  23. Hudes, Sammy (11 March 2020). "'A new normal': Alberta confirms seven new COVID-19 cases, four from Calgary area". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  24. "Kamla slams 'political freak show', demands 'true' COVID-19 stats". Loop News. 16 April 2020. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.

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