Covid-19 Virtual News Conference – 6th Apr – 2020, 10:20am. – Trinidad and Tobago.
Below is a summary of the press conference on April 6 2020.
The major points are:
- All restaurants are closed til April 30 2020 from tomorrow.
- Please wear masks when venturing outside.
- Schools remain closed till April 30th
- Please stop hoarding drugs
Prime Minister Keith Rowley:
– Stay at home will be extended to 30th April.
– Masks are recommended if persons must venture outside.
– Hardware stores including electrical and plumbing establishments are permitted from 8 – 12 noon, Monday to Saturday.
– Supermarkets, fruit stalls, vegetable shops, bakeries and parlours must close by 6pm
– Wholesale type business must close by 4pm daily
– Pharmacies must close by 8pm daily
– All Restaurants are closing until 30th of April effective tomorrow.
– Religious gathering is now 5 persons
– Schools will remain closed until April 30th. Education Ministry has to meet on further dates. SEA to be rescheduled.
– Fishermen are considered essential and sale of fish will still be allowed allowing for proper hygiene practices and social distancing.
– These restrictions will be policed on a tighter basis.
– He said Trinidad and Tobago is hoping for that the rules of international laws will be observed by the US military presence off of Venezuela (Question from reporter)
– Guyana elections: Hoping that CARICOM can again be invited, this time to supervise the re-count.
– Wholesale suppliers of alcohol can only sell to retail. (answer by Minister Young about Alcohol sale)
Minister of Health – Terrence Deyalsingh
– 833 samples tested
– 105 positive persons
– 8 deaths (all occurred in at risk population: elderly with pre-existing conditions)
– 1 discharge
-Guidelines for elderly homes are to be published in today’s papers.
– Addressed panic buying of experimental drugs to treat COVID-19 and price gouging of drug (from 3.20 retail to 10.00).
– It is depriving malaria and rheumatoid and lupus persons access to the drug.
– There is no scientific evidence that the drug treats COVID-19 at this time.
– MOH is looking to distribute cloth masks (not n95) to population, through MP’s, local corporations and Bus terminals and also using an NGO.
Chief Medical Officer – Dr. Parasram
– 96 persons hospitalized
– 26 patients doing well at Caura (including 17 transferred from Couva)
– 70 persons in total at Couva, 66 persons doing well, 14 to be moved out in next few days.
– 1 person requiring ICU and 1 person in HDU at Couva.
– 22 persons continue to be negative from Balandra. When their 14 days are up, they will be released to their families.
– MOH has expecting to see new cases with persons who came into contact with travel persons or primary contact.
-There is still have some local transmission possibility based on investigation.
– Clarification – Persons undergoing tested, fall into two categories; mild – tested and allowed to go home signing a quarantine order; more severe – hospitalized at special facility awaiting test results. (Question from reporter)
– We are at the end of the 14 days for the 20,000 persons returning to Tnt. Today is the 15th day.