Trinidad and Tobago: State of emergency imposed as COVID-19 gets out of control

Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Dr Keith Rowley declared a state of emergency considering the massive rise in coronavirus cases. The SOE will remain in place along with a curfew from 9 pm to 5 am daily.

The decision of the state of emergency comes after the country’s health structure is overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. The state of emergency is imposed for an indefinite period; however, the prime minister stated that if the virus graphs lower only,, some restrictions could be relaxed on May 23rd.

All essential services, including national security, health, energy, utilities, ports, airports, and supermarkets, remain open during a state of emergency.

Prime Minister has advised people not to panic and hoard food and other items; he assured that all supply systems would prevail in place.

Thoracic Medical Director at the Caura Hospital, Dr. Michelle Trotman, made urged people to maintain distance from each other and regularly sanitize including the wearing of face masks.

Dr Trotman stated that some people dying of COVID-19 made confessions that they attended parties from where they contracted the virus.

Prime Minister also stated that the postponement issue of the Secondary Entrance exam would be addressed by the ministry of education and decision will be told.

Besides this, the government is also deciding to bring 100,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China next Saturday. Minister of Health Terrance Deyalsingh stated that elderly people at care homes will be immunized first, and other priorities would be given to health workers, a person over 60 and people under 50 with existing health disease.

Principal Medical Officer Dr. Maryam Abdool-Richards stated that the 7-day rolling standard for COVID-19 cases is now 380, and there is an uptick in COVID-19 related hospital admissions of 30 to 50 patients across the hospital system regularly.

ICU beds in Trinidad and Tobago are 100% at their capacity, while HDU beds are at 95%.