National Weekly December 3, 2020

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 3, 2020

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TOP STORIES

What Unity?

PNP’s Damion Crawford Slams President Mark Golding and Lisa Hanna in Leaked Voice Note

Over 30 Jamaicans Taken Off Deportation Flight From the UK

Lewis Hamilton Tests Positive for Coronavirus

By Sheri-Kae McLeod

If the opposition People’s National Party thought they had a tough job convincing Jamaicans that they are working towards unity, the challenges are more monumental now—thanks to a recently leaked, no-holds-barred voice note from Damion Crawford.

Holder Set for Major Appearance in Big Bash

Florida Surpasses 1 Million COVID Cases

continues on B4 – What Unity?

Diaspora Skeptical of COVID-19 Vaccine

By Sheri-Kae McLeod

The end of November saw a third pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, announcing that its COVID-19 vaccine trials were up to 90 percent effective.

The company joined Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna as the major companies which have completed vaccine trials and are now seeking FDA approval for the drug. The companies have said that clinical trials showed the vaccine is 90-95 percent effective.

U.S. Health officials say they believe at least one of the vaccines could be administered as early as the end of December, giving hope to Americans who are now suffering from pandemic fatigue.

While the vaccine does present light at the end

of the tunnel for not only Americans but all global citizens, getting the diaspora vaccinated won’t be an easy task.

Jamaica’s minister of health and wellness, Dr. Christopher Tufton recently noted the challenge that the ministry now faces because of the massive skepticism of Jamaicans.

"There are persons in Jamaica as I believe in the world who feel that vaccines are not safe, who feel that there are side effects that could be quite dangerous and I go to the very extreme, where persons argue that it's a conspiracy theory to support particular interests, large multinationals and wealthy families," said Tufton during a press briefing in November.

Here in the U.S., a similar

It is predicted that 20 million American residents will be able to get vaccinated from the rst batch of the drug.

Among the rst people who will be vaccinated are health care workers, nursing home residents, and factory workers.

challenge exists for public health officials. Some members of the diaspora are looking forward to the drug, while others have already written it off.

“There's no way in the world that anyone is gonna convince me to take this vaccine," John Dillenger, a New York resident, told CNW Network Correspondent Lena Inglis. "I'm paranoid when it comes to certain things like that. I wouldn't do it and I wouldn't let my family do."

"I feel like we don't have enough testing on it," shared another NY resident, Ally Joe. "There's not enough research on it and we don't know the side effects that it will have on people. I'm not excited about it," she said. continues on B4 – Skeptical

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Paulwell: Newly Elected Chairman of the People’s National Party A3

Miami-Dade’s New Mayor Tests Positive for COVID-19 c1

Antigua Mourns Death of Cultural Icon Calypso Joe c1

Sir Wes Hall Immortalized With Bronze Statue c3

Undocumented Caribbean Immigrants in New York Can Now Obtain Driver’s Licenses

Jamaica Named the World’s Leading Cruise Destination

CARICOM Joins in Observing World Aids Day

A2 – NATIONAL WEEKLY | THURSDAY, DEC 3 – DEC 9, 2020 | CNWNETWORK.COM

PAGE 2 LENDING A HAND: (LR) Bianca, Joan, Lynne, Blandine and Sharleene, volunteer at a food drive Hosted by the Faith Center in Lauderhill in conjunc on with Feeding South Florida at the Faith center in Lauderhill recently.

VOLUNTEERS: These young men from the Eagles team volunteer their services at a recent food drive hosted by the Faith Center in Lauderhill. – Contributed.

ACTIVIST AT WORK: Community ac vist Dr. Dennis Grant speaking at a recent community event in Lauderhill. – Contributed THUMBS UP: South East Diaspora head Dr. Allan Cuningham and Jamaican Consul General Oliver Mair pose for a photo at a Jamaica ci zenship swearing-in ceremony recently. – Contributed

GIVING BACK: Sixme Olympic medalist ShellyAnn Fraser Pryce with a student at the Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Resource Center in Waterhouse, St. Andrew, Jamaica.Contributed

FOR THE YOUTH: Celebrated Jamaican track star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has opened the Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Resource Centre for the children of her home community of Waterhouse in St. Andrew, Jamaica. – Contributed

UNBROKEN SERVICE: Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartle (le )Josef Forstmayr, Member of the Board of Directors for the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) with a special gi for over two decades of unbroken service. – Contributed.

CARING: Volunteers unload food supplies from a Feeding South Florida truck at a food drive hosted by the Faith Center in Lauderhill. The collabora ve effort brought much-needed food to many who are food insecure due to COVID-19. – Contributed

NATIONAL WEEKLY | THURSDAY, DEC 3 – DEC 9, 2020 | CNWNETWORK.COM –

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Phillip Paulwell

Newly Elected Chairman of the People’s National Party Phillip Paulwell, a longtime member of Jamaica’s opposition party, the People’s National Party (PNP), has been elected to another executive position in the party, this time as chairman.

The former PNP vice president was elected by the membership of the National Executive Council (NEC) at Jamaica College in St. Andrew on Sunday, November 29.

Paulwell defeated Angela BrownBurke in the chairman’s race, bagging 153 votes, with Brown-Burke tallying 133.

“I am a party man. I was born in this party, grew up in this party and I will be here until I die,” Paulwell said following the announcement of the results. While he was not the candidate that PNP president, Mark Golding, supported, Paulwell maintained he would be loyal to the leadership of the party.

He also stated that because of his experience working with various PNP leaders, he is the person best suited to heal the divisions in the party. He noted that during a time of party crisis, he was frequently called on by past leaders to help unite the party.

Paulwell also said that while he

Paulwell

works to rebuild the PNP, he is also working to correct the perception being put forward that he lacks integrity. “I probably haven’t done a good job in debunking some of the nonsense out there about my career.

I have worked and served this country hard and focused less on public relations,” he said while on a local radio program.

Paulwell has been one of the most prominent members of the PNP. His political career began in 1995 when he was appointed to the Upper House as a senator where he served until 1997. He served as minister of state in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce during the same period.

He entered the Lower House as a member of parliament (MP) in 1997 after winning the election in the constituency of Kingston East and

Among his many achievements as a government minister, Paulwell is credited with the liberalization of the telecommunications sector. In 2000, he was the recipient of the Gleaner Honor Award for implementing historic measures to break the 25year telecommunications monopoly and introduce competition in the sector.

Port Royal, where he has severed as MP since. Between January 1998 and September 2007, he served as minister of industry, technology, and energy as well as minister of industry and commerce.

Prior to 1995, Paulwell served in very senior positions in the government of Jamaica—legal officer of the Jamaica Commodity Trading Company Limited, executive director and trade administrator of the Trade Board Limited and as the first executive director of the Fair Trading Commission.

Those appointments followed his graduation from Excelsior High School, the University of the West Indies (LL.B Hons, 1986) and the Norman Manley Law School (Certificate in Legal Education, 1988). While pursuing his graduate studies, he also served as a part-time lecturer and tutor in company law at the Excelsior Community College and the College of Arts Science and Technology (now the University of Technology).

But as many achievements as Paulwell has had, he has also been involved in several scandals. His most infamous political indiscretion was the Cuban light bulb saga in 2007.

Paulwell was at the center of a scandal after it emerged that the Jamaican government had accrued a bill of more the US$3.95 million for the distribution of some four million

energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs donated by the government of Cuba to the people of Jamaica. The matter was turned over to the Jamaican director of public prosecutions and the Fraud Squad following allegations that Paulwell, then-minister of energy, industry and commerce, and Kern Spencer, then-minister of state within the Energy Ministry, awarded lucrative contracts for nationwide distribution of the bulbs to two companies that were incorporated by personal friend or relatives.

However, a government investigation into the affair later absolved Paulwell of any wrongdoing, but he resigned as minister in 2007.

After the PNP won the election in 2011, Paulwell returned to the Ministry of Energy, Mining, Science and Technology in 2012. In 2018, he was elected as one of the four vice presidents of the party.

The 58-year-old is currently the opposition minister of science, technology, energy and mining. He is also the sitting president of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) and the chairman of the PNP's Region 3, a position he has held since 2006.

In 2000, Phillip Paulwell married popular Jamaican designer Kerry-Ann Clarke, but the couple later divorced. Paulwell has one daughter, Terry-Ann.

A4 – NATIONAL WEEKLY | THURSDAY, DEC 3 – DEC 9, 2020 | CNWNETWORK.COM

Trinidad Launches New Initiative To Lure Tourists Trinidad and Tobago Monday launched a new initiative aimed at luring tourists to the nation, with officials indicating there were airlines expressing interest in flying to the country.

Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts Randall Mitchell, speaking at the launch of “Destination Trinidad Website,” said it is a follow-up to the VisitTobago Website in marketing and promoting both destinations and stakeholders expect both to stand out in a very competitive tourism Industry.

“In addition to our destination marketing, in terms of destination development, we are also seeking to improve airlift and presently we are in discussions with a couple of airlines who have expressed interest in flying to Tobago as well as Trinidad when the world moves to open up postCOVID-19.” continues on B4 – Lure Tourists

Barbados Celebrates 54th Anniversary of Independence Barbados is observed its 54th anniversary of political independence from Britain on Monday, November 30, amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has severely affected the island's socioeconomic development in recent months.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley, addressing the nation from National Hero's Square in the capital, Bridgetown, said despite the pandemic, Barbadians still had much to celebrate. She acknowledged “we are not going to get there overnight” referring to the vision for the island in a changing global environment.

But she said, like all previous heads of government, her administration is intent on transforming the lives of nationals and her administration has been and will continue to put in place the necessary policies to achieve such a goal.

“Our children, who are the recipient of leadership badges every independence, we would

have wanted to be here this morning, but it was not practical or advisable and hence I salute them too for their leadership at all stages in our school system as we conferred the leadership badges on them on Friday…

“And for the most obvious group of persons for which this wonderful and modest Square in size could not be sufficient, those who are literally our front line workers, and I can't use the past tense, because the battle is still very much on.

“Our Parliament will have laid before it a special piece of legislation to confer the Barbados Humanitarian Medal for all of our frontline workers in this country regardless of where they fought,” Mottley said, adding the government will also seek to amend the National Heroes Act in order to be able to ensure the island can confirm more than one Gold Medal of Achievement for extraordinary service and causes that literally have protected Barbados over

the course of the previous year.

She said she was looking forward to a date in January “when we shall bring from the doctors, the nurses, the lab assistants, the lab technologists, the supermarket workers, the port officers, the customs… who stood and protected us in this moment of one of our gravest challenges since becoming an independent nation.”

Last month, Barbados removed the statue of British Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson from the Square in the capital, two months after announcing plans to replace Britain's Queen Elizabeth as its head of state and move on from its colonial past.

In her address, Prime Minister Mottley told Barbadians they should use the occasion of the independence celebrations to reflect on the journey so far, adding “the journey happens because we stay the course.”

Caribbean Airlines Re-introduces Flights From Jamaica to North America Trinidad and Tobago's stateowned Caribbean Airline (CAL) says it is re-introducing flights between Montego Bay and Kingston in Jamaica to North America for the Christmas and New Year holiday season.

The airline said starting December 16, customers can fly twice weekly on Wednesday and Sunday between Kingston and Toronto.

From December 19, there will be flights three times weekly between Montego Bay and New York on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“We are pleased to offer our customers travel options during the upcoming peak holiday season,” said Garvin Medera, CAL's chief executive officer.

“Despite this being a challenging year for the aviation industry, our teams continue to work to provide customers at our active networks, the choice of safe, reliable travel,” he added.

The airline, like others around the world, had been severely impacted by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic resulting in many countries closing their borders.

CAL said as it resumes its services, it also wanted to remind customers they need to check the required COVID-19 travel protocols for entry into their respective destinations, and the airline's travel guide which outlines the necessary guidelines for air travel.

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NATIONAL WEEKLY | THURSDAY, DEC 3 – DEC 9, 2020 | CNWNETWORK.COM –

A5

Talk UP Will You Take the COVID-19 Vaccine?

A third pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, announced at the end of November that its COVID-19 vaccine trials were up to 90 percent effective.

The company joined Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna as the major companies which have completed vaccine trials and are now seeking FDA approval for the drug.

While the vaccine presents a light at the end of the tunnel for citizens around the globe, getting the diaspora vaccinated will prove a difficult feat.

Public health officials are now facing the challenge of mass skepticism about the drug, which could possibly be on the market this month. We asked some members of the diaspora if they would take the COVID-19 vaccine.

Tianna Cates - I’m not excited about the COVID vaccine. I feel like it’s a set-up. It runs in my family, we don’t even take the flu shot. And whenever one of us takes it, we get sick. So I’m not trusting that vaccine.

You can also look for us in Jamaica

James David - I’m willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine. I have severe asthma and underlying conditions and catching the virus, would result in death or something severe. I would need the vaccine to be able to go about without a mask.

John Dillenger - I’m not excited about this COVID-19 vaccine. There’s no way in the world anyone is gonna be able to convince me to take this vaccine. Who’s to say what the vaccine is gonna do? We don’t know the long-term effects on the body. I’m paranoid when it comes to things like that. I wouldn’t take it and I wouldn’t let my family take it or anything like that.

Ally Joe - I’m not excited for the COVID vaccine. I don’t think anyone is right now. I feel like we don’t have enough testing on it, I feel like there’s not enough research on it. And we don’t know the side-effects that it will have on people. If they offered it now, I wouldn’t take it.

I want to wait until it’s been tested on more humans and animals and then I’ll take it.

Yvette Dario - I’m on the fence about taking it immediately when it comes out. I don’t trust that it’s safe. I would rather wait to see how those who take it first are affected. If it’s proven to be safe, then I’ll take it.

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A6 – NATIONAL WEEKLY | THURSDAY, DEC 3 – DEC 9, 2020 | CNWNETWORK.COM

EDITORIAL

Time To Elect Our President

By National Popular Vote F rankly, it’s extremely frustrating for Caribbean Americans and over 80 million other American voters to hear various commentators repeatedly say Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States if the Electoral College votes for him on December 14.

By using the word if instead of when, it connotes the dubious implication that the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Biden won by 6,193,251 votes so far, are not conclusive, and could change depending on the votes of the 538 electors who comprise the Electoral College.

In almost every other country, free or under dictatorial rule, there would be no doubt a presidential candidate who won by over six million votes would be readily declared the winner.

America is a rare country where a presidential candidate can win the popular vote but lose an election. This awkward result has occurred five times in previous presidential elections—in 1824, 1876, 1888, and more recently in 2000 and 2016 when Democrats Al Gore and Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost to George W. Bush and Donald Trump respectively.

In their attempt to create a system in which presidents are elected fairly and without doubt, the Founding Fathers devised a system of plural verification. The system begins with votes cast by voters, then certified by each state weeks later, then by state electors in mid-December, and finally approved by the U.S. Congress in early January.

Technically, even if a candidate wins the presidency by a shellacking landslide his/her victory isn’t confirmed until congressional approval is given in January.

This system, implemented in the late 18th century, allocates electoral votes to each state based on its population size, and congressional representation. Thus, largely populated states like Florida and California have significant electoral votes of 29 and 55 respectively, while less populated states like Idaho and Montana only have 4 and 3 respectively.

The 50 states accumulate 538 electoral votes.

The candidate receiving 270 of these votes is elected president. Preliminary votes from the 2020 election allot Biden 306 electoral votes and Donald Trump 232.

However, Trump persists in claiming, without evidence, electoral fraud was committed in some of the states he lost. He’s even trying to manipulate electors in these states to do something the Founding Fathers couldn’t have contemplated—vote against the wishes of the people in their states. He recently said he’ll not accept Biden’s victory until the Electoral College votes on December 14.

Since there’s no evidence of voter fraud in any of the 50 states that would affect the outcome of the election, the Electoral College should routinely confirm each state’s vote as has occurred in the past several presidential elections.

These attempts to manipulate the Electoral College votes are unlikely to succeed, but that they exist at all is again indicative of the need to scrap the Electoral College and elect U.S. presidents by nationwide popular vote.

For several years there has been a movement, through the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), to electing U.S. presidents by passing the National Popular Vote (NPV) Bill in all 50 states. This bill seeks to guarantee the presidency to the candidate receiving the overall majority popular vote cast in the 50 states.

In recent years, there has been a strong push to finalize the compact by having states with a combined 270 electoral votes pass the NPV bill and present it to Congress for the law to change. To date, the bill has been passed by 15 states, and the District

of Colombia totaling 196 electoral votes. It’s also pending in legislative committees in five other states with a total of 98 electoral votes.

One of the strongest arguments of the NPVIC for electing presidents by popular vote is it would necessitate presidential candidates to campaign in every state. Under the current Electoral College system, presidential candidates generally target only swing states. Most presidential elections since 1960 have been won by candidates focusing their campaigns on states with large electoral votes like Florida, Ohio, California, Pennsylvania, Texas, and New York. The candidate who wins the electoral votes in these states, plus traditional safe party states, can realistically amass the 270 needed to win the presidency.

However, winning the presidency by this route is ignoring the concerns of millions of voters in lesser-populated states, rarely visited by presidential candidates, while states with large electoral votes like Florida are visited repeatedly.

Opponents of the proposed NPV method of electing presidents argue campaigns would be too expensive, and should the ultimate result be razorthin, recounts could be lengthy and complicated.

Neither of these arguments is solid. Instead of candidates spending most of their campaign funds in a few swing states, funds could be more equitably distributed over the 50 states. And, if the final national vote is close, each state already has the machinery to recount votes which shouldn’t make a national recount lengthy or complicated.

The strongest argument for using the popular vote is that the president is elected to serve all 50 states, and therefore the voters should be counted collectively to determine who the majority want to be president.

The Electoral College system is an outdated, unfair system to elect America’s presidents. The results of the 2020 presidential election would be without doubt and controversy if they had been confirmed by the national popular vote. Time for the change.

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LA SECTION HAITIENNE

Haitian American Lands Senior Post in Biden Administration United States President-elect Joe Biden has appointed a Haitian American to a top communications post in his incoming administration.

In an all-female White House senior communications team, Biden has named Karine Jean-Pierre, 43, who was born in Martinique to Haitian parents, as the deputy White House press secretary.

Jean-Pierre previously served as the chief of staff to Vice President-elect Senator Kamala Harris during the campaign.

Harris, a U.S. Senator from California, is the daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father.

Biden and Harris said the all-female communications team is aimed at bringing “diverse perspectives” to the White House.

Biden said in a statement that the team comprises “qualified, experienced communicators,” who will “bring diverse perspectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better.”

Harris said the team will communicate “clearly, honestly and transparently” as the U.S. grapples with the coronavirus pandemic and a series of other crises.

“I am profoundly honored to be the Principal Deputy Press Secretary for @JoeBiden,” said Jean-Pierre in a tweet following the announcement of her appointment.

“I am especially thrilled to work alongside @jrpsaki, whose leadership and stellar instincts will ensure we are positioned to effectively communicate the Biden-Harris agenda to all Americans.”

Biden selected Jen Psaki, a top member of his transition team, who served in the Obama-Biden administration, as White House press secretary. Kate Bedingfield, who was deputy Biden-Harris campaign manager, will be White House communications director.

Jean-Pierre, who was raised in Queens, New York, also served as a senior advisor to the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign.

Jean-Pierre

Her professional experience has ranged broadly from presidential campaigns to grassroots activism, to local politics, to working in the White House.

Jean-Pierre, who is the chief public affairs officer for the liberal MoveOn.org and an NBC and MSNBC political analyst, previously served as the deputy campaign manager for Martin O’Malley for President.

Prior to joining the O’Malley Campaign, Jean-Pierre said on her website that, in 2014, she was the campaign manager for American Civil Liberty Union’s (ACLU) Reproductive Freedom Initiate (RFI).

Previously, she managed New York Attorney General Letitia James’s successful campaign for New York City public advocate.

In 2011, Jean-Pierre served as deputy battleground states director for former U.S. President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, “managing the president’s political engagement in key states while leading the delegate selection and ballot access process.”

Before joining the re-election campaign, she served as Regional Political Director for the White House Office of Political Affairs.

“My parents, Haitian immigrants, it’s like the immigrant experience,” Jean-Pierre told the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in 2019. “They came here for the American dream that, in many ways, eluded them. “They still live cheque-to-cheque,” she added.

Wife of the Head of Security at Haiti’s National Palace Kidnapped A one million dollar ransom is being demanded for the release of the wife of the head of the General Security Unit at the National Palace.

The authorities said that Maritza Beaubrun was kidnapped on Sunday by unidentified armed individuals, and according to family sources have demanded a one million US dollar ransom for her release.

The police have so made no official statement regarding the kidnapping that came Beaubrun less than 24 hours after a medical practitioner was snatched as he made his way to work at Hospital of the State University of Haiti.

Meanwhile, the interns and staff at hospitals in Haiti have taken to social media protesting the abduction of Dr. Hans David Télémaque, and decided to go on strike.

The medical staff at the Sanatorium Hospital of Port-auPrince first took industrial action, followed by the Justinien University Hospital of Cap-Haitien, Chancerelles Hospital, the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of UEH, the University Hospital La Paix.

They have also received the support of the National Committee of Doctors in Residence at the Public University Hospitals of Haiti.

The kidnappers have since released Dr. Télémaque, but it is not known whether a ransom was paid.

Over the past months, many people in Haiti have been kidnapped for ransom. The United States, Canada and other Western countries have urged their nationals not to travel to Haiti because of the crime and political situation there.

A8 – NATIONAL WEEKLY | THURSDAY, DEC 3 – DEC 9, 2020 | CNWNETWORK.COM A D V E R T I S E M E N T

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Miami-Dade’s New Mayor Tests Positive for COVID-19 The new mayor of Florida’s most populous county tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday, officials said.

Levine Cava

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced the test result on Twitter. She said her husband, Dr. Robert Cava, was exposed to COVID-19 by a patient last Wednesday. He has also tested positive.

“Rob and I are quarantining at home,” Levine Cava wrote. “We both remain in good spirits and have only mild symptoms.”

Levine Cava, 65, assumed office on November 17 after being elected earlier in the month. The Democrat had previously served as a county commissioner since 2014.

Levine Cava’s predecessor, Congressman-elect Carlos Gimenez, tested positive for coronavirus last week. The Republican is set to assume his new office on January 3.

B1

Dennis Shipping Receives Proclamation from Lauderhill Commission November 21, 2020, was proclaimed as Dennis Shipping International Day by Jamaican-American Commissioner Melissa Dunn and the City of Lauderhill Commission.

The popular Caribbean shipping company was hailed for its contributions to the Jamaican community and philanthropic efforts.

The proclamation also coincided with the company's 10th anniversary in South Florida.

Dennis Shipping was founded in 1988 in Brooklyn, New York. continues on B4 – Proclomation

DeSantis Says Closures Don’t Work, Schools Will Stay Open Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Monday that schools will be required to remain open despite the rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, arguing lockdowns and closures have not worked.

DeSantis also said the state was not considering any further restrictions on businesses that could lead to layoffs or financial loss.

DeSantis said countries like Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland all kept children in schools with positive outcomes and argued that some studies show the

virus can spread more when children don’t go to school because they socialize off-campus. DeSantis criticized those who are pushing

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again for closures as cases rise.

“Closing schools due to coronavirus is probably the biggest public health blunder in modern

American history,” he said at a news conference. “People who advocate closing schools for virus mitigation are effectively today’s flat-earthers.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that the spread of the virus among children “is not really very big at all” and is now advising to get children back in the classrooms.

The governor said schools will continue to offer online classes for families who have chosen not to physically return, but school districts will require students who have fallen behind in the virtual model to go back in person.

“The virtual learning is not the same as being in person,” DeSantis said.

Florida is seeing cases rise again, now totaling over 1 million confirmed cases since the pandemic began earlier this year. More than 18,700 people have died with COVID-19 since March.

The governor acknowledged the rise in cases but said a surge in other states is more concerning. He also compared the current COVID-19 hospitalizations at 4,100 to about 10,000 reported in the summer.

“We’ve seen cases increase but look at all the other states that are seeing them increase way, way more,” DeSantis said. “If you look at the per-capita hospitalizations, we are not even close to the top of the stuff. So I think people should put it in perspective.”

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HEALTH and Wellness

How Safe is a COVID-19 Vaccine?

By CNW Reporter

There’s increasing concern in South Florida and across the U.S. about people contracting COVID-19, as the virus spikes in a second wave. Escalating the concern is that most scientists agree that this second wave could intensify during the coming winter months.

But there’s some good news the anticipated vaccine to prevent the spread of the virus could be available as early as this month.

In the past few weeks, major U.S. pharmaceutical companies Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca announced vaccines they were independently testing were 94 to 95 percent effective and ready for submission to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for approval.

Based on the results of its testing, on Monday, November 30, Moderna announced it was filing an application for emergency use authorization (EUA) of its vaccine with the FDA. Once the FDA approval is given, likely sometime in December, official guidelines for its public distribution will be set by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the group that officially sets national guidelines for who should get vaccines once they've been authorized by the FDA. "[The government] has plans to distribute vaccines within 24 hours after the ACIP gives its final approval," Paul Mango, a Health and Human Services official, told reporters in October.

Despite the concern over the spreading deadly virus, some Caribbean Americans have expressed reluctance about the vaccine. CNW in an informal survey found that only three of 10 Caribbean Americans residing in South Florida expressed confidence in taking a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.

The main reason for the reluctance is concern

the development of the vaccines may have been rushed, and not yet subject to testing the reaction for any serious side effects when given.

Vaccines being developed by Pfizer and Moderna are mRNA-based vaccines. This versatile class of vaccine has yet to be widely used on the public, though it has been the subject of much research in recent years.

Usually, when producing vaccines, scientists incorporate a weakened or dead form of the virus, or antigen, into the vaccine itself so that the human body can create antibodies to fight the disease. The traditional vaccine development process can take anywhere from 10-15 years, but the mRNA-based vaccines could cut that time down to a year as in the case of the pending COIVD-19 vaccine.

An important fact with an mRNA vaccine is for the vaccine to be effective those receiving it will require two shots about three weeks apart.

Whether or not COVID-19 vaccines are effective at stopping the spread of the will depend a lot on how our bodies build immunity to the disease.

The mRNA in the vaccine is a type of genetic code that, once injected into the patient, should cue protein production in cells. The genetic code creates the spike proteins characteristic of COVID-19, allowing the body to produce antibodies targeting a distinctive feature of the virus. In theory, when the body

recognizes these spike proteins on the live virus, it will already have an immune response directly targeting its proteins.

The length of the vaccine’s effectiveness is also unknown. There is no scientific evidence that this is a vaccine that someone will only need to take once (in two doses) or if it will need to be a seasonal shot, like the flu vaccine.

Distribution of the vaccine Although, when the vaccine is approved by the FDA it will be ready for public distribution, it could be sometime before it is available to everyone. The vaccine will first be distributed to four priority groups: healthcare providers—doctors, nurses, lab technicians, and other healthcare workers; essential workers most of who cannot work from home; high-risk individuals with underlying medical conditions like diabetes, asthma, cancer and HIV; and senior citizens over age-65.

According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, senior infectious disease expert in the U.S., who is confident in the safety of the vaccines being tested, "the ordinary citizen" should be able to get a vaccine between April and June 2021.

The official in charge of vaccine distribution in the U.S., four-star General Gustave Perna said the U.S. government will stockpile various possible vaccines for distribution. His major concern is that the required second dose three

weeks after the initial shot will not arrive on time. This would be detrimental to the vaccine’s effectiveness.

Another problem that the military is working on is how the vaccine will be stored and transported. The Pfizer vaccine must be kept at a temperature that is well below freezing, negative 94 degrees Fahrenheit, making transportation and storage of the vaccine for some populations difficult. An example of this would be in the U.S. Virgin Islands: transporting the vaccine may not be an issue, but facilities there do not have the ability to keep the vaccine cold.

Even if the government is able to get all of the vaccines out on time, the questions remain as to whether the general public, like some Caribbean Americans, is willing to take it.

Since the first report of this virus, there has been a politically polarized debate around whether it should be seen as a threat. With millions of people infected in the United States and billions infected around the world, the pandemic has more than proven that COVID19 should not be taken lightly. However, only about 51 percent of all U.S. adults report that they would feel comfortable taking the vaccine.

Most people said, however, if there is no evidence of negative reaction among the first priority groups taking the vaccine they’ll be more inclined to take it.

West Kendall Dr. Alphonso Fernandes believes about five brands of COVID-19 vaccines will be available by summer 2021. In addition to Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca, vaccines are also being developed by Johnson and Johnson and Novavax. “The competition between these companies will ensure the vaccines produced will be of top quality, extremely safe for patients. These pharmaceuticals are companies of high repute and will not risk producing a vaccine that compromises the health of Americans.”

Source: Some information contained in this article was sourced from the University of Alabama ( https://cw.ua.edu/68495/news/a-covid-19-vaccine-couldbe-available-soon) and related articles from www.cnet.com.

B4 – NATIONAL WEEKLY | THURSDAY, DEC 3 – DEC 9, 2020 | CNWNETWORK.COM

What Unity?

Skeptical

from A1

Following a crushing defeat by the Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) in the recent general election, the PNP attributed this loss to a combination of issues including the unpopularity of their then leader Dr. Peter Phillips and the rife disunity within the party in general.

Immediately following the election, Phillips resigned and the PNP seemed determined to elect the best person to rebuild and reunite the party.

Among the names then touted was Crawford, a usually outspoken vice president of the party. But Crawford remained silent on the party's affairs following the party presidential election, in which Mark Golding staved off Lisa Hanna’s challenge and emerge president of the PNP. However, before Golding could begin work on his professed role of uniting the party, Crawford's true feelings emerged. In the damning voice note, the former member of parliament (MP) for St. Andrew East Rural could be heard ripping into the leadership of the party and slamming longtime PNP member Lisa Hanna, the MP for South East St. Ann. In the 23-minute audio, which was apparently voiced before the party's presidential election, Crawford stated he didn't believe Golding could win a general election because the consensus was the party was in need of a young and popular leader.

"The people are of the opinion that we need a Andrew [Holness]. That is his only negative," he said while referring to Golding as "a next Peter Phillips."

Crawford also suggested that he would launch his own presidential bid in the next five years, while hinting that Golding is only good to hold the leadership position for the next two years.

“Mark is ready only for the next two years. But [the general] election is not the next two years, and we can’t change [the leader] again. Nobody can come two years’ time and seh ‘we ready now’. Dem a go seh ‘Why yuh never ready from dem long time deh?’” he said as he explained his five-year outlook.

Golding

Crawford touted he was most committed to the party’s ideology, saying he was more popular Hanna.

“When people say Lisa popular, she has never gotten the cheers that I get at a PNP meeting," he said.

"She has never gotten the adoration weh me get amongst regular people. Never! Lisa Hanna nuh get the cheer weh Dayton Campbell get when him reach a PNP meeting. How her popularity nuh translate into anything yet?” Crawford said in the voice note.

“Lisa have a hundred camera a walk with har every day. Me walk without camera. She a train every day and she barely a edge me out. Then when me start train, wah a go happen?”

He also said that Hanna used the election to market herself. "She take the whole election and promote herself and make her picture bigger than everybody picture and keep herself in the media every day," he said, also suggesting that she leaked presidential polls that were in her favor to promote a winning image.

Crawford continued his rant, also suggesting she was not a delegate favorite.

“Lisa run delegate already and we nyam out har burger.” Before losing the recent presidential election, Hanna previously lost a vice-presidential bid in 2016.

The PNP senator also conceded that the PNP would be defeated in the upcoming local government election, which has been pushed back because of COVID-19.

In the voice note, Crawford was speaking

FREE

Hanna

to two other members of the party.

The explosive audio is set to cause an even deeper rift in the 82-year-old party which has been marred by internal conflict and division, following two leadership challenges in the last 14 months.

LOG ON TO FOR MORE

Proclomation

from A1

One resident, however, James David shared that he was looking forward to the vaccine because he has asthma and underlying conditions which puts him among the most vulnerable to COVID-19.

David said the vaccine would make him more comfortable in "going out without a mask."

In the meantime, America’s top infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci predicts that 20 million American residents will be able to get vaccinated from the first batch of the drug. Among the first people who will be vaccinated are health care workers, nursing home residents, and factory workers.

European regulators say they may approve a coronavirus vaccine developed by drug makers Pfizer and BioNTech within four weeks, a time frame that could mean the shot is rolled out first in the United States and Britain.

As reported in The Associated Press, the European Medicines Agency plans to convene a meeting by December 29 to decide if there is enough safety and efficacy data about the vaccine for it to be approved. The agency also said it could decide as early as January 12 whether to approve a rival vaccine shot by Moderna Inc. Officials caution that while some people may receive a vaccine in the coming weeks, it will take many months to give billions of people around the world the shot, or two if a booster is necessary, meaning that people will be living with virus control measures well into next year.

from B1

Over the 30-plus years of operation, the company has been one of the premier shipping companies in South Florida and has contributed to the diaspora in other significant ways.

The founder, Jamaican American Dennis Hawthorne, spoke about some of the philanthropic efforts of the company.

“For the less fortunate in Jamaica and abroad, Dennis Shipping has done our part to help,” he said.

“We have set up a scholarship fund with the University of the West Indies and for the past 15 years, we have funded two UWI students for the entire year.

Not just in Jamaica but in other Caribbean countries.”

LOG ON TO

Lure Tourists

from A4

“We also continue to maintain and develop our sites and attractions in anticipation of receiving our international visitors when the borders reopen, as well as cater to our local citizens exploring the islands of Trinidad and Tobago,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell said stakeholders have been seeking to know what the plans are for the tourism sector going forward, noting that the Ministry of Tourism and the Tourism Trinidad Limited (TTL) are working with the Ministry of Health and the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) in developing health protocols; preparing for the reopening in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are in the process of rolling out very comprehensive hygiene standards for all our stakeholders in the sector. Secondly, we have and will continue to place emphasis on domestic tourism. We feel that in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and with the closure of our borders, domestic tourism—Trinidad and Tobago—is our newest and most exotic destination,” he said.

Mitchell also said Trinidad and Tobago will continue with its destination development program, “which is where the launch of this website is most significant for developing the tourism product going forward.

“And now, with just this one website, all of those mounds of marketing and promotional material can be found in just one repository in digital format. And this fits most squarely with Government's digitization push.

“We know that when it comes to planning a trip, and when searching for things to do on that trip, the platform of choice is a destination's website. This VisitTrinidad Website will now become one of the most valuable tools and one of the first marketing tools and one of the first touchpoints in the customer journey when making that decision to travel.”

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NATIONAL WEEKLY | THURSDAY, DEC 3 – DEC 9, 2020 | CNWNETWORK.COM –

C1

Virtual Reggae Sunsplash Scores Over 100,000 Viewers

Antigua Mourns Death of Cultural Icon The citizens of Antigua and Barbuda are mourning the death of cultural icon Joseph 'Calypso Joe' Hunte.

Calypso Joe died on Saturday, however, the cause of death has not been revealed. He has left behind a legacy of music through his most popular nation-building calypsos such as “A Nation to Build, a Country to Mould” and “A Tribute to VC.” He will also be remembered as the winner of the country's first Road March competition 1970, with his hit “Bum, Bum.” Calypso Joe was also a frequent performer at local hotels, often making appearances with his signature Hawaiian shirt, guitar and straw hat.

This years' Art Beat Miami will be a virtual experience Attendees will feel the beat of Haitian music at the Art Beat Miami online Preview Party featuring KAI headlined by Richard Cave opening the Art Fair on Wednesday, December 2nd.

Guests can attend the fun-filled Sip & Paint affair hosted by Annick Duvivier on Thursday, December 3rd.

Attendees will learn to create appetizing bites with Celebrity Chef Cal, mix tropical drinks with mixologist Rell and learn to whine their waist with Ashlee Thomas at Spice it Up! Miami happening on Friday, December 4.

Art on the catwalk from local and

The 7th annual Art Beat Miami is five days of art, culture, food, fashion, and music experience inspired by Haiti and the Caribbean during Art Basel/Miami Art Week.

This year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Art Beat Miami will take place virtually from December 2 to December 6.

In its seventh year, South Floridians and the world will see art from 40 emerging and renowned artists from the Caribbean and around the world.

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Art Beat Miami will close out the online experience with poetry at Poetic Lakay on Sunday, December 6.

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The event will support the artwork of visual artists by making their art available for purchase at artbeatmiami.com.

More than 100,000 people from more than 28 countries watched the return of Reggae Sunsplash live and post-live online over the weekend, according to organizers.

After a 14-year hiatus, the brand was reintroduced virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Organizers are pleased with the response to the show which—despite a slow start on Friday due to technical problems with the stream—boasted two nights of strong performances which were well-received by reggae and dancehall lovers.

“We are very happy to see the way in which Reggae Sunsplash turned out. The first night started a bit slow with a little internal technical glitch with the streaming, but we quickly got through that and got good engagement with fans of the brand all over the world,” Tyrone Wilson, Executive Producer of Reggae Sunsplash, said in an interview with Loop TV. Night 1 saw performances by artists Tanya Stephens, Ras-I, Richie Spice and Capleton, and featured a video tribute to ‘crown prince of reggae,’ Dennis Brown.

Following the strong opening night, Jesse Royal, Romain Virgo, Agent Sasco, Masicka and Dexta Daps closed out the show on Night 2.

Wilson indicated that the power of reggae and brand Jamaica was on show, with more than four continents represented among viewers. The United States represented the biggest audience, 19.4 percent, followed by Jamaica with 13.5 percent.

Once the premier reggae festival in the world, Reggae Sunsplash has featured the likes of Bob Marley, Alton Ellis, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Freddie McGregor, Bunny Wailer, Terror Fabulous, Tiger, Lady Patra, Beres Hammond, Buju Banton, Papa San, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer and other iconic names of reggae and dancehall.

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C2 – NATIONAL WEEKLY | THURSDAY, DEC 3 – DEC 9, 2020 | CNWNETWORK.COM

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NATIONAL WEEKLY | THURSDAY, DEC 3 – DEC 9, 2020 | CNWNETWORK.COM –

C3

Sir Wes Hall Immortalized Lewis Hamilton Tests Positive With Bronze Statue for Coronavirus Former Barbados and West Indies iconic fast bowler Sir Wes Hall said he was touched by the gesture to erect a statue of his likeness outside Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton has tested positive for COVID-19, one day after winning the Bahrain Grand Prix.

On Sunday, the eve of Barbados’ 54th independence anniversary, Sir Wes and Prime Minister Mia Mottley cut the ribbon in front of an audience of around 200 to unveil the eightfoot bronze statue, which was crafted by local sculptor Jason Hope.

The statue of Sir Wes, which captures him in delivery stride, is located adjacent to a statue of his former Barbados and West Indies captain, Sir Garfield Sobers, outside the north-eastern entrance of the venue.

“I really appreciate those Barbadians who (came) on board and made sure that this statue (is) here for all Barbadians to see, and we did not have to go to India, Australia, or England to get the funds,” Sir Wes told an audience that included several former Barbados and West Indies players.

Sir Wes, 83, who now walks with the aid of a cane, was joined by his daughter, Dr. Kerry Hall, and two sons, Sean and Remi, during his near half-hour long speech.

“I do not really know very much about statues,” Sir Wes told the gathering that also included Cabinet ministers, dignitaries, family and friends.

“People like me…we learn to dream big, yes, and to achieve some accolades and trophies, but we do not dream about statues.

These things were out of our reach.

“When ordinary people do extraordinary things that are worthy of emulation and are received by the people of their country, then they will have material for young men and women to know that they too can write their names on history’s page.”

Sir Wes played 48 Tests for West Indies between 1958 and 1969, collecting 192 wickets at 26.38 each.

Following his cricket career, he served in many capacities in West Indies cricket, including selectors and team manager, and rising to the position of president from 2001 to 2003.

He also was a minister of government before becoming a minister of the gospel in the Pentecostal faith and was knighted for service to sport and the community eight years ago.

Prime Minister Mottley said there was much to emulate from the life of Sir Wes.

The 35-year-old Brit, whose paternal grandparents are Grenadian, experienced mild symptoms on Monday and subsequently returned two positive tests for the viral illness.

Hamilton, who wrapped up a recordequalling seventh world title with victory at last month’s Turkish Grand Prix, is now selfisolating and will miss this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix.

“I’m devastated that I won’t be racing this weekend,” Hamilton said in a social media post.

“Since we started the season in June, my team and I have been taking all the precautions we possibly can and following the regulations everywhere we’ve been in order to stay safe.

“Unfortunately even though I returned three negative results this past week I woke up yesterday morning with mild symptoms and requested another test which came back positive. I’ve immediately gone into selfisolation for 10 days.”

“Please look after yourselves out there, you can never be too careful. These are worrying times for everyone and we need to make sure we are looking after ourselves and each other.

Stay positive.”

Hamilton has picked up 11 wins in 15 outings this season, amassing 332 points to take an unassailable lead in the championship, being played out amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

His Finnish Mercedes teammate, Valtteri Bottas, who has won twice, lies second on 201 points with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen 12 points further behind in third.

Cricket legend Sir Wes Hall, cu ng the ribbon to unveil the statue in his honour, with the assistance of Prime Minister Mia Amor Mo ley and his three children: Dr. Kerryann Hall, Sean Hall and Remy Hall. Also pictured (par ally hidden) is Na onal Hero, The Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers. (B. Hinds/BGIS)

Reggae Boyz Still No.1 Ranked in the CFU Region

New JAAA President Elected

Jamaica remains firmly fixed on the top of the Caribbean Football Union rankings. It follows the latest release of the FIFA World Rankings for this month, which put the Jamaicans at 47th in the World, making them the highest-ranked team in the CFU and the third-ranked team in CONCACAF. The Reggae Boyz completed a two-match series on the road against Saudi Arabia, where they crashed to a 3-0 defeat in the first match before rebounding to a 2-1 win in the second match in Riyadh.

The Jamaicans have steadfastly been the top-ranked team in the Caribbean for the past three years and will be gearing up like the rest of the region for next year’s qualification tournaments for the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they will hope to prove their strength.

The Dutch territory of Curaçao was the biggest mover in the CONCACAF region on the World Rankings table during the past month, moving up five places to hold on tightly to second place in the CFU. The biggest drop in the CONCACAF region on the World Rankings table was recorded by St. Kitts & Nevis. They fell three places to 140th, but they remained at number six in the CFU, whose standings were unchanged for November.

New Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association president Garth Gayle said his new executive will have to work with the Andrew Holness government to navigate a successful return of the sport in light of the COVID-19 outbreak in the island.

Gayle, the secretary of the JAAA for the past 20 years, was elected to the position on Saturday, when he brushed aside 1976 Olympic 200 meters gold medal winner, Don Quarrie in a vote of members, 23628.

Track & field has been devastated in Jamaica, which is currently battling an outbreak of the COVID-19 virus.

Gayle

Health authorities in Jamaica have reported more than 10,500 positives cases and over 250 deaths.

“We have got to get our sport back on track, so we must ensure that it is done in a safe and secure manner,” Gayle said following the poll.

“We will be working along with the government, the Ministry of

Sport and the Ministry of Health, so, in very short order, you will be hearing from us.”

Most of the positions on the JAAA executive were elected unopposed from a slate that supported Gayle.

Only two positions were contested. Maria Tavares, a member of Gayle's team, was elected the first female to the position of secretary, and Leroy Cooke, another Gayle supporter, held onto his position of director of records.

Gayle, whose team was selftitled “Team Transformation,” said he was happy with the outcome and now the real work begins.

C4 – NATIONAL WEEKLY | THURSDAY, DEC 3 – DEC 9, 2020 | CNWNETWORK.COM A D V E R T I S E M E N T