Primary Schools Reopen
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Established October 1895 Tuesday June 16, 2020 $1 VAT Inclusive PRIMARY SCHOOLS REOPEN SO FAR it has been nothing but smooth sailing reported as primary schools reopened yesterday in a bid to ready their Class 4 students for the Secondary Schools Entrance Examination, or Common Entrance, as it is more widely known. With much speculation leading up to the day, surrounding how things would go, for the most part, the return has been a success. The first school The Barbados Advocate visited was Belmont Primary, and Principal Pamela Ifill had her full roll of Class 4 students. Explaining that on arrival, there were markings for physical distancing, temperature checks and sanitisation stations, Principal Ifill said that the students were adapting quickly to the new brand of normal. “We have 33 children and they have been divided into three rooms. So there are 12 in one room, 11 in one and 10 in another with three persons working with them. So they are settled, they are comfortable and so far, the morning has gone very smoothly.” PRIMARY on Page 4 Principal of Belmont Primary, Pamela Ifill conducting one of the classes yesterday at Belmont Primary. BWA responds to Park’s Road residents RESIDENTS of Park’s Road, St. the BWA extracts water.” Joseph expressed their “The critical contributing factor frustration on Sunday about is the low levels in the aquifer as their persistent dry taps since the a consequence of the extreme beginning of April. drought being experienced in The residents expressed Barbados, the Caribbean and disbelief that they have not been other parts of the world. In the able to get a single drop of last quarter of 2019, the running water while other Meteorological Services neighbouring communities have confirmed that Barbados was been able to get the precious experiencing its worst drought resource in their homes. They conditions since 1948 and the also lamented that the international experts have community tank provided is too indicated that the low rainfall small to service the needs of the total shall continue,” said residents. Minister Abrahams. A statement issued by the “Every day, the BWA pumps BWA in response to the situation water to the affected areas until facing the St. Joseph residents the reservoir is depleted,” stated: “Several weeks ago, The Minister continued, “And Minister of Energy and Water this the BWA has articulated on Resources, the Honourable a constant and consistent basis. Wilfred Abrahams explained that Once there is water in the the lack of pipe borne [water] for reservoir, that water is fed into some residents of St. Joseph, St. the system until the reservoir is John and a few other parishes is entirely dry... as a direct result of low water This student going through the necessary checks and sanitisation at Grantley Prescod levels at the sources from which RESPONSE on Page 3 Primary. 2 • Tuesday June 16, 2020 The Barbados Advocate The Barbados Advocate Tuesday June 16, 2020 • 3 Restrictions ease further YESTERDAY marked feature during the the first day that both challenging times was private and public seen, particularly at sector organisations many financial were able to welcome institutions yesterday. workers back in full Though some walked after the COVID-19 the streets without a forced most of them to mask covering their nose close their doors. and mouth, in order to Last week the Prime enter the buildings and Minister Mia Mottley stores, the mask is now a announced the further requirement with signs easing of the restrictions posted at the entry of the in place as Barbados stores along with continues to take further someone there to spray The traffic in Wildey was heavy but flowing. steps out of the lockdown, your hands with sanitiser which has been in place and some were even for over two months. checking temperatures A stay-at-home order as well. was issued early in April Some of the other which came along with a restrictions which have 24-hour curfew in an been lifted included the effort to combat the use of beaches and parks, COVID-19 pandemic and as well as the reopening with negative tests being of gyms. returned recently along There was also the with the flattening of the return of full seating curve Barbados capacity by the Public continues to open up once Service Vehicles (PSVs) more to business. and Transport Board There were long lines buses, however masks of pedestrian and must be worn for the vehicular traffic through duration of the journey the streets of Bridgetown and the windows kept and social distancing open unless there is which has been the inclement weather. Entry to Cave Shepherd had signs about the protocols to take inside the store as well as to gain entry. The longest lines were seen at the financial institutions. Persistent drought due to climate change source of the problem RESPONSE rom ront deliberate rationing.” direct consequence of areas at higher elevations basis and in some areas via Authority will also Page In concluding, the climate change and a in some parishes.” community tanks as well. continue to inform and Minister reminded, “For change in rainfall “In the meantime”, These actions will continue regularly update its ...What then happens is the avoidance of doubt and patterns. Simply put, the added Marketing Officer, because the BWA remains customers in any areas that once the supply is to ensure that all persistent drought has Yvette Harris-Griffith, committed to continue to impacted by water outages exhausted, the taps are dry understand, there is a resulted in the BWA’s “the BWA has been do the best it can under the via its social media pages, until the reservoir is persistent drought inability to produce servicing residents of the circumstances, until a its website and all media replenished. The lack of affecting Barbados and the enough water to maintain affected areas via water solution to this troubling including several radio water is not a result of rest of the Caribbean as a the demand of the affected tanker on a consistent issue is found. The stations 4• Tuesday June 16, 2020 The Barbados Advocate PSVs concerned about unneeded competition EVEN though Public that BT and ZM vehicles will island’s shutdown in March. In this need, argued Best, as he effect from June 15 to June 30 Service Vehicles (PSVs) still be allowed to service the following weeks as pointed out there were more maxi taxis and tour coaches, returned to their full routes plied by PSVs, and restrictions eased, PSVs were than enough PSVs to service which are permit holders to carrying capacity essentially cutting into what allowed to operate, but at 60 routes and the “unnecessary” “The Transport Augmentation yesterday, smiles have not little profits can be made at percent carrying capacity and competition would place the Project” (TAP), are allowed to returned to the faces of all this time. so licensed BT and ZM vehicles sector under further strain. transport passengers to and operators. He said that since the raise were used as additional According to the Emergency from their destinations and Chairman of the Association in bus fare from $2 to $3.50, support to move the travelling Management (Covid-19) Public “ply for hire on the same terms of Public Transport Operators there had been a noticeable fall public. Service Vehicle and Designated and subject to the same (APTO), Kenneth Best is off in ridership, a situation But with PSVs returning to Maxi Taxis and Tour Coaches conditions as motor omnibuses, expressing serious concerns which was compounded by the full loads, there no longer was (No. 2) Directive 2020 with minibuses and route taxis”. No major issues; necessary protocols followed Caledonia PRIMARY from Front Page Going on to state that the Jets to students and parents were apprised of the protocols ahead provide of the return via a Zoom meeting, Ifill said that parents were cooperative and glad to chartered have them back out to school. She also said that she did not think that the students would be flights disadvantaged by the situation. “Since they are just doing the Math and Language Arts, it from UK kind of works out because in a WHILE uncertainty remains normal school day you would on when this island’s tourism have Physical Education and sector will fully reopen, one the other subjects like Science airline is already giving a and Social Studies which would strong signal that it may be take up some of the time. So sooner rather than later. coming to school everyday for Caledonia Jets is partnering four weeks and doing just Math with Blue Sky Luxury to and English for half the day will provide a weekly chartered pretty much be the equivalent of Students observing physical distancing as they await admittance to the compound at flight direct from the United a school term so it works out in Grantley Prescod. Kingdom to Barbados on an terms of time,” she said. entirely first-class airliner and Over at George Lamming, from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM, number will increase because The students came in, we did according to its website, those Principal Grace Wickham had a similar protocols with you know they will be a few our sanitisation protocols, they flights begin July 3 with each sound ship running under her temperature checks and waiting to see how things go and are all wearing their masks, we round trip ticket costing command. sanitisation and physical then they might send the did our temperature checks, £7500. “It is going very smoothly. distancing were in place.