With a look at some of the top stories making the news today, December 28 across your Caribbean-American community in South Florida, I’m…for CNW 90.
Today’s newscast is brought to you by the Florida Department of Health;
To help stop the spread of COVID-19, The Florida Department of Health in Broward County reminds everyone to practice social distancing, wash your hands often with soap and water and cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing.
Coming up in the newscast, Florida sees 17,000 new COVID-19 cases over two-day holiday, Jamaicans observe the first ever ‘Sam Sharpe’ Day on Sunday and Turks and Caicos prepare for a general election early 2021.
Now for the news in the detail
While Floridians were busy celebrating Christmas, the COVID-19 numbers significantly increased in the state. On Saturday, Florida health officials reported some 17,000 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus, pushing the state’s total over 1.2 million cases. The count on infections reflected two days worth of data, including Christmas Day. During that same two-day span, another 140 Floridians were reported to have died from COVID-19. The jump in numbers comes after South Florida officials instituted a curfew over the holidays. Broward County has a nightly curfew which runs from midnight to 5 AM until January 4th. On New Year’s Eve, the curfew will begin at 1a.m. Miami-Dade County has a curfew from midnight to 6 a.m, with the same exception while the town of Palm Beach has a 1 AM to 5 AM curfew.
Now for Caribbean News,
In Jamaica, residents observed the first-ever ‘Sam Sharpe Day’ on Sunday, December 27 to honor Jamaican National Hero, Sam Sharpe. The island’s Minister of Culture, Olivia Grange, announced the proclamation, which was made by Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen. It was on December 27, 1831, that the Emancipation War began under Sam Sharpe’s leadership. The Christmas Rebellion, also known as the Baptist War, was the largest slave uprising in Jamaica and was a major catalyst for the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. A year after Sharpe was put to death for his role in the rebellion, the British parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833. Grange said Sam Sharpe Day, each year, will be an occasion to reflect on the unflinching courage of Jamaican ancestors.
And in Turks and Caicos,
The Premier, Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson announced that she has requested that the House of Assembly be dissolved. The request, made to the governor Nigel Dakin, paves the way for general elections within the next 90 days. The Premier did not announce dates for the poll, but said that the dates will be announced after residents enjoy a Merry Christmas. General elections were last held in this British Overseas territory on December 15, 2016. The result was a victory for the People’s Democratic Movement, with Cartwright-Robinson becoming the islands’ first female Premier.
For more information on these and other stories, visit
CNWNETWORK.com. Remember to pick up this week’s copy of our Caribbean National Weekly at your nearest Caribbean – American outlet.
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