With a look at some of the top stories making the news today, January 18, across your Caribbean-American community in South Florida.
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, Miami mayor proposes new restrictions for COVID-19 vaccinations, Jamaican sculptor creates Martin Luther King Jr statue in Atlanta and Royal Caribbean cruises to return to Trinidad.
Now for the news in the detail
Miami’s mayor wants to reserve the COVID-19 vaccine only for residents of the city under a policy called “Miami First.” Mayor Francis Suarez pitched the idea at a city commission meeting last week. Federal regulations say that there cannot be residency requirements for receiving the vaccine. But Suarez requested that the city manager and attorney take all legal steps to prevent non-residents from receiving vaccines in Miami. However, Florida’s Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz has rejected the idea. He said that in South Florida, many residents frequently move across counties and the policy would have bad consequences.
Now for Caribbean News,
Ahead of Martin Luther King Jr day today, the city of Atlanta unveiled the new statue of the civil rights activist, created by Jamaican-born artist Basil Watson. The 12-foot-tall bronze sculpture, titled ‘Hope Moves Forward’, was unveiled on January 14 by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. The statue stands at the intersection of Northside Drive and Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive across from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Basil Watson, renowned Jamaican sculptor, said it was a “dream come true” when he was selected for the project. He was chosen by the city of Atlanta from a pool of 80 artists and the statue took two years to complete. In Jamaica, Watson has created statues of Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and many other sports icons at the National Stadium.
And in Trinidad and Tobago,
After an absence of almost a decade, Royal Caribbean Cruises has put Trinidad and Tobago back on its itinerary. The Grandeur of the Seas cruise ship will return to the ports of Trinidad as part of the Caribbean itinerary this year. Several members of Trinidad’s opposition, the United National Congress have urged the government to reopen its borders to citizens since there are talks to accommodate international cruise ship passengers.
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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