The World Health Organization has said that keeping borders closed to halt the spread of COVID-19 is unsustainable. They are now urging countries to adopt comprehensive strategies based on local knowledge of where the virus is spreading.
WHO Emergencies Director Michael Ryan said “it is going to be almost impossible for individual countries to keep their borders shut for the foreseeable future,” he said, pointing out that “economies have to open up, people have to work, trade has to resume”.
Border closures and travel restrictions remain an important part of many countries’ strategies to combat the novel coronavirus.
At the same time, rising cases in a range of countries in Europe and elsewhere that had loosened measures after appearing to get their outbreaks under control have spurred discussions of possible fresh border closures.
But the UN health body warned that such measures can not be kept up indefinitely, and are also only useful when combined with a wide range of other measures to detect and break chains of transmission.
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
The BVI have kept low numbers since the virus was first introduced to territory on March 25th and borders were closed. Before case number 9, which was announced on the August 1st, the BVI went 77 days without any new cases of COVID-19. But having low numbers came at the expense of little to no economic stimulation from external sources such as tourism.
As a result, some residents have been calling on the Government to reopen the borders with strict testing and quarantining measures. However, Premier Fahie expressed concerns with rapid testing and the expenses attached with quarantining measures.
He said “If you look around the Caribbean region, and other countries, many countries that rushed to reopen their borders or who have been taking in large volumes of returning nationals are presently experiencing second waves and spikes. Some are experiencing significant community spread.”
Premier Fahie said that the BVI government is now considering options based on the concerns raised and are exploring ways stimulate the tourism sector while safe guarding the health and safety of the people of the Virgin Islands.
UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS
Contrary to the BVI, federal laws have prevented the USVI from closing their borders. While the territory has remained open to international visitors, the risk was reduced by the continued closure of bars, restaurant and home orders.
Nevertheless, we see numbers continuing to climb at alarming rates. On August 11th, the US territory recorded its highest one-day spike of 63-confirmed cases, 20 of which derived from the Prison facility on St. Thomas, leading to a facility-wide lockdown.
Governor Bryan has embraced a strategy shift that would keep the USVI open while managing the number of Covid-19 cases through successful hospitalization and release of patients. “At the end of the day Albert Bryan makes the decision on whether we’re going to open or close. Not anybody else. one man. And I think we’ve done a great job of being able to keep it open and keep people healthy. Yes, we have a lot of cases, but the problem isn’t getting the cases, the problem is dying. So we have the facilities and continue to grow our facilities in terms of treating people and making sure that they come out alive,” Mr. Bryan said.
“That shift comes as a result of remember, when we started doing this, we thought we would be done by summer and then we would be okay. The realization that it’s not going to end anytime soon — even if we get a vaccine, we still have another year at least — and coronavirus is going to be around for years. So the most important thing now is being able to manage your hospitals and being able to make sure that people stay alive” he added.
To date the territory has recorded 639 cases and 9 deaths. While numbers continue to climb, the Territory has also recorded an outstanding recovery rate as well.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
While every country has made mistakes in response to COVID-19, experts have said that the United states has failed miserably in it’s response.
Together, the national skepticism toward collective action and the Trump administration’s scattered response to the virus have contributed to several specific failures and missed opportunities. Reports show;
- a lack of effective travel restrictions;
- repeated breakdowns in testing;
- confusing advice about masks;
- a misunderstanding of the relationship between the virus and the economy;
The Trump administration imposed an early ban on travel from china which at that time was the epicenter. But the travel policy failed to acknowledge that even by that time, the virus had already spread to many other countries which still had access to the U.S.
Reports show that a high concentration of infected persons came from Europe to the United states. So with just a few travel restrictions and little to no effort to enforce the rules, things spiraled out of control in the US.
The country has seen a record 5.14 million cases with over 165,000 deaths.
NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand has been looked at as an exemplary example of managing this virus.
They quickly closed borders to contain the internal infections. Once community spread was under control, country-wise lockdowns were lifted with a full internal reopening.
This ensured that the economy functioned at its best outside of external interferences as they continue to manage cases.
Up until Monday, the country celebrated a 100-day success of no new cases which spoke to their ability to control community spread.
Unfortunately that reality changed yesterday as (4) new cases surfaced, forcing their largest city into lockdown.
The country which is home to a population of 5 million, recorded over 1500 confirmed cases with 22 deaths.
DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS
It is clear that Travel restrictions, quarantines and internal reopening were central to the success in controlling the virus in the respective jurisdictions and across the world.
However, the unfortunate reality is that this is not going to end before economic despair, which has already begun.
Instead we must learn to live, manage and coexist in this pandemic while developing a framework of realistic timelines.