Following the confirmation of (5) new cases amidst the recent spike of Coronavirus within the territory, the Government of the Virgin Islands announced the imposition of a new curfew order from 5:01pm to 4:59am daily.
The proposed imposition which begins on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 will run for 14 consecutive days.
The announcement made by Minister of Health, Honorable Carvin Malone further highlighted that within the first seven (7) days of the Curfew period, the following categories of businesses be allowed to operate, subject to review:
- supermarkets/minimarts (limited to two persons per vehicle)
- approved delivery services;
- pharmacies/drug stores;
- bakeries;
- banks (with limited internal operations, such as, but not limited to clearing of overnight deposits services);
- farmers and fisheries;
- fuel and LPG Stations;
- private health care providers, subject to approval of their client list by the Minister of Health;
- burials, subject to approval by the Minister of Health;
- essential workers as defined in Section 3 of the Labor Code; and
- exempted persons as listed in the current Curfew Order, except item (n).
Over this past weekend, five (5) new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed through PCR testing at the Dr. D. Orlando Smith Hospital, bringing the total number of cases detected in the Territory to twenty-six (26). Seventeen (17) of these cases remain active, with eight recoveries and one (1) death recorded after testing a total of 2,195 persons in the local laboratory, according to the Government.
Case #22 was detected while obtaining treatment at the Emergency Room. The Contact Tracing teams have been working to identify and quarantine primary and secondary contacts connected to this patient. A total of 46 contacts of recent cases have been tested during the past week.
Out of these investigations three primary contacts of Case #22 tested positive, along with one primary contact of Case #12, which together comprise the five new cases detected.
Given these circumstances, the BVI is now classified as having ‘clusters of cases’ in accordance with the World Health Organizaton (WHO) transmission classification guidelines. We remain at Phase 3 of our National Action Plan against the COVID-19 Pandemic which is dubbed the ‘Stamp it Out’ phase. The main objective is to rapidly contain spread and prevent transmission within the community, especially to vulnerable groups.
Due to the recent surge in cases, Cabinet approved, in principle,:
- the leasing of premises to be identified that can be used as the testing facility to accommodate the increased testing demand associated with the contacts of the additional cases;
- the use of public premises that can be used as the testing facility to accommodate the increased testing demand associated with the contacts of the additional cases; and
- the identification of alternative police custody facilities outside of police premises, subject to further advice from the Attorney General.
The Minister of Health further reminded the territory of the importance of complying with the health protocols to slow and prevent the spread of Covid-19.
He said “the most effective tools against the spread of COVID-19 are the simplest ones, and they are all in your hands. I repeat again; cough etiquette and personal hygiene, physical distancing, frequent handwashing and sanitization of surfaces, wearing of face masks and face shields.”
“Know the symptoms of the disease and seek help by dialing 852-7650 if you experience any of the symptoms; fever, cough, headache, fatigue, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, muscle aches, or difficulty breathing,” he added.
284 Media takes this time to remind everyone to stay safe, sanitized and socially distant as we work collectively to reduce the spread of Coronavirus.