BVI News

BVI places travel ban on DR as country’s COVID cases pass 40K

Minister of Health & Social Development Carvin Malone.

The BVI government has moved to ban all tourist-related travels from the Dominican Republic to the territory effective Monday, January 11.

Health Minister Carvin Malone said in a statement on Friday that Cabinet decided to implement the ban due to the alarming COVID-19 statistics coming out of the Spanish-speaking country.

The Dominican Republic has more than 40,000 cases and reports of new cases are continuously increasing.

Malone stated: “Cabinet has also decided that in light of concerning information and of the prevalence of increasing cases of COVID-19 in the Dominican Republic — to implement a travel ban effective Monday, 11th January, 2021 of persons travelling from the Dominican Republic to the British Virgin Islands, except for Nationals, Belongers, Residents, work permit holders, persons permitted to reside in the territory, diplomats and persons employed by government and statutory agencies.

New COVID-19 measures effective immediately for DR and UK

Minister Malone also announced new COVID-19 measures that must be adhered from all persons travelling into the territory from the Dominican Republic and the United Kingdom, which is in effect from today January 8.

“I wish to say here as well that Cabinet met and it was decided that effective immediately, all persons approved to travel to the BVI originating or transiting through the Dominican Republic or the United Kingdom are required to provide a five-day rt-PCR negative test prior to entry and must undergo a mandatory 14-days quarantine and a testing regimen on the day of entry; on day 7 and finally on day 14 when in the territory,” Malone explained.

UK Banned due to new COVID-19 strain

Just last week, the BVI government announced a travel ban on persons travelling from the United Kingdom into the territory, after reports of a new COVID strain within that country.

Since then, the new strain of the virus has been reported in the Caribbean region, affecting Jamaica with four registered cases of the virus announced on Sunday, January 3.

In the meantime, countries such as Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados and the BVI are awaiting COVID results from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) to determine if any of the most recent cases are the new strain of the virus.

This new strain is said to be more contagious.

 

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15 Comments

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  1. Only country in the world says:

    where Covid-19 is cured with imported exotic dancers!

    Like 7
    Dislike 2
  2. son of the soil says:

    Well its about time

    Like 9
    Dislike 2
  3. Geeze says:

    Really, have you looked at the numbers in the US today and how many are dying every 8 minutes. You should be banning the US. DR’s 40K is a drop in the bucket! How many of the 18 we have now came from the US? and how many from the DR?

    Like 14
    Dislike 2
  4. ... says:

    Pure discrimination. Ban the DR because “we don’t want no Spanish here” and keep allowing tourists from the US where the virus is out of control.

    This pandemic has shown everyone what many already knew about this “government”

    Like 10
    Dislike 4
  5. Really says:

    There appears to be bias in reporting and decisions. Why is the spotlight on Coco Maya and not the other places this person frequented during their stay? Why the UK and not the US? Why the DR and not PR? Why have their been so many photos of all and sundry enjoying the holiday season with no social distancing protocols in place? Once the border opened we should have immediately on high alert and additional enforcement in place.

    Like 7
    Dislike 2
  6. Good says:

    Hon. Malone your efforts are well appreciated. You will get my vote the next time.

    Like 1
    Dislike 3
  7. Careful .............. says:

    WHILE GOVERNMNET WORKERS CONTINUE TO GET PAID OFF THE PEOPLE THEY ARE $HITTING ON THIS MADDNESS WILL CONTINUE!

    When the money runs out, and Government employees start to get cut, or laid off, then let’s see what tune these people play!

    Until then Ladies and Gentlemen, no reasonable compromise can be reached, no balance will be agreed, and those we elected leaders (who told us how smart we were when we elected them, and now how stupid we are) and their appointed and supportive mafia will hold us hostage and lock us down!

    Sorry to say but it may be best we ‘burn’ the place down now, and start rebuilding sooner than later, rather than sit and suffer this torture!

    The economy is in wrecked, how much further before we push it to a point of taking decades for recovery?

    Even then those same elected leaders will be asked to guide us out of the very hole they buried us in!

    Like 1
    Dislike 2
  8. Nonsense says:

    One of the Caribbean island down the rest to go
    The bvi will use this coronavirus to get raid of all the expats
    Keep up the good work you ungrateful ppl
    The uk give ayo the COVID vaccine for free and ayo want ppl pay y’all $175
    Ayo are a set of wicked ppl
    Just imagine ayo own ppl have to pay for the vaccine much less the expats
    Greed will always be in the bvi
    From government, andlords, supermarkets, private schools, businesses etc

    Like 1
    Dislike 3
  9. Wondering says:

    66,411 active cases in Puerto Rico, why not ban travel from there first??

  10. Anonymous says:

    The USA, Europe, England and South America are but a few countries that should be on that list.

    Fair is fair, but because of politics, they will not be.

    They will want, out of pure privileged, to climb aboard a plane and travel the world and leave sick and dying people in their wake.

    When will politics take a back seat to real common sense?

  11. Wishful Thinking says:

    All countries with high numbers of covid 19 should have been ban. Other countries been doing this, our health is more important than the risk.

    The DR been topping charts,why act so surprise by the measures taken.

    Many of us fail to realize/consider the population of the BVI. Let the government do their jobs, and stop interfering. Such interference is why we have only 4 days quarantine which led to the current problems. The government need to stick to their guns and stop trying to please others as well.

  12. lili says:

    why only DR and UK ? when america is completly full of covid, and other virus! really

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