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BVI will not do away with COVID protocols like the UK

Minister of Health & Social Development Carvin Malone.

Minister of Health Carvin Malone said the BVI government will not discard COVID-19 protocols as was done in the United Kingdom by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

In an interview on JTV this week, Malone said the government has relaxed the COVID-19 protocols since the beginning of the pandemic, but they do not plan to completely remove them.

He noted July of last year when the territory had a COVID-19 surge of more than 1,600 cases. Malone said the government implemented partial curfews to deal with that issue. However, over the Christmas period and into January 2022, the territory saw another surge in cases with approximately 1,300 confirmed active positive cases but no curfews or lockdowns were implemented.

“One would have to admit we have learned to progress and live with it. Is it time to do away with all of it as if it doesn’t exist? Well, you can’t tell that to the person who I know who are in the hospital right now; the persons who are still waiting to be interred (buried),” the Health Minister said.

“So, the whole fact is that we have to be careful in what we are doing. We have cut the days for persons in quarantine. It was 14 days, then it was down to 10 and now seven with a rapid test. If you stay 10 days, we are looking to have you released without a test. However, at the workplaces, people are saying if my employee or I contract it, I want to know if I am still in that infectious zone after the 10 days to protect my business and protect others around,” Malone added.

People no linger required to wear masks in the UK

Last week, Johnson said most restrictions employed to fight the latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in England would be lifted this week. People are no longer required to wear masks in closed spaces, work from home, and prove vaccination status to enter public spaces such as nightclubs. Secondary school pupils will no longer be required to wear face masks from Thursday, Johnson said, calling for the March 24 date for a review of self-isolation rules to be brought forward.

In addressing the House of Commons, the prime minister attributed the changes to the success of the UK’s mass booster jab programme.

“Because of the extraordinary booster campaign… we can return to Plan A in England and allow Plan B regulations to expire,” Johnson said.

Last month, England switched to “Plan B” in order to cope with what Johnson called a “tidal wave” of expected infections from the Omicron variant.

Meanwhile, the Virgin Islands currently has 397 active cases, which is down by 18 from the previously reported statistics. Malone said once the new positive cases drop to single digits, then the territory would be in the correct zone. Also, the total number of fully vaccinated persons stand at 17,236 while 1,550 are partially vaccinated. The current goal is to reach at least 22,500 fully vaccinated persons.

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32 Comments

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  1. always the last to do anything says:

    WE ALL KNOW THE BVI BACKWARDS…get with the times!

    Like 30
    Dislike 10
    • Not2Sure says:

      What Carvin does not mention is that the UK is over 90% vaccinated, whereas in BVI it is more like 40%.

      Like 6
      Dislike 8
      • Future says:

        Not sure where you are getting your numbers. The UK is counting natural immunity. Their numbers are not just a reflection of vaccination. “Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests more than nine in 10 adults in the UK now have coronavirus antibodies – which is evidence of a past Covid infection or having received at least one dose of a vaccine.”

  2. 3rd World says:

    What happened to the treatment before the vaccine y’all remember when the B.V.I was fighting Covid without a vaccine now they can’t get it handled I want to know what happened?

    Like 11
    Dislike 4
  3. Resident says:

    if you don’t the people will do away with vip, we will vote you out

    Like 23
    Dislike 6
  4. Duh! says:

    Of course not! Why would we move on with life when the Hon. Health Minister and the others involved with these draconian measures will lose their stripes? COVID is the only way for the Government to continue to keep the people in fear! If they cared about health, they would address sewage running in the streets and open burning down at the dump site. How ironic that they care about COVID and health but most people without a cistern do not have access to consistent clean running water. Go take a hike Carvin, time for people to live life! We have vaccines and ample time to beef up our health facilities, time to move on! Get the kids in school, monitor the vulnerable and let us get on with it. The constant fear mongering with no clear plan in sight is just ridiculous now and using COVID as an excuse for everything that goes wrong is played out.

    Like 47
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    • Vaccine says:

      Take you vaccine so we can get on with it.

      Like 7
      Dislike 23
      • Nothing to do with you says:

        I don’t care if the person is not vaccinated. That’s a risk they should be prepared to take. What I care about is holding back of society with this nonsense.

        Like 17
      • Sail On says:

        EUA Vaccine = year three , what Emergency last +2 years & when the EUA gets removed and traditionally sound medical review returns then the substance won’t be called a vaccine

  5. E. Leonard says:

    Regardless of its origin, Covid-19 is a global pandemic and will require global support, collaboration and cooperation to arrest it. How did a deadly virus become politicize? Politicians, especially totalitarian, autocrats, those with totalitarian and autocratic tendencies, desperate, etc, politicize and weaponize Covid for political advantage and gain. UK PM Boris Johnson is struggling to hold on to power, so it seems as to appease Covid-fatigued Britons and to hopefully politically survive he is throwing proven mitigation protocols out the window and into hurricane force winds. Pure selfish politics.

    Moreover, in the US and from day 1, Covid has been politicized. It is now a polarizing, tribal, wedge, cultural, etc, issue that it’s divided along major parties line, ie, Democrats and Republicans. There are more tools available now to fight Covid than was available to fight the 1918 Spanish Flu, yet more precious lives have been lost in the US due to Covid (over 800K) than during the Spanish Flu(~675,000). Did politics play a role?

    Further, Covid-19 has revealed the structural weakness of the VI, along with most other sister regional countries, economy. The commonality is that they all depend heavily on tourism. Consequently, the VI and others have to balance governing between health and economic.This is almost a Hobson’s choice. Nonetheless, the VI must take sensible risks, tilting towards health. Continuing, diversifying the economy must become a moonshot for the VI. It is a Quadrant 1 issue—-Important and Urgent.

    Like 7
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    • Bias says:

      @E. Leonard, you bias, for you named Boris Johnson but skirt around naming Donald Trump. What’s up with that? Both are morons, though Boris is brighter moron. Other than dat, agree that politics should be used for the public good in regards to managing Covid.

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      • @Bias says:

        I am no E. Leonard fan, but you Sir/Ma’am are the one that comes across as an a$$ and liberal nut job. Try taking a balanced look at the world rather than spouting $hit through your selfish self centered view on life.

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    • Tired of hearing about Boris says:

      Waiting for Boris to maybe one day acknowledge yall and the ghetto site and tell yall to kiss his …. ?…

      Boris and those powers know what this pandemic is about… He just has balls thats all… People die every second, everyday… if its your time its your time to go but this is going on since 2019 and it seems like you all want it to go to 2030?.. Time to end this shebang now, money made, we see how easy it is for mass control etc…

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    • RealPol says:

      Real talk and real politics. Politicians are using science conveniently for their personal health and political gain. Most of them are hypocrites; most of the politicians not giving full support to vaccinations are fully vaccinated and boosted.

  6. reality says:

    over 90% of the UK have had at least 1 dose of vaccine more than 80% in Scotland have had both, thats the difference and why the BVI must wait,want to blame someone,blame the anti vaxers they are holding everyone prisoner as they spend too much time with their facebook doctors

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    • captain obvious says:

      the vaccine doesn’t stop you from contracting or spreading covid so why should everyone get it

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      • EU Citizen says:

        Because you would get much less sick if you get COVID and likely avoid dying. Good reason for you?

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        • Actually says:

          Hospitalizations, death rates and recoveries are the same as they were pre-vaccine. Ppl lie, numbers dont.

          Boris dropped the requirements because he is under investigation for breaking them. Yall need pay more attention to whats going on around you.

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        • Guess What? says:

          @EU Citizen. Ask and you shall be told. The Vaccine completely incapacitates and take over from your natural immune system. Of course, we all know that each Vaccine can address specific strain of Virus. When Omicron came, all existing Vaccines didn’t recognize it. Find out from those who are fully vaccinated but got infected with Omicron Virus. Many of them had to spend more time in quarantine. Omicron is doing harm simply because there is virtually no point of defence for the infect. Meanwhile, the vaccinated, still has the luxury of their natural immune response. Across the world, WHO, CDC, the big Pharmas and their likes have ensured that the society is completely silenced. This is reason why there is hardly any intellectual discussion on Covid. All we are told is to vaccinate. These folks made sure that all alternative options are completely blocked. Go to Africa. Life has returned to normal in many countries since last year with few outbreaks here and there which is usually contained with local herbs and nutrition protocols. I understand that some of the Doctors in Africa went ahead to treat their patients with the protocols banned by WHO and CDC and they got incredible results. Let’s discuss science, void of political correctness. Should we stay on the path of having to take a jab every 4 months? I say yes to Vaccine that works and No to Vaccine that does not.

          Like 6
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        • captain obvious says:

          no its not a good enough reason to subject my body to an experimental drug

          Like 6
          Dislike 1
  7. RealDeal says:

    So there are actually persons here who think that Boris Johnson’s pandemic denyism is the right choice, a man who doesn’t even know when he is in a drinks party! Wow!

    Like 2
    Dislike 3
  8. @realdeal says:

    You’re as bad a s the politicians! STFU!

  9. Hbh Da Don says:

    Mehson ayo leave my partner alone. All you want he is family and at least he stick to his guns.

  10. Are you sane? says:

    He didnt deny covid, he dropped regulations that wasnt working, ones hes under investigation for breaking himself.

    Many countries about to. And tjose that will not are going the way of Australia, austria and canada: authoritarian dictatorship.

    Papers please.

  11. Bull says:

    Last year it was test on arrival, then again day 4. Now it’s 7 days, so by the time you count the actual days, it’s 9 days. Stupid. Does government realize there are cancer patients (and others) who CANNOT have the vaccine? 40 years coming to BVI, Hugo, Irma, first round of Covid didn’t stop us. Now a useless vaccine that can’t be taken will finish our history with the BVI.

    Like 4
    Dislike 1
  12. same reason says:

    you wear seatbelts. Vaccination reduces the risk of dying or being hospitalised with Covid-19 by 90%. The overall vaccine effectiveness against transmission is 89 per cent.
    It’s like wearing seatbelt that also protects those around you.

    Like 2
    Dislike 10
  13. ShakeFear says:

    Does this man know how to tell the truth? For the past 3 months, his a$$ was mute. Come on here with fake statistic, Seems to be suffering from a Liedemic. Lack of care and Remdisvier is what seems to cause all the Dispare. His aim is never to give you hope, is P…..fzer the new king of selling us Do…pe. Are’nt you sick of covid and all of this sh!t, every 3 months you’ll need a new hit. The aim was never to cure the disease but to allow global governments todo as they please. The talking head clearly doesn’t care, which is worst,… the virus…..or him constantly spreading fear.

    Like 8
    Dislike 1
  14. Be smart. Think Smart. Follow the leader. says:

    We need to understand one thing. Boris is not making a blind and or non informed decision on Covid, he has the intelligence of the set up, the evil plans of big tech to continue no make billions by sacrificing people, he is fed…Now big tech is after him spending millions to get his down fall like they did Trump..No one messes with their plans…

  15. Jokes says:

    Same person sits under the tree up the Gut every Wednesday Werth no mask or 6 feet distance from 20 or 30 people buying fish in mayo sauce. He sits there for hours talking piss and politics. No mask and not actively eating. But then want to act like these mandates are so important. Mark on in camera but in real life we know nobody studying no dam mask. This pandemic done and we sick of it.

    Like 8
    Dislike 1
  16. OK Karen says:

    WHY NOT?

  17. BVI Sailing says:

    “EUA Vaccine” = entering year three , what Emergency last +2 years? and when the “EUA” gets removed and traditionally sound medical review returns then the substance won’t be called a vaccine when the Emergency Use Authorization gets removed — back to Sailing

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