Choppy waters ahead! Additional mooring sites coming for vessels
Government has announced plans to introduce additional mooring sites in the territory following concerns about strong winds forecast to affect persons quarantining on vessels in the territory this coming weekend.
Health Minister Carvin Malone said the location of these additional mooring sites will be decided and made available to the public soon.
“That concern was raised today (Monday, December 7) and we are taking that into full considerations. I think there were two to three additional sites which are deemed to be safe sites that we have actually looked at because there is a cold front that is due by Friday … So when there is a cold front coming, you can almost bet that there are going to be swells; making it unsafe for most or some of the anchorages,” Malone said during a media conference with Premier Andrew Fahie this week.
He added: “We have actually approved those to be looked at and they will be brought to Cabinet on Wednesday so that we can make a formal announcement as to these additional safe sites during the time when the swells and dangerous waters [are happening. We ant to ensure] that if you’re going to sleep, you will have to have a safe enough anchorage.”
14 mooring sites presently approved
Cabinet had previously announced 14 approved mooring sites across the territory for persons quarantining on approved vessels to anchor or dock. These include Benures Bay, Soldier Bay, South Bay, Spring Bay, White Bay, Hallovers Bay and Valley Trunk Bay.
Long Bay, Malone Bay, George Dog, Lee Bay, Muskmelon Bay, Pomato Point (West) and Manchioneel Bay are also included.
Vessels are allowed restricted movement in the territorial waters but are only permitted to land at these sites once they have received a negative COVID-19 test result upon arrival in the territory.
Vessels are to be anchored or docked by 6 pm daily at an approved mooring site until 5 am the next day.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
I live near one of these quarantine sites and have noticed that only about half the boats are flying the yellow quarantine flag. This needs to become mandatory and enforced with fines. How are the people on shore going to know if these folks are in quarantine or have a negative test result!
You are expecting us (the people the work in the bars and villas) to enforce this stuff with your gold seal training…but you are not telling us who these people are.
Now you are adding more sites for quarintine people to go…with no yellow flags…right in front of where I work. Not Right!
Can you please let the people that live on the land know what’s going on BEFORE you tell the tourist!?
Have you considered that the boats without flags do not have anyone on them who is under quarantine?
Just a thought….
Choppy waters under the leadership of the most incompetent government ever assembled. We are really in trouble.
This is typical of this government. Just reacting to one thing after another, taking no time to stop and think about the next step. If people are on boats, they are OBVIOUSLY going to be affected by the prevailing weather…Why is this a(nother) last minute panic for something totally predictable? Actually, I’ll answer my own question: because BVI politicians are incapable of looking more than about 5 minutes ahead of what they are saying.
Painful. Da people are suffering
A map would be handy. I have sailed BVI for decades and I don’t know where half of those are. And which white bay or long bay? There are several.
Here’s the map: https://www.bvitraveller.com/bvi-approved-quarantine-mooring-sites/
Good. Well done.
why is this coming from the health minister though? it comes like only two members of government run the country