Extended curfew will run for 7 days! Residents can only access basic supplies via home deliveries
Government has decided that the extension of the 24-hour lockdown will last for seven consecutive days.
Just before midnight on Saturday, Premier Andrew Fahie announced during a live public broadcast that the extended curfew will run from 6 am on Sunday, April 19 to Saturday, April 25.
“This is important to containing any spread of the virus and to allow the health officials the time they need to do thorough contact tracing,” Premier Fahie said while urging residents to ‘keep their minds open to any possibility’.
During these seven days, gas stations will only be open to serving essential workers. Premier Fahie said supermarkets, pharmacies, cooking gas suppliers, and water-delivery services will also be open but only for making deliveries.
He underscored that only approved supermarkets will be permitted to offer these delivers.
“Cabinet agreed that the delivery of provisions will be prioritised for seniors and vulnerable [residents] … All other businesses not specified above are to be closed for the duration of the extended curfew period,” Fahie said.
As for more vulnerable residents experiencing hardships, the Premier said government will be financing home deliveries of basic food packages.
He said Cabinet will be meeting tomorrow to finalise the logistics surrounding home deliveries of food and medication.
In the meantime, government is yet to give an update on the near-two dozen samples that have been sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency in Trinidad for COVID-19 testing.
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WHAT IN THE ACTUALL F@@@###K
Protection of freedom of movement 18.— (1)
A person shall not be deprived of his or her freedom of movement, that is to say, the right to move freely throughout the Virgin Islands, the right to reside in any part of the Virgin Islands, the right of a person who belongs to the Virgin Islands or on whom residence status has been conferred by law to enter and leave the Virgin Islands, and immunity from expulsion from the Virgin Islands.
Protection of freedom of assembly and association 24.— (1)
No person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his or her freedom of peaceful assembly and association. (2) The freedom of peaceful assembly and association includes the right to assemble freely and associate with other persons and, in particular, to form or belong to political parties or trade unions or other lawful associations for the promotion and protection of his or her interests. (3) Nothing in any law or done under its authority shall be held to contravene this section to the extent that it is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society— (a) in the interests of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health; (b) for the purpose of protecting the rights and freedoms of other persons; or (c) for the imposition of restrictions on public officers that are reasonably required for the proper performance of their functions. (4) For the purposes of subsection (3)(c), “law” in subsection (3) includes directions in writing regarding the conduct of public officers generally or any class of public officer issued by the Government of the Virgin Islands.
Maybe we should be having a discussion about this.
Welp, looks like I am going to starve, those delivery services will be overwhelmed soon
MR PREMIER YOU MISS THE BALL ON THIS LET THE PEOPLE GO OUT JUST TO GET FOOD HOME DELIVERY IS NOT GOING TO WORK BY THE TIME SOME PEOPLE GET THEIRS THE CURFEW WILL BE OVER OR YOU ARE PLANNING TO EXTEND IT AGAIN.
The persons who fled from the apartment building need to take full responsibility for the decisions to extend the curfew and implement home deliveries. Can you imagine us going out there and the same people mixing with us. We don’t know who they are and that’s the hard fact. For that reason this is a good decision. Let’s help each other through this additional 7, and for those who don’t have debit/credit cards please reach out and those who have much please reach out too. Be mine another keeper.
And some of us don’t have credit cards, so this is a dilemma. I understand the need, but it is now a situation of safety versus starving families. Not everyone has a salary that they received automatically like Gov’t workers.
I was saying the same thing…some people don’t have credit cards and with many people not working,some don’t even have cash.
Paternalistic rubbish! I don’t need any blasted government assistance. I would just like to purchase what I need to survive seven more days of house arrest and to live in peace. How long, exactly, will it take for me to receive what I order, since so many people will now be doing the same thing all at once? From the looks of them, the Premier and his Minister of Health don’t have any problem accessing food. But now all the rest of us do – whether we have money or not!
According to this ramble we are putting the service in place for the elderly and the dying the rest of you please do not use it.
The premier know exactly what he was doing police,fire man,prison office and other essential work shop except for the staff at Peebles hostital they want use to work for 12hours without pay and food and we have a health Minister who represent us shame and you all
Lying? The hospital staff is being paid. No one is being asked to work for free. You all need to stop it.
the health staff has not been paid they are not lying.
BVIHSA Staff was notified in advance that they would receive payroll on 20 April. They will be paid tomorrow.
Same here.
https://youtu.be/WGbYHJcMbz8
What about the elderly people a lot of them did not get to shop and when you are calling the line to order food no one is picking up I guess they are over booked this is crazy! A lot of people out of water we operate a small convenience store people with small kids keep calling us for water milk cereal and we don’t have not even for ourselves to even share with them this is crazy I need the premier to call the online shopping and see if he gets through they’re not answering
And a mother with 4 children without food have to bear the that burden
That f*** don’t make no sense they could deliver to the whole island Strupes ayu minister house hold covered ain’t worry bout the small ppl
The super markets does not have the capacity to fulfill orders for home delivery. Certain supermarket has pull down their online ordering due to extremely high demand. For others, it normally takes 3 + days for your order to reach your door, now, it will take much longer. PEOPLE ARE OUT OF FOOD AND HUNGRY!!!!
One week is a suffering duration to wait for a household WITH NO FOOD LEFT. And what about those with no monies who have been contacting FSN, RED CROSS and Social Development for days with no relief. Even those with monies to buy groceries will also suffer due to no access to food.
Open up the super markets in no more than 2 days and let the authorities prioritise catching and then harshly prosecute the escapees.
“He said Cabinet will be meeting tomorrow to finalise the logistics surrounding home deliveries of food and medication.”
This is NIGHTMARE in the making. So in a few hours Cabinet is going to figure out an algorithm for home delivery for an entire territory?????
There are so many cases and factors to to consider.
Order FullFillment
– How many employees will be filling orders
– How many hours per day will the stores be open
– The average time per order
– What can be ordered
– What to do about items NOT in stock (ignore, or communicate with the customer [additional time])
– SANITATION MEASURES FOR FULLFILLMENT
Delivery
– How many drivers will be available
– The average time for delivery
– How to communicate addresses efficiently.
– Everyone does not accross from so and so
– SANITATION MEASURES FOR DELIVERY
Payment
– How is the order cost communicated
– Are drivers accepting payment (cash/card machine) or does one have to pay by phone
– People with credit/debit cards only.
– People with cash only.
– People with no cash or card.
– People with checking accounts only (A HUGE BUSINESS RISK)
Release people he’ll wrong with these people we need to shop whatever
[supermarket] increased at least 10% the prices for online orders.
They should remain the prices.
I think there is a lot of lessons to be learn from this pandemic. I know a lot of people out of jobs right now but this too shall past. Moving forward everyone not just BVI where ever you are should invest in Emergency food and also government and non profit organizations should have a food bank that would ease some of the panic and frustration on the populace that would help a great deal. Me and my husband being a dooms day person and thinking about what could happen if a Natural disaster happen and we are not able to get food we have 1 year supply of freeze food which when we told our friends about it they laugh at us and thought we were crazy now every one calling us to say we are smart. It really hurts my hear to read the pain and suffering of people in the BVI one of my favorite vacation spot.Dont worry we will get through this together. I wish I was in a position to help it can’t be easy but God is good he don’t gives us more than we could bare.
You are one of the lucky ones. Some people cannot afford to have that kind of set up living from paycheck to paycheck.
It’s not a shortage of food. The grocery stores between them are stocked for months. It is a shortage of manpower, time and resources to get it to people.
…do we expect the supermarkets to suddenly implement and coordinate mass delivery when home delivery is not something that is generally available? Even if RTW, OneMart etc did already have reliable and efficient home delivery systems they would never be able to cope with the demand of everyone suddenly wanting it at the same time.
We now need to open essential food and medical services. Scale back the previous reopening plans – no beauty salons, no construction or hardware stores etc., but allow people to go the food shops and pharmacies, exercising social distancing, sanitization etc. Allow the mini marts to open to ease the burden and strongly encourage people who are not yet in great need to delay their shopping for a few days. Care packages can still be provided to those in need.
Doesn’t look too good, people will react negative, not a good idea.
It is not possible to deliver to 10,000 households this week. Not even close. A basic understanding of math should allow anyone to see this.
By the time this is realized, it will be too late, and people will be without food.
Also, please sanitize the cash you get back in change from the delivery person, as it can be contaminated.
There are a lot of vulnerable people in this society so I hope they are looked after before the greedy and dishonest.
There must also be huge amounts of food rotting which could have been shared by the supermarkets of the government had more vision. You would have thought they would bring Mark in to the loop, despite political affiliation.
The governor must go.
No other democracy has implemented measures like this. And the BVI doesn’t have the capability to deliver supplies.
There will be a reckoning, and it will not be good for the BVI. People not from here will decide enough is enough and will not want to have their liberties at risk and will go home. The BVI economy will suffer.
@Enough, enough already! True, these are difficult times as the territory faces one of the greatest crisis of our lifetime. Stop the hysteria! Will people really go home? Or you just trying to blow smoke up our a….s?
Meanwhile, down on the plantation…But wait, the natives are getting restless!
it is time
you had your limelight post-irma.
This is not the civil service. this is real.
you are not in charge. you are a figurehead.
there will be a reckoning.
Indeed.
This tyrant has shown his true colours.
Are we to be enslaved again by the white folk? Release us from our imprisonment and we shall let you go.
Either way, there shall be a reckoning.
Government prime responsibility is to protect life. I supported government strong and relatively swift effort to prevent, contain, control and mitigate Covid-19, ie, physical distancing, closing the border, 24-hour lockdown………etc. However, its approach for residents accessing and replenishing food supply after 14 days of 24-hour lockdown is flawed. The supermarkets don’t have the resources to logistically deliver food in a timely, efficient and effective manner.
The following is a suggested action plan:
1. Work with supermarkets to open from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm for two days
2. Give seniors (65 or 70?) and special needs citizens the priority to shop from 6:00 am to 8:00 am.
3. Let customers shop by first letter of title (surname); one person per family
4. Let customers shop only for basic food staples, ie, water, rice, meat,…..etc; over flowing baskets are not needed at this time
5. Enforce a strict 100% identification policy (no exception)
6. Shame the selfish customers that try to abuse the system
7. Deploy police to ensure people go home from supermarkets visit
Hon Premier Fahie, you are on a roll so don’t kill it with this one flawed decision. As dem say one ah s….it kills one thousand at a boys or something like that. Just saying.
Vulnerable should not only mean the elderly but also women and children. If everybody except the elderly die of starvation, who going to repopulate the place (sic).
Please just send around an extra truck with the essential supplies along with the normal refuse collection trucks. Monday, Wednesday and Friday home deliveries would be fine!
Who want to pay because they dont want to feel like they getting government handout, could just make a donation to the cause, on delivery.
Each box should contain bottled water, bread, sugar, personal supplies (hand soap, bar soap, toothpaste, and the like), snack stuff (for adults and children), flour, oil, fruits and vegetables(because we know the damn fruits and veg in the shop going spoil by time it reopen), oil, canned foods, milks, cereals, cleaning products (dish liquid, bleach, clothes detergent if you please).
Now, additional special boxes containing diapers, wipes, baby soap, baby food, baby snacks and baby formula should be packed separately in case there are babies or toddlers in the family. Put everything on government bill. The social security contributions should cover it.
Make sure we practice safe distancing when making the deliveries. Everybody good? Let’s go.
@TITANIC
Titanic
Vulnerable should not only mean the elderly but also women and children. If everybody except the elderly die of starvation, who going to repopulate the place (sic).
So if you let the women out who or what will they use to repopulate if you dont also allow the men to go out?
Thank you I laughed until I cried……….thank you!
Lol!!!! You have a point.
Umm.. There are both male and female children.
Grocery delivery ? Can’t get promised curbside trash pickup ! Rats are loving this. Next the plague.
You cannot deny people the necessary privileges to go and buy food and medicine in an organized way. Yes, have the curfew in place, but people should be allowed to go and buy food and essentials.
Also, they should be able to go for a short walk for their mental wellness. Restaurants should be able to offer takeout, and other essentials should operate sensibly.
This model is ruining the economy for all and is not sustainable. If there is no social welfare in a country, the country MUST work. What about the business community? Are they just supposed to survive and continue to pay workers when they cannot trade in a limited capacity?
MAYBE the last 14 days could have been spent preparing a plan about how to open the essential economy by using the resources of police to manage it properly and enforce rules. Imagine that!
Are we a art of essential service in this country Mr premier and Mr Minister of health why we the staff at Peebles hospital was not included in the shopping day as police, fire man prison officer and other essential worker we are forced work 12 hours now without food are we being pay enough salary to buy stuff to serve use for 3week and if you call for help red Cross,family support have to know your history before you can get help
Deliver TOILET PAPER !
Every time the premiere makes a decision I s..t myself! 🙂
?????
Are we a art of essential service in this country Mr premier and Mr Minister of health why we the staff at Peebles hospital was not included in the shopping day as police, fire man prison officer and other essential worker we are forced work 12 hours now without food are we being pay enough salary to buy stuff to serve use for 3week and if you call for help red Cross,family support have to know your history before you can get help
What going an Peebles hospital staff never get a word that essential worker was stopping for 2 day most of us don’t have food home because we are not getting the salary to buy has much to serve for 3 week and are forced to work for 12 hour can we work without food?
Good news. This means safety for everyone. Hope the government find the way to attend the people in need first.
Please, people that have food still and can survive for more days. Please wait so that the people in real need get their supplies.
I was thinking this could happen and I am lucky I could do a shopping for three weeks.
The virus is the real think will kill us. Please be true to everyone and don’t despair. Water can be boiled. Rice can be eaten without beans.
Survival mode. No desperate.
Help each other and patience
St.Maarten Prime Minister told the people on that island that they supposed to have a 2 weeks supply of food for Hurricane and if they don’t have the type of bread that they like in their house eat crackers, oats sardines.
So here goes the jingle.
Bread crackers sardines oats
Crackers sardines bread oats
Bread sardines crackers oats
Bread crackers oats sardines
Lawd ah go dead, ah go dead, lawd.
BTW St.Maarten Prime Minister is a female and you know women has no damn heart toward the same sex, it’s a fact.
Takes a woman to pull down another woman, hateful bitch@s.
When it comes to women, KARMA is my Bestie.
I see that they are going to find me for the bass, I have had to eat banana in order to survive. I have not had a supply for 3 days, and now this. !!! be guided by the bad smell that I don’t get out of this alive
This is crazy we operate a little small mini mart and people have been calling for water for kids cereal washing powder sanitary pads toothpaste online shopping they are not answering I guess they are overbooked this is crazy I don’t even have for myself to share with the neighbors who are calling we are out of everything our self even though we operate a little business I sympathize with all the parents who run out of stuff online shopping is not working they are over booked so that’s why they’re not answering their phones I can’t blame them
Living it up in the USVI!!! That’s never gonna work, feel for you guys
Me too. So glad I’m not in the BVI right now. Very sorry for (almost) everyone there.
Let’s see…you have over 50 cases and climbing? Glad you are living it up. We WILL make it!
Thank you American in the BVI!
Lol Corona is actually not the worst problem in St Croix
Sure. But probably fewer dying of starvation or abuse and the economy will be better.
Or just simple gangstarism. #gogogunsandcocaine
I usually do not post to get into social matters, however, this need to be said.
While I commend the government for making an unfavorable decision admits the COVID-19, that may prevent the community spreading of the virus, supermarket regulations need to be implemented.
Some supermarkets online shopping delivery requirements are as follows: “100 dollars minimum order” “40 items minimum” and some are $80 minimum. Now for some this may not be such a bad idea, but for others this is putting them between a rock and a hard place – they have to decide to hang their hats where their hands cannot reach or do without.
Have any consideration been done about persons who may only have $50 dollars allotted for groceries, or is only in need of water or may just need fruits and vegetables? And what about persons who do not have access to a Visa Debit Card or a Credit Card?
Further, not everyone shop at one supermarket. For economic reasons many persons ‘shop around’. Now they are forced to buy 40 items at one shop or spend their remaining $100 at one store.
And let us not talk about the supermarkets whose prices have suddenly increased (Yes, shoppers are paying attention to how an item that use to cost $6.49 is now $10.59) Maybe I am overthinking this.
How long will the government continue to allow the supermarkets to rape the nation?
Signed a concern resident.
A gallon of water delivered- $ 5.00 !!!
A 4 day delivery time !!!! “Hopefully Wednesday “. Can’t do it anymore
Suicide hot line. Call Fahies office
Huge economies like the UK, Germany, Sweden and USA are not in total lockdown, because they realize they cannot destroy their economies for their citizens.
Also, these countries are pairing partial lockdowns with welfare relief for their people.
You cannot lock people down, and then not help them with a welfare package.
Why are decisions that affect the public broadcasted at minutes to midnight. Governor wanna say they gon penalize for trafficking false information yet the information people need is being broadcasted at midnight when 9/10 of the population asleep. There’s definitely something they don’t want us to know
Well , maybe it’s a good idea like in the old days :
we have the supermarket / pharmacy delivery truck coming to your corner of the street or bottom of your hill so you can buy your produce, etc… direct from the truck and just the basics to keep you going for the week. It is also a good solution for those without vehicles. I still remember this as a child 40 years ago…and don’t forget the ? in case someone comes up with the idea . Stay safe
I cant believe you fools had the supermarket lines hold up for hours just to run out of food less than 2 weeks later. It’s like y’all just went in the store and pick up exactly 2 weeks worth of food. All of that non social distancing increasing the risk of catching the virus for nothing. What did you guys buy? A spoonful of rice and cup of flour? Eat those case of paper towel and toilet paper now you dummies. This was to be expected or at least planned for. We just been through Irma. We saw how the supermarket lines were long and shelves were empty and what lesson did you learn? Absolutely nothing.
They picked up what their money could buy. Not everyone ran out of food.
Windex during a 24/7 two week lockdown? Cases of toilet paper and paper towel. I’m sure a lot of the same hungry people have cases of Presidente and Heineken Now they want government to help them with water.
As tough as is a further 7 days in lock down it is pale in comparison to what would happen if this gets out of control. Your magnificent
island, people and culture will face challenges equal to or greater than Irma. You need to get this behind you in the next two months to be ready for this fall’s tourism season. There will be a great many people out there wanting to live again, not much different than post depression or WW2. Of course careful entry requirements will be mandatory. So if it takes another 7 days then so be it as the alternative is many months and many lives.
Stay Strong you have done it before
As a community, we espouses capitalism, not socialism. But in these difficult times people are promoting and desiring social welfare. In the UK, displaced workers are being paid 80% of wages for the next 2 months. In the USVI, our friendly and closest neighbor, residents can file for unemployment and are receiving the $1200 or $2400 US stimulus checks so what is the UK, the Mother country, doing for the VI. If we wait for it, like we will die of thirst and hunger.
Has capitalism failed? It is not as yet but it is on life support. We can pretend all we want but non-revolutionary Democratic Socialism is flourishing in Western Europe and elsewhere; it is already in the VI.
I want to know what going happeng with the imigrant person who no have no money for shoping
Let the people go, one life has been lost, people will be careful, people are on the brink of starving, water is gone, flour gone too, can’t knock up something! Let the people go for the next three days. Starvation will take out more youths than the elderly, the youths are our future.
Let supermarkets be open daily so people can get essentials in and out
Please open up the territory. We need to purge the idiots from the BVI ASAP. We are only as strong as our weakest links and this pandemic has proven that despite the many updates and instructions about social distancing the idiots will revert to their primitive selves each time they are untied. Allow them to continue to rub shoulders in the supermarkets and let nature do the rest. You have done your best now treat them like adults. If they die, they die.
I know for sure the hospital isn’t equipped for a major disaster that this could be. Maybe 10 infected can receive adequate care simultaneously but I still wouldn’t bet on it, but if the infected rise to 20 or more they can’t handle that especially if they are as sick as the lady that die was.
Let them out of their cages. Allow them to receive the sharp edge of the sword. The blood will not be on your hands. Our destiny is already written let’s see how it played out. They don’t care as much as you so why should you care?
@hahaha Your ignorance is mind blowing. Not everyone is as privileged as you to shop for a month. Most persons live cheque to cheque, many persons in the hospitality and construction industries lost their jobs. We still had bills to pay, preschools still demanding money, rent still has to be played, etc. Perhaps you are well off, however reality is most people do shop paycheck to paycheck. No one anticipated getting punished for an additional week due to unfortunate circumstances. Don’t behave like that, that’s being inconsiderate and people are genuinely hungry. I may have a job but I have not been paid so I have to wait like others. Try being compassionate instead of being cynical, unfortunate circumstances befall us all and it can happen to you one day. So don’t laugh or gloat in people’s misfortunes.
I’m not poor but far from privileged. All I have is a basic job and a bit of commonsense. I dont need to eat steak or lobster and not too big or proud to horde a few cans of corned beef, sardine and Vienna sausage and tins of soda crackers for a rainy day. That doesn’t cost a lot. So when the chicken and frozen meat run out and Fahie say extend another week guess what I’m gonna eat? those same canned goods. Live within your means or shop wisely especially during a pandemic. There are a few poor people out there and unemployed but the ones that were out shopping had a lot of bags full of crap. Imagine people in the line preparing for a 2 week lockdown and they getting cases of toilet paper and paper towel, Windex and all kinda unnecessary junk as if we in normal times. Realistically a few big bags of rice and flour should last weeks and cheap enough for everybody but nah y’all want to eat big. Buying everything on the shelf to cook a 3 course meal with 7 side sides to only last a week when all you need was just enough to survive until things got better.
People took the Government at its word that there would be a fourteen day quarantine that was actually supposed to end on April 16 originally. Then, after many had already shopped on their assigned day, it shifted to April 20. Now its being extended by another seven days and we were supposed to be prepared for that? Stop apologizing for this government that you are probably a part of and getting paid to stay home. It should say what it means and mean what it says. I guess that’s a novel concept to some.
Those people are idiots. Now they on social media begging. COVID19 is not a puppet on a string to be controlled. No government can predict the future. Some people know something usually cost a $1.00 they will walk with exactly one dollar then they go in the store the price increase by 25cents then they cant buy it. Be prepared. The Premier say 2 weeks prepare for longer. I bet y’all get sense now. Why should they allow us to shop and y’all dont have any sense. They keep saying stay 6 ft away in the stores but ayo all up under people armpits.
REDCROSS, BLUECROSS, BLOCK CROSS ONLY GIVE THE BEST TO THERE FRIENDS AND FAMILY I DO NEED THEM FOR NOTHING.I NEED TO GO TO THE FOOD STORE PEOPLE THANK YOU.
Imagine we the people are being punish because government didnt do their job and treat the lady properly when she first came to the hospital and again when they fail to ensure that these people didnt run off the property when they should being in quarentine.
Yet they no problem using exessive force on a young boy going for water. Or threaten to lock up people because they dare to express themself.
By right government need to go around top up everyone groceries free of charge because all of this is because of their negligence.
Let my people go
@BVI Constitution. Is your position in our society higher than that of the Governor and Premier? Go sit down with your ignorance and try to think outside the box. Smh
Sooner or later you must catch this disease. %5 of people die and more people still die from the flu.
Covid 1984
Welcome to our brave new world.
I know they doing it for our health but I want to go out side I want to be free man.????
I”m praying for my people of the BVI who has the authority to make
decisions in the best interest of the people . I pray God will direct your thoughts and this to shall pass.