Full lockdown coming | Gov’t to close borders to outgoing traffic too
Days after closing all local ports of entry to incoming international traffic because of the global coronavirus pandemic, Premier Andrew Fahie said his government now have plans to also bar persons from leaving the British Virgin Islands.
He said officials are scheduled to meet on Wednesday, March 25 to “put an end” outgoing movement.
The Premier said the outgoing traffic had been permitted all this time to allow tourists to leave the BVI. However, he explained that this cannot be made to continue since local ferries that transport these visitors over to the neighbouring US Virgin Islands still have to return. This, he said, opens the territory up to risk.
“We have to have a cut-off point for all of this because we are dealing with people’s lives. The highest risk is our elders, 60 and older. If we keep putting people on the ground, we are putting this territory’s life at risk,” the Premier argued.
And for the time being, any person that is allowed to enter into the territory must go into quarantine for two weeks, Fahie said.
“We have to put our foot down on these things,” he insisted while responding to questions during a press conference on Tuesday.
The ports had officially closed to incoming international traffic on 11:59 pm on Sunday, March 22. This closure is expected to last until Monday, April 6, at which point a decision will be made whether to prolong or lift the restriction.
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I said it a few days ago, that the whole Island is going to go on lock down. no entering, no leaving.
What do you want, a lollipop or a trophy?
No, I want your saggy A** hanging in my yard on a flag pole so everyone can get a look at what a every day fool looks like.
If the borders are closed in incoming traffics how did someone come into the BVI yesterday from St. Thomas on a private vessel. The person travelled from New York. You are not monitoring the borders properly.
Time to start prosecuting these private vessel owners for illegally transporting people into the territory.
You are assuming that these are illegal entries. Do you know that the minister of the subject has the power to authorize persons to enter the territory despite this smokescreen of a oneway lock down?
Since you know so much, Did you report it to authorities when you saw these people entering on a private vessel?
Why not report it. The authorities cannot be or see everything. We as public have to work with the authorities to assure safety for each other. We are all in the same life raft fighting for survival and safety.
Did you see this or was this hear say?? Typical!! Smh
How come them aint detained that chalwell boy for 14 days?
Wha bout the cargo boats that r coming n going ????????????????
The lax attitude to people coming in and out is going to have consequences. We know it’s a pandemic and every major country sending visitors and every through port has many cases. Yet our powers that be seem to prefer to appease the taxi and ferry cartels for a few days more money.
Why is it taking so long to lock down the territory? The Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is raging and savaging every continent save for Antartica. The VI as other countries are at war with the Coronavirus; the fierce battles is yet to be fought. As such the VI must marshal all its resource to take it to the enemy. War requires sacrifices and yields causalities; that is the realities of war.
There is no cure for the disease nor is there a vaccine. Thus, every practical effort must be collectively taken to prevent, contain, control and mitigate the virus. With neither a cure nor a vaccine, the best course of action to prevent the spread of the disease is social distancing. Stay away from people and crowds; stay your a…s inside. China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore have employed this practice, ie, locking down, to contain the spread of the virus and they are seeing light at the end of the tunnel.
True, the VI has no confirmed cases as yet. However, in war, the enemy exercises strict fire discipline to hide their location. And though they are not revealing their location, you know and assume that they are in the area. And at some point, you got to attack either directly or by ambush to take it to the enemy to force it to surrender. Fighting this pandemic is a collective effort with each one doing one’s part. Let’s do tis ting.
so this explains why we are seeing so many charter boats head for Road Harbour