More relaxed curfew for BVI possibly ahead — Deputy Premier
Deputy Premier and Health Minister Carvin Malone has said the British Virgin Islands might soon be seeing a more relaxed curfew now that there are no active cases of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in the jurisdiction.
The minister said the subject of further relaxing the ongoing curfew is among the items to be discussed during a Cabinet meeting slated for today, Wednesday, May 27.
“There are other curfew provisions we are going to be looking at and determining what are the other areas that will be even more relaxed,” he said during an airing of the Honestly Speaking radio programme on Tuesday night.
His statement, in the meantime, follows Opposition Leader Marlon Penn’s criticism that the Andrew Fahie administration is “hinder[ing] local businesses from doing business and making profits” during a press statement.
While making that accusation in a May 26 press statement, Penn had called for the government to further relax the current curfew so businesses such as restaurants can operate late-night hours that run closer to midnight.
He said if restaurants were allowed to operate until 10 or 11 pm, they would be able to “implement a strict reservation policy in efforts to adhere to social distancing guidelines”.
The Opposition Leader said such a move only serves to create more employment for the territory. Penn’s reasoning comes on the backdrop that there have been no dramatic spikes of COVID-19 in the territory.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
If there are no Covid cases in the BVI then what is the purpose of the curfew. For that matter what is the purpose of social distancing and wearing masks. Please explain Health Minister.
Some degree of suggested physical distancing can probably justified on the basis that there is a small risk of undetected cases which could spread.
The curfew on the other hand is more difficult to justify, given it is a severe restriction on individual freedom. It should therefore only be used as a last resort, not as the default response.
You people are unbelievable. So drop all precaution and safety measures just because of no cases? Don’t you people see what’s happening in other countries. Our borders partially open next week people. Stop being reckless with your opinions and blogs.
Just because we’ve not tested a person who has it, doesn’t mean it’s not still here in the BVI. Exercise caution, we can not afford any regress. I recommend the government test 500 people at random, and from every pocket of the BVI. That would be the best indicator.
Agreed! How do some people not know by now that most people with the virus have MINOR if ANY symptoms at all. It’s been reported over and over that most people don’t even know they have it! That’s the scary part!
People just don’t get it! It’s safer being Active than being proactive.
What is the purpose of the curfew other than these petty tyrants simply wanting to remove our liberty for the sake of it.
The guvnor needs to remember where the BVI has come from and that removal of liberty and freedom is a breach of human rights. We will not be enslaved again.
If only there were a Noel Lloyd.
Cabinet decides on the curfew orders. Don’t blame the Governor. It’s your own people doing this to you!
So government…. you have now shown that you apparently care about our health.
Does that mean we now can finally ask you to stop the disaster at Pockwood pond (yes you are poisoning people with deliberately burning the waste) and the burning dump on VG (yes those fumes reach the people in the valley).
It’s ridiculous. We are not out of the woods…… are the woods burning Foi?
The curfew was possibly (although possibly not under human rights laws) justifiable when there was an outbreak. A person’s liberty is the one thing a government should not take away lightly.
A curfew is not justified, constitutional or consistent with human rights because you don’t think people will comply with other laws. In other words, you can’t impose a restriction on general liberty because you are unable or unwilling to enforce the law.
Social distancing measures are the most effective. It doesn’t make any difference to the virus that someone is on the streets or on the beaches after 1pm, 3pm, 7pm or 11pm. Govt should enforce the law, not restrict people’s liberty and freedom, save in very exceptional circumstances. The risk to public safety no longer exists in the same way. The risk to the health service being overwhelmed no longer exists in the same way. All until we open the borders (and if we do not enforce the law in relation to quarantine).
It would be better to actually enforce the law in relation to quarantine and restrict the liberty of a handful of arrivals to the BVI than use a blunt instrument to remove the rights of the totality (and destroy the economy unnecessarily further in the same instant).
Now isn’t the time to become LESS VIGILANT. Instead we need stay alert to what is happening around the world. In a few days the boarders will be open, that means a lot of persons will be coming in. How many will have COVID 19, we dont know.
We just trust that there is a capable system in place to handle the possibility of cases.
My advice, take time to examine your habits and movements(you and/or family) and make adjusts where needed. Covid 19 is real, and as the Premier said we can’t play with Covid 19 because Covid 19 isn’s playing with US.
Is it lawful to impose restrictions on a population when the immediate threat has gone and can be managed by “The new normal”
The emergency measures are surely exactly what they say ???
so since this is “new normal” , we must keep the borders closed , keep schools closed , keep the 6am to 7pm curfew and keep all the remaining businesses that are currently we must also keep those closed.
Is this the way forward? people we need to wake up , this plandemic is fake , turn off CNN and turn on Alternative Media , look at what is going on in Africa with World Health Organization
WELL WE ARE ALL BIG PEOPLE, BUT WE DO HAVE A LOT OF CARELESS MALES AND FEMALES AROUND THE BVI. ALL WE HAVE TO DO KEEP IT REAL AND BE SAFE, CAUSE IF THIS VIRUS HIT US A BACK LASH. CRAPO SMOKE OUR PIPES.