‘One wrong move means shutting down and restarting again’
Premier Andrew Fahie
Pointing to the vulnerable position the global coronavirus pandemic has placed the BVI in, Premier Andrew Fahie has said a single bad decision from his administration could cause serious safety issues for the territory.
He, therefore, said a gradual approach is the most prudent way of lifting the government-imposed restrictions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
“If we make one wrong move by rushing forward, we would have to shut down and restart again – which no one wants,” the Premier argued while delivering a national address Tuesday evening.
“To shut down and reopen again has a high cost attached – including monetary costs – which will have to be spent all over again,” he added.
Fahie’s administration has imposed more than three weeks of complete lockdown and spent roughly $17 million on coronavirus-related initiatives so far. This sum includes $2 million to get food and essential supplies to residents and $12 million spent towards the purchase of medical equipment and supplies, preparing quarantine spaces, among other things.
The Premier, in the meantime, made those statements amid increasing pressure to reopen the territory’s borders for business and tourism. The brunt of this pressure has come from the parliamentary Opposition who said the BVI’s size and population density gives it a geographical advantage in managing any spread of COVID-19.
The Premier, however, claimed that the “difficult measures” his government imposed was put in place after consultations ‘with all stakeholders’.
“This included members of the business community and members of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition,” he stated.
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We need the BVI reopened fully first. We are very fortunate to have no community spread and we need to use that. We need to stop throttling what we have already and start increasing confidence within the BVI. As for the people coming back they need to understand that if they bring Covid with them they will get lynched in the public social media court. If they are coming back they need to make sure they do everything they can to be free of it before they travel and then stick in quarantine like glue once they are back. Businesses are struggling and can not deal with a second lock down with no government assistance.
My gosh Premier,why can’t the seaports reopen, in a reasonable manner?
There are many of us with immediate families there, and we listen to ZBVI cringing, that something could have gone wrong, with no chance of visitations, or even to attending their funerals!
We understand the need for safety, but, will we have to wait until next year,under the “guise” of safety, before seaports reopen?
It’s just so, so sad!!
Every island in the Caribbean is planning their reopening most of which will happen in June. The BVI has no date and is waiting till at least September. What difference does it make? There are two choices. You wait till there is a vaccine which at best is the end of 2021 maybe, or you open up, let people live and visit under the new normal which is face coverings and distancing. Find yourselves a leader that can lead and make decisions. The virus is the same now as it will be in September as it will be in December. The only difference is your economy will be forever broken and gone.
Not a single tourist in the world is interest in visiting with this ridiculous new normal nonsense. These face mask do not protect one bit. Everybody is touching these things the whole day. It looks like the whole economy is taking a incredible hit to protect the obese and elderly. Elderly, if you feel at risk, stay home. Obese people, lose weight.
Lets get back to life. Not this new normal nonsense to protect the few.
Here we go again the scaremongering. We need a courageous leader for the Times as fear will consume you.
If we have another three cases on COVID-19 will we shutdown again? Is that a sustainable solution? We need to gradually reopen the borders with the proper preventative measures in place. At this rate we will not open by 2nd June and that is not good for the many citizens who have been told for nearly 6 weeks wait until 2nd June.
We need a plan to protect lives and protect livelihoods.
Priemer is a big joker. JA have over 500 cases and no shutdown, st Vincent has about 17 and no shut down. Is how the monitor it.
I wish you get the virus n dare to say the same
That was mean.. You may get it before them.
It seems that they just wait to see what the US does and then just follow it.
I am glad to be in the BVI right now. If you want to go to an open country buy a plane ticket to the USA (where the President tells people to drinks Clorox and citizens mob the government buildings toting guns to protest lock-down). We got this handled now. Please Don’t go screwing it up. We are about to go into hurricane season anyway where lots of business shuts down for a few months. Lets get down to zero cases. That will be a great ad for the tourist board once this is over. Thank you Hon Fahie!
Pam Brown
Hon Premier Andrew A. Fahie (R1), some weeks ago another blogger graded with you with a midterm passing grade; I, secondly, endorsed that grade. Any objective observer will agree that the tough actions kept Covid-19, a ferocious, predatory and fatal disease, confirmed cases and deaths low, ie, thus far 8 and 1 respectively. Also agree that a premature reopening will wipe out all the capital earned and thrust the territory back into a rekindling state, ie, lockdowns. The reopening needs to be deliberatively, smartly and skillfully planned.
Nonetheless, residents disappointed, that government emerging out of the lockdown didn’t have a rolling reopening plan, ie, a)a repatriating plan for residents trapped and stranded abroad, b) a family, rent, medical….etc temporary financial allocation plan, c) financial institutions loans restructuring plan, d)soft and hard economic reopening plan, e)education plan, f)food security plan, g)transportation plan……etc.
No one expect the plan to be perfect; nonetheless, a plan was expected. Covid-19 slammed the VI economy hard with thousands of people out of work and expect government to bail them out. Government clearly does not have the resources for a long-term bail out but it must and should leverage its scarce resources to benefit the most people. Benefits should be means tested. UK told it no uncertain terms to pack sand, it has no choice.
Communicate with the people and quell the false expectations. Frankly, government slow release of a rolling plan allowed the opposition to catch it flat footed. That was an unforced error to use tennis lingo. I’m not saying the opposition proposals were a panacea for Covid-19 driven malaise but it was a plan.
There is a plan. Called Phase 2. It happens after June 2, if we are still trending down (so cool your jets we are not there yet). Belongers and Residents can come back. Phase 2 lasts till September 1. The opposition had a good plan for what happen after that. These guys are doing their jobs. Cut them some slack. Go to BVI Gov.com and READ THE STUFF THERE. What ever happened to the laid back island people!?
Lol this premier really funny the virus isn’t going anywhere its world wide, shutting down it’s still there reopening its still there you cant run anywhere so I dont know what’s the point of this s**t.
The $7.2 million plane money, the overrun on numerous projects – wall, pier park, etc. the huge amounts spent on consultancies by statutory boards and government with nothing to show for the spend. Well at that rate, there can be no funds left for emergency situations like these. Did we not hear the old people say 1: if you get 50 cents save 25 cents for a rainy day or, do not hang hat where we cannot reach it. Time for some seriousness.
Further, these instances “should have been anticipated” given the so-called Christian community BVI claims to be.
That’s the past. So what you gonna do now and for the future? Still repeat the past?
I think people in VI so simple minded, Look around the world and look at what is happening. This thing is far from over. This is not a horse race to see who can open first. The danger is real. It just take one person go around spreading this thing. The government is right, let take it slow.
Those folks who want to compare our reopening to other
Caribbean islands are free to hop on a plane and go their.
The Premier slow steady and careful plan is the correct and responsible thing to do. Anyone who think otherwise is just selfish or careless.
Pretty speech but the wise know what all this mean no plan and although no clear understanding as to what we are facing we xant cast blame but where their is smoke there is fire. Thankful for the measures in place but we need a but plan forward than the one currently provided. The confusion spreads and will kill faster than the virus will cause every pan knock the information as to how the virus is contracted change and starting to sound like a cover up as to what really going on but you know what I have come to believe that the bible said it best the love of money is the root of all evil follow the paper trail someone with deep pocket has influence in this pandemic and has an agenda to have us living the life there want us to live. With no clear answer but measures in place no plan but rules are imposed. No rush for a cure so it’s easy have persons in panic mode and say have no fear. People govern yourself with wisdom not man protect ones love one by Godly guidance and world leaders. After all is said and done let no man fail you but yourself. Who you think are for you are quickly selling you down the river. Governments are the problem the world has men playing God. The world is in trouble no doubt but put trust in God not men cause they case paper no solution. All this time and we still talking about new virus no plan no cure so tell me you dont see the problem I the world are the ones that control life. The way we move, the way we work, the things we eat, the information and knowledge we gain and the way we live. Be guided by wisdom not man always seek the truth and not the sugar coated word they want you to believe.
How can you restart something without doing it again? He needs to go back to school.
Some how this guy reminds me of the leader of north korea
I thought about this some more and I figure since the BVI is such a small territory in terms of everyone practically knowing each other or being related, the Premier is probably looking at it as should we get an influx of cases from opening up the borders, it may be more difficult to manage the number of cases. We already had one death and that was gut-wrenching; imagine if it had a domino effect on our friends and family God forbid.
So far the goverment has done a damn good job of protecting us. I don’t want to go threw that lockdown again. It would be nice to hear about a stimulus package though.