Only Beef Island airport will reopen to visitors on December 1
Following through with his promise to reopen the BVI on a phased basis, Premier Andrew Fahie has said Terrance B Lettsome International Airport will be the first to reopen on December 1, when the territory starts to accept visitors to its shores.
In an interview with ZBVI earlier this week, Premier Fahie said the BVI’s seaports will remain closed until the government puts proper systems and protocols in place to accommodate visitors who travel by sea.
“When you’re taking such a calculated risk to reopen your tourism product, you don’t want to open everything where it can’t be managed one time. So we are doing a phased reopening of the different borders. But we are starting with the airport and within the following weeks we will be able to give a full schedule of how the rest will be reopened,” Fahie said.
He added that although most tourists travel to the BVI by sea, it’s important to reopen the airport first as it offers a very controlled environment where systems and protocols can be properly tested and used at other ports of entry.
“Certain lessons we learn from that (reopening the airport). We’ll know how to deal with the seaports. Our seaports, as you know, are wide open. So we have to make sure the protocols we put in place for that are close to perfect because we have to ensure that we do not import cases,” Fahie explained.
Reopening is a calculated risk
With COVID-19 still a global threat, Premier Fahie said the government will start doing test-runs at the airport in mid-November.
This, he said, is to ensure all the safety procedures and protocols work well.
“We want to make sure that we take as calculated a risk to reopen our tourism product without compromising our safety when it comes to COVID-19 because we only have 8 ventilators. We have to make sure we reduce risks … because there is always a risk involved once you open your borders to the tourism product,” Premier Fahie said.
Amid public criticism that the government has no comprehensive plan for the territory’s reopening of tourism on December 1, Premier Andrew Fahie this week announced a series of meetings scheduled to engage tourism stakeholders ahead of that date.
The meetings will be held virtually over the next two weeks and hosted by officials of the BVI Tourist Board.
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Hon Premier stop leaking piece piece of your reopening plan and protocols. Besides tourists, there are many persons that just want to come home. Put out your plans and protocols so that people can adequately prepare to travel. Come on man. These things should have been revealed when you revealed a reopening date.
How are tourists supposed to plan a trip when they don’t even know how they can get to the island. There is so little air service to the Territory that the Territory should just remain closed for tourism. This is all a joke and the one making the rules is a bigger joke.
Forget it Andy. No one is going to open and no one is going to come.
US citizens can go to Hawaii, Florida and the Keys, the US Virgin Islands , Puerto Rico etc etc etc without any of this crap.
And that’s where they will go.
I can only speak for myself and my friends but we are all waiting anxiously to return to your beautiful islands. My wife and I sail the BVI’s several times a year and were there is January and March of this year. Our scheduled trip for early November had to be cancelled due to the delay in reopening. We are now scheduled to sail in early January 2021 and again in March. (We had to pay change fees with our charter company and the airline) We’ve had our air travel into St Thomas arranged since February and were planning to take a water taxi to Road Town. If we are forced to fly into Beef Island this will add even more expense to this already costly trip. We have also heard that we may be forced to quarantine for four days once we arrive in the BVI’s and then only after testing negative will we be allowed to start our trip. As you can imagine, the cost of lodging and food for those extra day and four wasted vacation days will negatively affect our decision about continuing with this trip. We are fully prepared to pretest here in the US prior to travel and follow safety protocol when we arrive but if these become too restrictive we will cancel this trip and find another location for our group of eight to travel. Please pass this information along to your government if you’d like.
Take it from someone who rescheduled 3 times so far.. get your money back if possible and go elsewhere. USVI St. John beautiful!
So true!! We just keep getting bits of information which is so difficult to plan for!! People that want to come home and tourist that want to come in and support us – it’s near impossible!!
Listen Andy Foy. Do you realize how s***id you are? First, for people to fly into the Territory to they have to stop in another location first. As example Puerto Rico. Soooo, if Puerto Rico requires quarantine for 2 weeks then nobody can enter the BVI from this port. Same goes for St Marteen. Now here is the issue. We all know that the people of the BVI are not smart and educated. They are however devious and you are the king of d****us. Thus, to placate the demand that the Territory open for tourism you created and are creating impossible guidelines for tourists to get here. You did the same with the expat workers. Maybe the mass of uneducated people in the Territory listen to your bulls**t but the rest of us know what your doing. Andy be aware. You are being watched closely. The Royal Navy is close by.
You are so correct. Further along those lines, tourists will be required to show a negative Covid on return through these same ports and even their home country. Is the BVI going to make those Covid tests available? At what cost? What time frame? There has been absolutely no planning other than the Foy’s attempt to rally the people for independence so he can be an African c**wn king. People of the Territory get ready for a new harsh reality. Tourism is being killed by your leader and you are dying. The few tourists that are traveling this season are going to places where they are welcome. The BVI is not one of those places.
I disagree. Every other industry has had to adapt and granted, the tourism industry has suffered the most (globally, not just here) – but you cannot expect the borders to be opened and everyone just allowed to flood in as and when they like. The pandemic is still ongoing and we don’t want it to spiral out of control. The tourism industry has to adapt. All you are doing in your comment is blasting the government rather than providing an alternative solution. If the tourists are aware of the situation why can they not allow for 4 days at the beginning of their trip to quarantine? Why can’t the charter boat companies and hotels start putting provisions together to accommodate this quarantine in their facilities? There are reasonably priced flights between STT and EIS and SJU and EIS. Yes – it might not be as easy as it was before, but is anything at the moment?
@Andy, you said the people of the VI are stupid and uneducated, however nothing said smells of facts just assumptions. When you use words like IF and SO that suggest you have no c*** what you are speaking of, this tells me you are exactly the way you speak of VI st***d and Ig****nt and to top that lazy, a simple search would have told you what the requirements are when returning to the USA.
STUPID…When you travel in Transit do you leave the airport Dumb A**!!!!
Who even wastes money coming by air? When sea is a fraction of the cost..self sabotage
The only clown is people like you. I read that the sea border will reopen but not on the 1st December so nothing is wrong with that. If they do not be cautious with this reopening and the place broke out with corona then all of you will be on this site going after the same government with negative blogs like a set of clowns.
The virus is not going anywhere.
This is the essential point that you are not getting.
So if it is not going anywhere, we should forget that plan and move on with the business of living.
We need to get the economy back up and running, so people can eat, pay their rent and take care of their families.
You may not be in a position of need, but I assure you that there are alot of families in the BVI who are suffering and alot of BVI people who have no compassion for it.
Nobody of any worth wants to beg or be in a position of destitution if they can help themselves.
What is happening here is that they are not being given an opportunity to help themselves and life is going on with the same needs to be met and some families being threaten with being evicted from their homes because they can’t pay rents. We have a potential here for our homeless population to explored for this situation and i guess then you will also be one of those to tell them to get up and go look a job……WHERE???!!!
Release the bloody protocols and let me adjust to following them to keep themselves and others safe, but at the same time earn their living, so they are not a burden to themselves and society.
what clown? the “shorten” quarantine period is ridiculous. People aren’t going to leave their homes to come thousands of miles, pay their money, to be cooped up for 4 days, when most people only get to vacation for 7 days.
I wouldn’t do that.
I guess you aren’t in any position of lack…so you can’t sympathize or empathize.
Why claim you will reopen when you have no intentions to? Flying into EIS is far to expensive for most Visitors especially if they are coming with their families. Very disappointed in this Government.
$170 from STT to EIS. More expensive than a ferry? YES. Unreasonable? Absolutely not.
Why y’all ain’t offering the flight from San Juan?
Is that 170, one way? If so that would mean an extra $1700 for my family of 5…..
Will be canceling my Dec 1-15 trip thru STT Already bought tickets. Sucks!
@vg resident, I also purchased tickets and I will be canceling also. Airline tickets are non refundable. So I have to take a hit. SUCKS IS NOT THE WORD. I am quite sure if I had booked my ticket to Jamaica it would have been more easier. Planning to open on Dec 1st without everything set in place is a kick in the Tourist Industry’s face.
You mean to tell me, that after all of these months, after all these multi-million dollar contracts signing, after extending someone’s contract at a rate of about $16,000 a month, after refusing the UK’s help and paying $13,500 for barges this so-called BVI government has literally done nothing with respect to putting in place facilities and protocols on the sea-ports, and totally disregarded the fact that the sea-ports are the BVI’s main way of leaving and entering the BVI. WOW! #USELESSGOVERNMENT
Can workers come back in before this opening to get their stuff and life sorted out after being locked out for so long.
I had a ticket to come home in March the day bvi closed down, bad luck for me. I have now over extended my visa in USA, i need to get home to bvi to pay my work permit exception fees, my car insurance and tax, my trade license, my 2021 NHI
fees and ss, I pay the year in advance. What provisions are being made for us who have had to let our business close temporarily, our apartments go but still have financial responsibilities. This opening affects more people than just tourists.
And he continues …………….
he’s a big piece of s**t out of shape premier a walking cr**+++l….my people the v.i.p gov,literally stealing money and telling the bvi exactly how it’s being stole…from at large to district rep set of criminals….
This is not necessary. It shows that some of you are so ignorant that there’s no hope for you. The same man kept the BVI safe during this Pandemic but for political reasons some of you think that you can capitalize politically on some of the challenges that are ongoing but it will not work. Back up off of him because he’s not a nut without a shell. Fahie will prevail!
He kept the BVI ppl Safe and Suffering. I guess you were one of the persons at home with your feet cocked up watching tv and eating popcorn while getting paid.
Safe you say.
Again all smoke and mirrors. Are tourists going to have to quarantine? How long? Where? Do they need prior testing? How long before entering? Are tourists going to be tested upon entering? Are tourists going to be tested during their stay? These are hard questions to put answers to unless you are the di*+++or Foy. At every chance he talks in circles and never says anything. What a waste of time with him as Premier. A real leader is needed not this g****la that just wants to play African round ball all day.
If Andrew Fahie for real
He could have at least open the airport November 1, followed by sea port December 1.
This man is delusional he needs help
What he take us for Gilligan’s Islands
The ppl already suffering and he claiming that he looking out for the ppl
Look around and see how many small businesses falling apart because of tourism
In your big circus you had with BVI LOVE you should’ve mentioned that the airport will open first
Oh and by the way are you aware that most tourist coming true St Thomas??? It doesn’t look as if you know
The big million dollar question is,,,,,
What are the proper protocols you have in place????
We only hearing you have to get those in place but not hearing
You are the worst premier for our island you started out good in March/April but gradually you became selfish to your ppl
What about the crewed yachts trying to get back in to the territory to fulfill charters IN the BVI??!! Come on man – please get an understanding of this pillar industry called tourism.
Well here you go people….
We are NOT open for business as all ports are not open. SInce 95% of all traffic comes through the seaports, we will not see tourists here. Airport prices are too high to allow the common tourist in. But wait, that’s what our Dear Leader wants. Only people who can afford to pay through the nose to get here. Once they do, what’s the plan? Crickets….
Omfg. No BVI love my friends. USVI is nature’s paradise and secret. And they are open.
Carry on
All over the world is opening in a phased manner but fools like you want to make it look like the BVI does not know what they are doing. You are just a set of haters.
Phased would have meant Airport opening 1 November and Seaports opening 1 December. They have no plans and were busy passing ganja and gambling laws. They were also busy fighting with Jaspert that is why we are here, nothing to do with safety!
All over the World is opening up in phase and they are going right back on closing down. American Airlines is going on furlough, over 3,000 employees is going on furlough, A Teacher in North Carolina just died and the whole class is in quarantine.
Good going Premier
There is only one reason why this man don’t want this island to prosper
He knows he will never be a premier for the bvi ever again so is is trying by all means to destroy this island before he gets vote out
He making sure social security is bankrupt before he leaves He already bankrupt the island everybody knows that
During this crisis he signing unnecessary projects examples breaking good roads to repair, paying contractors to build apartment house, does that make any sense buying palm trees and the list goes on
His government is of no help to the ppl in the bvi
Look at the pier park how mush businesses close there doors
This man only opening certain ppl businesses and leave the rest to suffer
What I’m hearing sounds good. One major concern..We should have Open up earlier, and get everything up and running, all ports up and running by December 1st…
This is no plan.
Will we be required to have a negative test before we return?
Will we be quarantined?
Will we have to pay for security?
Please lay out the specifics so that we may begin to plan for a visit!!!!
Forget your trip. Too much red tape and frustration
No matter what the Government does some of you have a problem. I do not always agree with all they do but I must say that I give them full credit how they have handled this Health Pandemic and the reopening of the borders while ensuring our safety.
Yes we have a problem with 95% of what this government is doing. That is because 95% of what the government is doing is nincompoopery.
This piecemeal approach to something this important is unforgivable. Where is the comprehensive plan for the re-opening of the territory? Do you know that most of our tourist actually come through St. Thomas via the ferries? Why after all these months you don’t have a plan for this and only the airport will be opened on December 1?
The poor leadership and management of this pandemic by the VIP government has done more damage to the economy and the lives of the BVI people than the virus itself.
Worth a read – https://www.caymancompass.com/2020/10/05/testing-testing-testing-how-bermuda-restarted-tourism/ – Bermuda seems to have got it right, they are a similar size of land area, more densely populated and yet reopened July 1…
This is the dumbest plan talked about. You opening the most expensive route in a time when people got little money. Running the country like f@@@king has station.
So $150 to get a pre-covid test, another $150 for the arrival covid test, some more money for the GPS bracket, then 4 days of quarantine out of a 7 day vacation, then another $150 to get the precovid test to go back home.
NO TOURIST IS GOING TO DO THIS. I PREDICT NO OME WILL COME UNDER THESE CONDITIONS. MAYBE THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT CARE AS THE FAT CATS ARE GETTING PAID.
Covid test in the US is $150. Do you think a Covid test in the BVI going to be $150? Lmfao. No way. That test will be a minimum of $500. Also you forgot the environmental tax because the tourists have been desecrating the environment and dumping sewage into the ocean and burning garbage. Lmao
Hahaha now is the time for the expats to laugh…. when Vincent say send them home… all ayo BVI Islanders was praising him even though y’all know is the expats doing all the work in the bvi, but little did y’all know ayo turn was coming while all the expats living peacefully in there country ayo here wondering how y’all will survive
Good move Andrew keep up the good work better yet fight for independence from the UK you ppl are capable to run this country without the uk help
WHO LAUGHS LAST LAUGH THE BEST
Bermuda, similar land size, larger population reopened July 1. Whilst visitor numbers are seriously down reopening did not lead to a spike in cases http://www.caymancompass. com/2020/10/05/testing-testing-testing-how-bermuda-restarted-tourism/
What planet is the Government on?
Joke?
Fake news? Even Trump is smarter than this!
Wake-up.
Time for leadership changes.
I press the down button by mistake @ worth a read.
Premier it look like you have rack up the barge money for your k**k b**k first to h**l with country first.
What planet is the Government on?
Joke?
Fake news? Even Trump is smarter than this!
Wake-up.
Time for leadership changes.
Since the govt. insists on strangling the economy citizens suggest that ministers take a 50% pay and expenses cut to help relieve those in dire straits. Thank you…
All Government Workers Too!!!!
If I want to get to Tortola bad enough. That’s up to me to make it work. Not the government. Remove your bias mindset and your question will make more sense. Be grateful to the government for preventing any outbreak. How many people died in Tortola due to covid? I smell hate and jealousy all I’ve you. Good job government
Really this is too dumb to be true. People all over the world look at Trump as they look at a very good comedy show, due to is radical and stupid statements. However, that is absolutely nothing compared to what this government here comes up with.
The BVI’s are on a set course with full speed going towards being the poorest country in the world. People in the territory do not realize how bad and serious this is, but they will all learn the hard way.
Unless something radical is done against the decisions this government does, it will not take too long time before there is a hunger catastrophe going on. Leaving the people with the only hope to receive emergency aid from the rest of the world.
This man just full ah fk!! Shit makes no sense! He could have said that from the beginning. U goin wait till now to drop this info when ppl done make plans. Canceling my trip because Meen goin through all a that. Dumbb.
People, it’s time to get in the street and let the government know what you want. Nothing will happen if you don’t.
Why are we putting money in the statutory body and not government. The government is not profitting from this, we need to make back money as well open the sea port, at least one which generates the majority of money along with the airport to start with.This is BULL!!!!!
It is amazing to go through some of these blogs and see the same sequence and style of writing. A machine of about 3-4 bloggers writing crap as if this is going to bring down the Premier.
Blogs don’t win election, voting does!
The Premier and his team is doing an awesome job step by step.
That’s you and the Premier’s problem, you think that you know it all and anybody else that dare to have a different opinion are just causing trouble. I guess the Premier know more than stakeholders who are actually investing in and operating private businesses. Don’t worry, time will tell!
Mr. Premier, you have no vision as to how a Country should be run. Dude, you are so i***t to reality that your popularity is sinking faster than a sinking ship taking on water. We need leaders that is forwarding thinking. Keep it up Mr. Premier, sink yourself. You leaders of this Country have us looking so stupid.Time to exit the PREMIER SEAT.
So you are saying since March no consideration was given to the BVIslanders who commutes by ferry weekly who are residing in St Thomas and St John who are not affected by COVID moving about freely in another man’s land and the place where we born bred and raise we cannot enter??Are you for real? Hon Premier the Seaport has to open by December 1st. We are business owners, house and land owners and employees. The plan right now needs to go back to the drawing board.
Elections have consequences. Enjoy the ride!!
Premier you are gearing up for a SOCIAL UNREST when that happens there is no turning back COVID or not.
THE OUTSIDE WORLD IS WATCHING THE BVI.THE BVI HAS LOST IT STATURE ON THE TOURISIM STAGE. COVID IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD. YOU KEEP RULING BY THE PLAY BOOK AND BY NEXT YEAR THE ISLAND WILL BE IN TURMOIL.
Please just lay out a clear plan! It’s overdue!
I have supported Andrew through much of this. The Government did a fantastic job AT THE BEGINNING. But good government is flexible, and evolves with changes in situation. For the last few months, the Premier has been an utter disaster.
I know that we have to re-open in stages. The Tourist and Marine sectors outlined their ideas months ago, to which you never responded. Just recently you rejected these ideas. NOW, and only now, you are scheduling meetings, over an inexcusably long period of time, to outline your own protocols, whilst now telling us that the only way of entering, that really counts, will still be closed for an undetermined length of time. And you aren’t going to be testing things for ANOTHER MONTH. Clearly, you have failed your people, by failing to plan. And, since you have no experience in the Tourist industry, you clearly don’t understand that it depends upon planning. This government is used to just doing things at the last minute…..the meetings you are planning with stakeholders have started, and you only announced them on Monday! Get a clue. If you had already planned on doing them, before the petition was being signed, why did you not announce last week? Or when you had that inappropriate BVI Love announcement? Either you had not planned, you had no respect for the industry, or you had no sense of time. Over the years, I have had plenty of meetings with government. Only one was ever held with more than two days notice! Do you think we don’t plan more than two days in advance, just because you don’t? And, now, you have scheduled the entire marine sector meeting, AFTER THE TAXIS AND RENTAL CARS who depend on marine tourism?
Andrew, you are a smart man. Use the brains God gave you, and 1) involve the private sector to come up with logical solutions, 2) plan, far enough in advance to make a difference, and 3) be transparent about those plans. Case in point: borders were not secured so we had our second outbreak, which was blamed for pushing opening up further into the future. Lack of a plan. And only the did you come up with the barges, and trying to buy radar. Only then! And when the Governor steps in with some help, you lose your cool. Why all this, Andrew? If you were in the opposition, I am sure you would have come up with a whole list of criticisms, by now. Do us all a favour and look in the mirror.
And, to cap all of this off, you are now telling us that one reason to go really slowly is because we have ONLY EIGHT VENTILATORS? We had those, long, long ago. Has there been no time or will to buy more of those, rather than palm trees? When our economy depends upon tourist arrivals? If the ventilators break down (has anyone thought of testing them, lately?), do you shut the country down again? Let’s be bold and order more of them so we can get the BVI moving again. Or will this be another case like the long awaited scrubber for the incinerator?
@Thoughtful Sailor
Thank you for stating the obvious out perfectly. Who have eyes to see, let them read.
I am not here to criticize but my goodness this is a travesty to the people and business owners in this territory. The Premier and his gang are disrespectful. Imagine 8 ventilators when they took $12 million at the onset of the pandemic in Natch 2020 to get us ready. Where and HOW was that $12 million spent!??? Not even to add two more ventilators???!!! This government takes us for stupid.
We need to rise up and get rid of them NOW!
Should have had at least 50 ventilators by now. It’s been 8 months!
The last time you people had negative things to say we end up with 67 new cases do we really want a repeat, I don’t think so
Honorable premier do as the Lord place on your heart.
I had a ticket to come home in March the day the boarder closed, bad luck for me. I have now over extended my visa in the USA. I need to come home and now I have had to close my business, give up my apartment, I need to pay my work permit exemption fees, my NHI and SS for 2021, I pay in advance, my car insurance and tax, my trade license fees and many more bills. What is going to be the protocol for us who have been stuck abroad patiently waiting to get back home to sort out our lives with no apartment to go home to, basically living in fear in foreign countries.
Mehson. A lot are you ungrateful to the core. Hate and jealousy. The government did a good job on saving lives in Tortola. Good job on keeping covid under control. Opening is not an easy task. But it has to be done. All you people here complaining instead of thanking God and the government for keeping you safe are ungrateful full of jealousy. Stop hating for one second and look around at your friends and family and count how many got sick or died from covid. Then if your heart somewhat good you be grateful. Big up to any government that saved lives.
This system is so complicated that no one can figure it out. Need to have a least one seaport entrance open. Make it Road Town like after the hurricane. You can’t quarantine visitors for days on end when they come for a week. If this was the plan then you should have fully announced it when you announced the opening date as December 1.
Your stakeholders are busily promoting for a 12/1 opening and then you announce all the complications which is essentially a non opening reopening.
You need to figure this out soon because at this point more cancellations to come and you can kiss XMAS season, winter and spring good bye. No one will come.
Not true”2cents”!
Persons will still come. However, it will be more costly for the rest of us coming over for the day!
If I want to go to Jost, you mean I have to, from St. Thomas, fly to Beef Island, take a taxi to Road Harbour or West End, and then pay for ferry to Jost, when I could have just taken a ferry from St. Thomas and pay ONE COST for the trip?
That’s the problem, Premier-
It’s an ALL DAY ordeal to just travel over there!
When would I be able to just have fun, snorkel, swim, eat, do tours, and conduct business?
So, I guess, for those of us,Belongers, living over here, BY DEFAULT, the BVI REMAINS CLOSED on the first of December!
Hon fahie really seaport remain closed. Strupes
Sensible blogs do not make it on this site, but these insulting blogs are posted. Government need to find you guys and deal with you accordingly.
Enough of this $hit show. VIP needs to go!
Boat agency workers need back there jobs. This is not good at all
I hope that goverent dont attempt to slight the local struggling businesses in favor of outsiders.
This move going to hurt the local ferry businesses by favoring S******e tiny airplanes that visitors don’t want to be couped up in during this pandemic.
Remembered how they favored BVI Airways over V* A*****k.Cost the BVI people Millions.
Wrong move going forward could cost lives.
..we need the input of local stakeholders…fair is fair.
At Lilly, don’t people have the right to express their opinions anymore ? This is not North Korea
That’s too bad. My family of 5 booked our airfare, car rental, and room for 13 days starting Dec 16th….but flying into STT and Ferrying over….guess we will have to cancelas we are not gonna spend another $1500 to fly from STT to EIS!!
How about we increase flights into the BVI from the USVI and SJU.