OPINION: Time to jail those who break out of quarantine
I am not writing to bash the government for its handling of the economy during this era of COVID-19. In fact, I’m quite proud of how they are handling the situation and keeping us safe so far. We are truly blessed to have one of the lowest COVID-19 numbers in the world.
But it seems like we need to start jailing people who break our quarantine protocols.
Last week we heard that a visitor infected with COVID-19 casually walked out of quarantine and mingled with members of the community. This week, the public is in a frenzy because we are hearing that a citizen of the Dominican Republic dashed out of quarantine and is now in the community as a possibly-infected fugitive.
It can’t work meh son!
We can’t allow people to take us lightly. We are peaceful people but we are not pushovers. We are almost COVID-19 free not because we have a rare gene that fights off the disease but because we are paying a high economic price for it. People who come here need to respect that! If they can’t then we should put them in jail. It’s that simple.
We have to make them respect us.
I believe the government should go back into their boardroom, close the door, and add some jail time to the list of penalties for breaching our quarantine protocols. I understand that the fines were recently increased under the COVID-19 Control & Suppression (Entry of Persons) Regulations. The greatest penalty is now $10,000. It’s just not enough.
Look at what Cayman did to the US citizen who left quarantine? She and her boyfriend are spending some vacation time in jail over there. As early as March, Russia added some jail time to its penalty list. They have a seven-year prison sentence if anyone with COVID-19 breaks out of quarantine and others die as a result.
I’m not saying we should take it that far but we need to take it further than a $10,000 fine.
Yours Sincerely,
Virgin Islands Stakeholder
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my opinion is that a few days of jail time with hefty fines will work.
we dont want to be putting up people in jail while quarantining them. any tourist will get the message after 2 nights in jail. and we need the money make it 10-25000$
You sir are truly barbaric. Your Belonger relatives who are caught with weapons, money and drugs are given a slap in the wrist and told don’t get caught next time. You however want to jail people because they broke quarantine. Oh I see, once again the BVI wants to turn something ugly into a profit machine. Have an ugly holiday season sir.
@barbaric as usual a jackass that miss the point on the topic ,but its obvious you have a problem with the belongers i guess its jealously.
The Belonger, according to you, gets a slap on the wrist if caught with money, weapons or drugs.
You would never mention, however, that pink/pale population of this territory engage in all those activities and more with impunity. The law enforcement does not focus on them.
Why is it that one segment of the population is free to engage in all segments of illegal trading and usage without ever having to worry about the law.The law does not go after them.
Why is that?
I think they should be treated like reckless scooter drivers and moron auto operators. Actually a higher likelihood of severe injury or death from these two. Covid not so much. But again, it’s all about the money and squeezing the TOURIST for every last dollar rather than locals.
Covid won’t destroy tourism, but the BVI attitude is really going to hurt it.
But from I am hearing, some of the locals themselves not abiding by the rules.
If the tourist in quarantine is jailed and the prisoners find out there will be a prison riot. Dont do it.
a stiff fine and a stamp in. passport banning tourists..
I am still trying to find out if the tracking devices are working and if not, why not.
No they do not.
And the reason is they were bought from a Jamaican company with zero expertise or any track record.
For reasons you can work out if possessed of a brain.
Made money from the tracking devices and shared the proceeds with *****w ****e . VIP is the most c*****t government in years!
What a crock of $hit! Serious – Jail time? Fines, and secure quarantine, absolutely! But jail? You’re being beyond alarmist and dramatic!
How about you lock up for dengue, chikungunya, aids and other STD’s, flu, common cold, chickenpox, even basic stupidity? I am sure there are plenty more you can lock yourself in your room and be paranoid about long before Covid became the media darling and a tool for Government to screw everyone they can in the name of safety and security!
Maybe idiot drivers (scooter, vehicle, and heavy equipment) too …. list could go on and on. But nooooo, love the drama, covid, covid, covud! For the love of God STOP the f-ing drama and move on – this ain’t going nowhere, the virus will always mutate just like the common flu!
Took all my effort to try and not write this but I really have had enough of the bull$hit and fear mongering.
And yes, click as many ‘thumb down’ buttons as you can because I know I am not alone in this opinion.
Like I said how can a virus be so deadly that you have to be tested to know that you have it./
In Austria the are now calling this entire scenario covidiocy.
Amen – THANK YOU!!!!!!
Don’t think it is just tourists…..saw a very prominent local business man and his family, who know much better, breaking quarantine from their boat, today. Big name so must be better than everyone else. Couldn’t wait to get their test results….disgusting. They know who they are.
I would like to know the % of recoveries from this virus world wide. Seem like there is a big concentration on deaths. Just my observations.
What about the Spanish Mechanic who came from Santo Domingo and spent one night in quarantine left and went to his apartment in Purcell. The Taxi Driver Sa** helped him cover that s**t up because he does work on his old **s bus. That S** picked after the couple of days to take his test. Endangered the lifes of so many persons.
Sign your name, you coward. This isn’t exactly a controversial opinion.