RT ferry terminal reopening now pushed to mid-April
The BVI Ports Authority (BVIPA) has yet again decided to delay the reopening of local seaports to international traffic.
Listing multiple reasons for its decisions, the BVIPA announced the deferral in a late-evening statement on Wednesday.
It said: “The BVI Ports Authority wishes to inform the public that the 1st March, 2021 reopening of the Road Town Jetty to incoming visitors has been deferred to 15th April, 2021.”
Among the reasons outlined was the reported increase in COVID-19 cases in countries in the region and the “increased possibility of the introduction of variant strains [of the coronavirus] from international travellers”.
A number of Caribbean countries act as a gateway for travellers to enter the BVI since the territory does not have the airport facilities to accept larger airplanes.
The BVIPA, in the meantime, said the deferral of reopening seaports is also “due to the demands of the roll-out of the vaccines and the need to ensure a large percent of the local population is vaccinated”.
“The health personnel normally needed to assist in monitoring procedures at the entry portal is significantly stretched, and as such, the efficiency to monitor the opening is challenged,” the BVIPA explained.
It added: “[The deferral is also] to enhance the customer experience through further infrastructural improvements at the Road Town Jetty and other ports of entry in light of COVID-19 health and safety protocols.”
The BVIPA apologised for any inconvenience caused.
This latest instance marks the fourth date that has been given for the seaport to reopen.
The originally-planned December 8, 2020 reopening date was later pushed to January 21 this year; then to March 1.
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If this wasn’t serious I would have laughed. This is completely unacceptable! The government’s bad decisions, lack of planning and poor execution continues to hurt the tourism industry and drives local businesses closer to shutting their doors for good. How can people remain quiet in the midst of this mismanagement of our economy?
Our economy is being slowly destroyed and govt trying to blame Covid because of their incompetence. As BVIlanders we must take full responsibility for electing this inept govt. Only complete fools would think that they could raise port fees by such large margins during an economic downturn.
We keep trying to blame the govt for their poor performance, but we don’t want to accept that this mess is our fault, the BVI voters, we took a bunch of people that had not proven that they had achieved anything noteworthy and gave them the country to run. Hopefully next time around we will vote for competent people and stop voting for friends, family and party!!
@Thelma. Thelma..Thelma..Thelma!….giiirrrrlll say it again.
You placed the blame exactly where it belongs. That was good. Oh..Lord a mercy. My brain cells smiled after reading that.
Agreed! Stop voting for white envelopes, and start voting for people with real ideas and experience. That one time cash every 4 years isn’t as good as 4 solid years of revenue and businesses staying open.
Ha Ha and the ones that took the WHITE ENVELOPES IS THE ONES THAT IS SUFFERING THE MOST.
Opening up the ferry dock means more and more BVI residents will travel, if even just to STT. The flight-in-only scenario right now is too expensive for the casual BVIslander wishing to see their STT relatives, or go on a shopping spree at CostULess. And we’ve already proven that residents cannot be trusted to self quarantine at home. Policing this appears to be costly, they’ve farmed it out to private security, rather than our police (the police being soooo busy dealing with scooters, after all), but the overriding factor is I think that the government has a very, very, difficult time saying “no” to a potential voter. “So let’s just keep it simple and not open!”
Opening the ferry dock means the expense of people working (and policing) the arrivals, and of testing and reporting the outcomes of the tests. This is a situation in which we are already lacking. Opening the Ferry Dock implies an increase in numbers of tests, and this will cost $. We’ve already seen that the gov’t is not interested in spending $$$ on getting the economy going.
WE NEED FOR YOU TO TAKE OVER THE GOVERNMENT IN THE BVI FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS. WE THE PEOPLE CAN’T STAND ANOTHER MOMENT OF THE INEPTNESS. THE PEOPLE IS SICK OF THIS GOVERNMENT.
Another failure of government. Sigh.
And the economy dies yet again.
Carry on
Our Goverment hard at work slowing the economic return.
The economy will bounce back but if we die we cannot come back. Long live Fahie government.
Well do your part and be part of the solution and get vaccinated
The reasons given might be valid, but the truth is that the Ports Authority had not taken a single step to get the ports ready – thus, even if the reasons given had gone away the ports could not have opened. It begs the question as to whether the Ports Authority is fit for purpose. I hope that it has not kept all its staff on the payroll whilst the ports have been closed – if not then what have they all been doing?
Why y’all ain’t just close down the island for the next 5 years or so end of story, instead of keep lying to the ppl.
The vip government is set out to bring tourism down more than it’s already destroy
If I’m not wrong when April 15 reach we are going to hear the sea port will open after the hurricane season
It’s unacceptable now get the employers to pay the employees there severance pay, you can’t be extended the layoff period all the time .
Ppl worked for years and now the can’t even get there severance pay the employers are waiting and wishing that ppl resign on there own so the won’t have to pay any one.
Where is humanity in the bvi?????
Andrew Fahie is for himself and the ppl with money, the poor can go to hell he don’t care.
I hope you ppl are seeing what kind of government this vip is, NDP is not perfect but the could have did a better job during this time.
This government building low income homes, I’m waiting to hear the price what the call low income home.
Please stop talking piddle. The NDP made us suffer after Irma and we are suffering up to now. The VIP has handled this worldwide crisis far better than the NDP and most governments around the world so speak for yourself.
With those reasons given why is the airport still open. Let me repeat WHERE THEIR IS NO VISION THE PEOPLE PERISH.
1.increase cases from the region: regional travel is via the airport.
2. Increase in new variants from international travellers: already have a ban for those places,
3. Need to get a large percentage of people vaccinated: vaccine for 4,000 on island with 30,000 to go. So now way 20,000 will get vaccine by Apr 15th
4. Apr 15 is official end of tourist season. Great message being sent here.
5. Work yet to start on repairs to the sea ports.
No plan= piss poor performance.
Really sad day for our tourism industry when covid is used to mask incompetence.
Maybe the gov is trying to keep people in rather than keep people out.
We need help, we need rescuing from this incompetent bunch….I had my doubt about the COI. Now I am in full support, gettbem out, they are selfish, they dont care about people….This is the worst gogernment ever. U can easily call them the Blame Covid government….
People like you needs to be banned from blogging. Britan can’t get the coronona virus handle. They are under shut down. Their economy is in a free fall. Plenty people are in Britan begging for food and you come blog foolishness saying they must take cover. Go research before you blog.
Britain has millions of people a massive economy, and encompasses a massive geographical area. We are 30,000 people on a small island. Completely different kettle of fish in terms of handling COVID. Britain would be much more capable at running this island than what we have now.
Britain’s economy is running as financial and knowledge economy people stay at home but still work. How does tourism survive?
Sending out a S.O.S. to the UK. We are drowning and in need of some serious HELP.
Gus please stay in the UK
Idiots.
I agree with this delay.
Every move this Government makes during covid they were bashed by some of you but ALL of their moves have turn out to be the best thing happen to keep us safe. This will be the same thing.
Maybe next year
All we can do is pray that when this investigation is over there will be no more VIP government they don’t have the experience to run the country we can see this every day if they keep this up we are going to be in a lot more trouble.
Every week Premier Andrew Fahie tells us about his new projects but don’t tell us where the money is coming from, we will like to know because we know because there isn’t much outside money coming in with the cruise ships not coming not many tourist not a lot of people working, where is the money coming from?
Last minute changes in our policy for the ports opening is another knee jerk reaction that is going to kill this years attempt at tourism. They have known about this for a while and decide to announce 4 days before the announced opening. People have bookings that they can not change. while St Thomas has a record year.
Stop publishing new reopening dates. They are bs When you’re ready to reopen just announce that. No tourist can possibly plan to come. They have been burned too many times.
Half the people here calling for border to open i sure ain gone go get vaccinated yet… you know what you all are right its an amazing idea to open the floodgates while hardly anybody take the vaccine so far… then when people dropping like flies you gon turn around and blame the government for that too.
WE ELECTED A BUNCH OF @$$#0!&$
Lots of peoples not working. People need help. Mr A F.
Let’s face it, Fahie has been too busy whining about the COI to focus on getting the ports ready. There goes any chance at a decent spring tourist season. I think the BVI is going to look very different for a very long time to come. Change will come eventually, and I hope it’s a positive one for all of you. Well, all of you except the crooked ones who’ve been bilking the coffers for their own benefit. They should feel the wrath of the peoples’ discontent.
On behalf of MAJORITY of the persons living in the first district. Andrew we regret putting you in Power. You have disappointed us all. Power has gotten to your head and you’re not the ANDREW we used to know.
this is what happens when you put a beach whale to run an organization. All we are hearing are pure excuses. Not one measure I have seen taken place to get the seaports open.
YEAH HE CHANGE A WHOLE LOT. I WONDER IF HE IS GOING TO RIDE AROUND THE FIRST DISTRICT ASKING THE MAJORITY IF THIS IS TRUE. IF HE DOES, I WILL GIVE HIM A PIECE OF MY MIND. ANDREW DON’T SCARE ME ONE BIT.
Lives are more important than money. When the borders open, if we have a major outbreak how will it be contained/ addressed. Our hospital cannot handle such capacity. If we look at some of the major countries, every minute in a lock down or exuberant death tolls. This is a damed if you do and damed if you don’t situation. The people of this country has major entitlement issues and will ALWAYS find a problem with everything if they cannot get things their way. I personally think that the BVI government made the right choice and is doing a great job handling this and not buckling to the pressures. The airport is open, so you are free to travel out. If you cannot afford to travel through the airport, you should consider using your funds more responsibly in these trying times. You just may be the same people arguing for stimulus cheques.