Talks being held to automate, improve troublous BVI entry portal
Issues surrounding the BVI’s troublesome online entry portal application – the BVI Gateway App – have been the subject of high-level discussions, the territory’s Premier has revealed.
Persons wishing to enter the territory are required to use the portal to submit their negative COVID-19 status before they are given permission to land.
The portal is also reportedly used for health monitoring, medical health requests, geo-fencing for quarantine support and contact tracing, upon arrival.
Ever since its introduction last year, the app has been plagued with issues and has received much criticism, both by residents and visitors to the territory.
But Premier Andrew Fahie said efforts are afoot to make the application more user-friendly.
The Premier told reporters at a press conference late last week that he had a meeting with business owners and said they brought up “genuine concerns” about the portal.
“We have been having meetings all this week to address all those areas,” the Premier said.
He disclosed that some of the portals’ fees had also been adjusted recently.
“In terms of making the portal more user-friendly, there are a lot of meetings that have been had and we now have requested that it become automated,” he stated.
According to the Premier, this is in an effort to speed up the process and make it more efficient without any resulting data loss or compromises to the security of the territory.
He said more discussions are expected soon; at which point a timeline for the automation is expected to be shared.
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Who designed the app – it is very poor compared to other islands. Did we overpay a local company rather than buying a proper system from overseas for less money?
Jamaican company. Jamaica is well known for its IT expertise
It was $6.5 million.
Talks…..
Action, we need action. The portal is the worst in the world. Many countries have portals. Most of which are working. But we decided to give the job of building the portal to some friends instead of experts.
You can talk as much as you want but you can’t get solutions talking if you keep making corrupt decisions.
Needs to drop those Fees
“Troublous “ you cannot be serious.
Troubled or troublesome
Please ask the USVI for assistance as their portal is quick with their responses. The BVI requires you to call around and post on the community board for days to get assistance.
Keep us safe by making it more difficult to come here.
Please keep yourself safe by getting vaccinated!
what almost a year later???
we have been complaining bitterly for all this time.
having used it 8 times only 1 was uneventful.
Over complicated, Red tape and people that do not do their job.
That thing is a headache. I don’t understand why the customs form is part of it, and I still have to fill out the customs form manually like before.
I compare the portal to applying for a mortgage. And you have to stress yourself while waiting for eternity for a response. If you don’t know who to call, you in all kind of trouble.
After responding to something on the portal, I had to change my flight ($398.00) because of the way the portal is set up and the persons working with it seems not to know what is written there. Either we do not do a test to come in or not one when we get here. Case in point, I am fully vaccinated, did a test -negative – 3 days prior to arrival and still had to do another upon arrival. The picture does not seem right. The health ministry needs to daily review, see world trends, make adjustments and FIX WHAT NEEDS FIXING ON THE PORTAL.
That ‘Portal’ is just another big word you don’t have any idea what it means!
It does not do anything automated. A person posts. Then they spend money flying here and spend the first day texting, Whatsapp, calling and panic until a person lets them enter the BVI.
This crap is still going on after 2 years of Covid. The tourists season starts in 60 days. We are doomed with this fat blowhard. Please shut your pie hole and let someone with a brain figure this out please!
One thing I can say about the portal is that when I contacted the staff for assistance they were VERY helpful and took care of our (self created) issue quickly. Nice people!
One thing I can say about the portal is that when I contacted the staff for assistance with an issue they were VERY helpful even though the problem was of my own doing.
Thank you portal people!