Tourism businesses must be course-certified before reopening
Tourism-related businesses will not be allowed to benefit from visitor arrivals after December 1 if they don’t obtain certification that proves their businesses are operating in a safe manner.
In a speech to the territory Monday night, Premier Fahie said the certification is known as the BVI Tourist Board-H Lavity Stoutt Community College (BVITB-HLSCC) Gold Seal Certification.
He said hotels, other accommodations, restaurant operations and other industry amenities that are critical services in the tourist industry have already been advised of how they can create a safe environment for workers and guests.
“HLSCC, Culinary & Hospitality Studies Department have designed a programme to prepare workers to re-enter the tourism industry with health and safety at its core in the new regular of living and working with COVID-19. Participants must attend all online sessions of the programme to be eligible to receive internationally-recognised certification,” the Premier explained.
He added: “Businesses must also be certified by the Environmental Health Department, and must obtain permission for reopening from the Premier’s Office, through the BVI Tourist Board, based on having achieved the necessary certification.”
Premier Fahie said the BVITB-HLSCC Gold Seal certification is not just for internal purposes but will help to ensure visitors are not being put at risk, that they get quality treatment, and that the BVI has an organised system for contact tracing.
He also added that by “achieving certification, it conveys to the prospective visitor that your property or your business has met the requirements to provide some assurance for their safety”.
All businesses would also be required to check the temperature and record the name and contact details of all visitors to their establishments. This will help with contact tracing in case people come in contact with COVID-19 infected persons.
Compliance task force established
To ensure compliance after the December 1 reopening, Premier Fahie said the BVI Tourist Board is establishing a compliance unit tasked with conducting checks on establishments.
“This will ensure that our Gold Seal businesses are keeping Gold Seal standards. As we endeavour to live and work with COVID-19 under the new regular, we must accept that many things have changed regarding how the world operates, and how businesses operate,” the Premier said.
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Dear Andy Foy
As you probably know, the hurdles to enter the BVI as a tourist are the highest in the world. And I hate to break it to you, but the BVI isn’t the best destination in the world by that much of a margin that it is word to cross these hurdles to enter.
So, you can stop all these efforts of certifying and training people. We will not see any tourists come December.
The only hope is for the Brits to intervene and place an interim government. The BVI is on less than shaky ground financially which gives the aBrits the right to intervene. Not asking for the Brits to stay but they are the only hope with what this Di****or is doing. Bring in the Royal amarines!! Governor where are you? Please help!!! This cannot go on.
So where is the plan?
Homer Simpson is managing the situation.
How will all of this work with 4 weeks. As it stands, hospitality businesses especially are trying to get staffing etc. ready for tourists and renewing work permits are a nightmare! Businesses have to deal with IRD, SSB, NHI, Labor, Immigration and these things are taking so long and there’s a cost for each employee. Now you are adding gold standard and other hoops to jump through and somehow businesses will be ready for December? This weekend is November, what are these guys thinking? These things may have been able to work if we were planning from earlier, but not now. It will be a major nightmare!
Don’t worry. Nobody is coming.
Apparently all the places on these training courses have already been allocated , to the cronies and insiders naturally, the gulags in Road Town no doubt. So there are currently no places available on these courses before December Wonderful isn’t it.
Sheer assishness
Stop with all the bs regulations and certificates
I am so depressed right now. Some of my key staff left the Territory and thanks to the hoops and hurdles this government put in I doubt the people who help make my business successful will be on the job by Dec. 1. From March to now I catching hell, my bank account drained and every time Fahie makes an announcement it is something that makes things harder. I listened to this speech and after seeing what other destinations are requiring for tourists and what this government is asking for I am officially worried about how many visitors will come. I dont have the means to go through another two months. I am so down right now. This government is hell bent on killing us small business people, Lord please intervene.
The ship is sinking and he will be the first to bail out bail out. After this it will take a while for the tourist to come back but not under this government maybe England should take the wheel for about 6 months or until the BVI Government gets some smarts because most of them don’t have it,
England is a mess, too,
I see England having rising cases but they are ORGANISED an ACCOUNTABLE. They have the resorce ann education and know what to do when things bad. We run round like chickens with no head. i am sure they make mistakes because we all leaning but here the government doesnt govern, They just look for themselves an thy leech friends. Our leader even blames tourists for booking to come here when he say we open! SMH
Please check multiple sources. The numbers are being inflated. Kings college says the reproduction value is 1.1 while other sources say it’s much higher. Remember there is a lot of political muck slinging right now. Don’t believe everything you read without doing your own fact checking.
Really… jesus take the wheel..all the bars and supermarkets too needs this not tourism industry that are still closed. Dont you know that tourist go to bars and supermarkets too and pharmacy and stores and so on. So why does tourism workers alone have to do this this????
London Please HELP
More absurdity. Is this really needed. Wasnt a Certificate from the social distancing task force required for businesses to reopen? Another certificate again? …to benefit from the reopening?
So what if i cannot read and understand, then i will not get a certificate.
Sounds like you went to school in the BVI
No one is coming. Got that. No one is coming.
700 water taxi cancellations since yesterday.
With all the suffering taking place among the people of the BVI, do the politicians still collect a salary….?
He gets a salary, 6 meals a day with dessert and snacks.
BVI Love, my a**…
BVI love means stay the eff away and belongers will,love you
Caribbean Islands 40. BVI Love