USVI and BVI officials meet today to discuss ferry passenger limits
Local government officials are expected to extend diplomatic overtures to the neighbouring US Virgin Islands (USVI) in efforts to increase the current daily ferry passenger travel limit between the two territories by an additional 50 persons.
The current limit is 50 passengers per trip.
Premier Andrew Fahie disclosed that a meeting will take place today, Friday (May 21) with Governor, Albert Bryan, Jr and several BVI officials.
“We have a meeting coming up with the Minister of Health and the Minister of Transport and a few of us and technical persons with the Governor in the USVI to see if they can allow us to bring more than 50 persons because that is not something we alone have implemented,” Premier Fahie said during a press conference yesterday.
Premier Fahie, who is also the BVI’s Minister of Tourism, said the passenger limit is something that the USVI has implemented to monitor how many persons will be leaving their shores.
He said other areas that can help strengthen the BVI’s tourism sector are expected to be discussed in addition to concerns that the USVI might have.
Fiasco a false flag
In the meantime, the expected meeting comes on the heels of a recent fiasco at the Road Town Ferry Dock where more than 100 persons entered the territory last weekend despite the 50 passenger limit.
The influx of persons created a bottleneck in the processing of arriving passengers leaving some waiting for several hours.
Premier Fahie said he accepts the blame for the issue and apologised. He said although it posed quite a challenge, there was a need to increase the number of tourists coming to the territory.
“We also want to increase the number of tourists coming but we have to make sure that we remain prepared,” Fahie said.
“We have started to improve overall with how we are handling matters,” he added while explaining that systems were enhanced markedly the day after the incident happened.
Fake COVID-19 results used to travel
Turning his attention to the issue of false documents being presented as COVID-19 test results, Premier Fahie said this caused a considerable strain on medical teams in the territory and could cause “burnouts and certain things to come through the cracks”.
According to the Premier: “We have to continue to make sure that we assess and re-assess our protocols.”
He said measures are being put in place to be able to see that the PCR test result cards are authentic. One such measure is a software program being worked on to resolve the issue.
In a note of optimism, however, the Premier pointed to the success being achieved by the current protocols. He said Day-0 tests have yielded dividends and the majority of active positive cases were detected on they first day travellers arrive in the territory. This, Fahie said, shows the protocols are working.
“We don’t’ have to shut down with new cases,” he noted.
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Just open the darn borders completely and allow people to freely travel between the Territories.( keep the mask on)Stop the darn bullying tactic of controlling how much people travel inter-island by limiting Passengers on Ferries. Come On…Let Commonsense and Empathy Reign…Stop making Your Own People Miserable! Governor Bryan, sorry, but don’t give into Fahie and his Bull Crap!
What are the odds they still screw this up?
I would say based on their track record, we have about a 75% chance that this turns into a disaster, …………….followed by some serious lies
That is a blasted lie! The USVI set no such 50 passenger limit “to monitor how many persons will be leaving their shores”. Thousands of passengers arrive and depart St. Thomas’s’ airport every single day! So, why would the USVI be concerned with or even castes how many people leave for the BVI? Moreover, USVI Customs and Immigration fall under the U.S. federal government, not local authorities.
Listen, Fahie can try to bamboozle the people of the BVI who don’t know better, but those of us who know better are highly offended by him trying to play us for fools!
Beginning “diplomatic overtures” with lies and mischaracterizations should be cause for the USVI to call off this pappy show meeting scheduled for today!
But 2 of them ain’t 6FT apart what kind of example is that?????????
Covid does not trouble polititians.
WE ARE WORST OFF THAN NORTH KOREA NOW
Aka mr death lose weight!!…lol..
WHY NOT HAVE 4 FERRIES A DAY RUNNING BETWEEN ST. THOMAS AND TORTOLA. ONE DEPARTS TORTOLA AT 7AM AND ONE DEPARTS AT 11AM. FROM ST. THOMAS ONE DEPARTS AT 4PM AND ONE DEPARTS 6PM TO TORTOLA.
They increased the number from 50 to 65! They spent the day negotiating this??!! Wtfudge incredible. Hundreds fly into Stt each day but we can handle an extra 15 for a grand total of 65. This is beyond crazy now.
Let me see if I got this straight. Officials from the usvi and bvi negotiated that they can only handle 65 vaccinated travelers a day.
Sheesh. Ya boy Fahie got gamed.
Usvi doesn’t want the party to end.
?
it only get madder. Its unbelievable that USVI would have a problem with how many people entering BVI from St Thomas. It is BVI who cant cope with the testing upon arrival and then cry wolf. How much lesser can we get. What justify all of them going st thomas yesterday. Couldnt they do it by zooom or they just was glad to get out of here.