BVI will not do away with COVID protocols like the UK

Minister of Health Carvin Malone said the BVI government will not discard COVID-19 protocols as was done in the United Kingdom by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

In an interview on JTV this week, Malone said the government has relaxed the COVID-19 protocols since the beginning of the pandemic, but they do not plan to completely remove them.

He noted July of last year when the territory had a COVID-19 surge of more than 1,600 cases. Malone said the government implemented partial curfews to deal with that issue. However, over the Christmas period and into January 2022, the territory saw another surge in cases with approximately 1,300 confirmed active positive cases but no curfews or lockdowns were implemented.

“One would have to admit we have learned to progress and live with it. Is it time to do away with all of it as if it doesn’t exist? Well, you can’t tell that to the person who I know who are in the hospital right now; the persons who are still waiting to be interred (buried),” the Health Minister said.

“So, the whole fact is that we have to be careful in what we are doing. We have cut the days for persons in quarantine. It was 14 days, then it was down to 10 and now seven with a rapid test. If you stay 10 days, we are looking to have you released without a test. However, at the workplaces, people are saying if my employee or I contract it, I want to know if I am still in that infectious zone after the 10 days to protect my business and protect others around,” Malone added.