17 ACTIVE COVID-19 CASES REPORTED IN THE BVI; CURFEW ADJUSTED
Written by Fuze Team on August 25, 2020
Minister for Health and Social Development Carvin Malone reported five new positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the total active cases to 17 in the British Virgin Islands.
The Territory now has recorded a total of 26 cases, 8 recoveries, one death and 2,195 persons tested in the local laboratory of the D. Orlando Smith Hospital.
In an announcement on Monday, August 24, Health Minister Malone stated that Case #22 was detected while obtaining treatment at the Emergency Room of the Dr D Orlando Smith Hospital and contact tracing teams have been working to identify and quarantine primary and secondary contacts connected to this patient.
Minister Malone said that out of these investigations three primary contacts of Case #22 tested positive, along with one primary contact of Case #12, which together comprise the five new cases detected.
A total of 46 contacts of recent cases have been tested during the past week and as such, the Territory has been classified as having ‘clusters of cases’ in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) transmission classification guidelines.
Cabinet of the Virgin Islands will impose a new curfew for a fourteen (14) day period from August 26 from 5:01 PM to 4:59 AM.
Hon. Carvin Malone
He stated that the first seven (7) days of the Curfew period will allow limited categories of businesses to operate which will be subjected to review. Those allowed to operate include:
- Supermarkets/minimarts (limited to two persons per vehicle to shop); approved delivery services;
- Pharmacies/drug stores;
- Bakeries;
- Banks (with limited internal operations, such as but not limited to the clearing of overnight deposits services);
- Farmers and fisheries;
- Fuel and LPG Stations:
- Private health care providers, subject to the approval of their client list by the Minister of Health;
- Burials, subject to approval by the Minister of Health;
- Essential workers as defined in Section 3 of the Labour Code; and
- Exempted persons as listed in the current Curfew Order,
