The event, which was being put on by government legislators Carvin Malone, Neville Smith, and Vincent Wheatley, offered a special $10 round-trip ferry ride to Anegada so persons could visit and support businesses on the sister island to help jump-start the local economy.

A statement from Health Minister Malone on Thursday suggests that the event was postponed for reasons relating to COVID-19.

He noted that the BVI currently has 33 confirmed active COVID-19 cases; all of whom are in isolation.

“It must be noted that there exists five cases to which aggressive contact tracing and related investigations are currently being conducted by teams from the Ministry of Health and the BVI Health Services Authority,” Malone said.

“At the time this event was planned and supported, there were no concerns that aggressive contact tracing in relation to locally acquired infections would be in progress,” the minister explained.

“Additionally, we have also heard the concerns of persons in the Anegada community. The policy on mass gatherings and large events is being actively reviewed and updated by health officials at this time to ensure the safety of all stakeholders including vaccinated and unvaccinated workers and patrons,” he further stated.

And while reminding persons to social distance, wash/sanitise their hands regularly, and perform other health practises, Malone said “minimising movement helps significantly in the prevention of the spread of the coronavirus”.

He further encouraged residents to get vaccinated if they have not already done so.

“These vaccines are shown to be effective in preventing severe COVID-19 symptoms and deaths. They also reduce transmission of the disease in settings where vaccination rates are high. However, these vaccines do not eliminate the risk of transmitting the virus from a vaccinated person to a non-vaccinated person.”

Persons who are experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19 are also encouraged to contact the Medical Hotline at 284-852-7650 to schedule an appointment for testing. Common symptoms include fever, cough, headache, fatigue, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, muscle aches, or difficulty breathing.