Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Businesses threaten to leave BVI amid stringent COVID protocols

Businesses threaten to leave BVI amid stringent COVID protocols

Some business owners have threatened to shut down operations in the BVI if COVID-19 health protocols aren’t relaxed to suit their business needs.

That’s the revelation made by Premier Andrew Fahie in the House of Assembly on November 25, as he justified the government’s continued efforts to fight COVID-19.

“I’ve been under pressure as the leader of the territory by persons who have threatened to take their investments out of here if I didn’t let them do what they wanted to do business-wise because of certain health protocols,” Premier Fahie expressed.

“I wanna say publicly to those persons here that anytime you decide to take your investments from the BVI because you’re against some of the health protocols, it means that you’re only here for what you can get. And it means that you don’t care about the people or your staff or our safety because we didn’t put them to try to destroy your business. We put them in to make sure that you’re alive,” he added.

The leader of government business further said the government will not relax the COVID-19 protocols to suit the rich while others in the territory are pressured to abide by the stringent protocols.

“And whether you’re rich or money-challenged, COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate. So they cannot have special protocols for the rich and separate ones for the financially challenged. It is the same across the board,” the Premier fired at his critics.

Marine protocols will stand


He also sent a sound warning to tourism players in the marine sector who have said the four-day quarantine policy isn’t suitable for guests who stay on the waters.

Premier Fahie said this policy will not be relaxed as the government will not put lives at risk for a few who want to make money.

“I’m hearing persons trying to push me that they have persons on boats coming and they (tourists) can’t spend four days on the boat. Swim ’round the boat! Jump in the sea and swim ’round the boat! If you have a bubble area, make sure they don’t get in contact with anybody. And if we’re not sure about that, let’s reassess it,” Fahie said firmly.

“I cannot put the majority of the people’s lives in the Virgin Islands at risk for a few lawless people that just want to make money and still won’t be fair to their employees. I will not do it! There’s been a lot of people coming — I call them threats — trying to bully me to get me to do what they want,” the Premier added.

He continued: “Some of them leave very angry. Some have formed groups to come to pressure to put me in directions I know is not best for the people with our health.”

With five days to go before the December 1 reopening of the local tourism industry, the BVI’s COVID-19 protocols remain a source of contention with many claiming the rules will only deter visitors from travelling to the BVI.

The government remains adamant that the rules are necessary to prevent spikes similar to those in neighbouring countries.

At the same time, the government has urged the population to expect a soft reopening of the tourism industry as the travel industry is still trying to safely navigate the COVID-19 era.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
×