There have been confirmed cases of the virus in the Dominican Republic, Martinique, Jamaica, French Guiana, Guyana, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, St Lucia, St Martin, Trinidad & Tobago, St Barths, the USVI, and Antigua & Barbuda.

“Cabinet agreed, effective Sunday, 15th March 2020, to suspend travel to the territory by visitors where that person has travelled to, from, or through affected countries as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its list of special interest countries,” Premier Andrew Fahie said in a public statement recently.

He continued: “Cabinet decided that visitors who travelled to, from, or through a high-risk country within a period of 14 days or less, immediately preceding the visitor’s arrival in the territory will be subject to enhanced screening procedures and may be quarantined for a period of up to 14 days.”

Some of the worse hit countries has been identified as China, Italy, South Korea, France, the USA, Germany, Europe, and Spain.

“Your government is taking every possible step to try to prevent the coronavirus from reaching our shores,” the Premier added.

Tougher measures coming

In the meantime, the Premier said that more measures are coming to protect the territory from the disease.

He said: “Stringent measures have been put in place and will continue to be put in place to do our best to detect the coronavirus and stop it from getting through our borders.”

“We will continue to plan. We will continue to educate through awareness. And, we will continue to be vigilant because this is who we are as people of the Virgin Islands. In the worst-case scenario of a positive case presenting itself, if it comes, we will do all that we can as a people working together to manage it,” he added.

Premier Fahie then called for unity in the territory at this time.