Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

False Alarm! Suspected COVID-19 Case Linked To JVD Tests Negative

False Alarm! Suspected COVID-19 Case Linked To JVD Tests Negative

The person who travelled from the BVI to St. Vincent and the Grenadines has confirmed to be negative for the virus that causes COVID-19.
Initially, health officials in St. Vincent notified their counterparts here in the BVI that the passenger tested positive upon arrival on the island via St. Lucia.

"I am happy to report that the BVI has now received from St. Vincent, the official results of the second set of tests from CARPHA in Trinidad of the case previously affiliated with Jost Van Dyke. The results are now reported as negative," Minister of Health, Hon Carvin Malone disclosed last evening, August 2.

He added, "We are extremely pleased with this result and because of the extended period of time in receiving the official notification, we remain confident that the pre-emptive steps taken were required to prevent community spread, had the final results proven different."

Following the initial report from St. Vincent, the Government established that the individual had been on Just Van Dyke for an extended period.

The island was ordered to be locked down for 24 hours, allowing for community quarantine and testing intervention as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.

Residents complained bitterly against the lockdown.

"We empathise with the businesses and residents of Jost Van Dyke for the economic and social disturbances caused as a result of the lock-down. We thank everyone for coming out to be tested to ensure that all of us remain healthy and safe. COVID-19 is affecting so many around the world and we want to do our best to ensure that everyone at home remains safe," Hon. Malone said last evening.

The Government had opted to roll back the lockdown, days earlier than initially planned.

The lockdown was initially slated to end on Tuesday, July 28, but on July 25, the Minister announced the lifting of the restrictions.

"Today, I am very happy to report that the BVI Health Services Authority has concluded its testing of all close contacts, the vast majority of persons residing on the island, as well as several recent visitors to Jost Van Dyke, and all test results were negative for COVID-19," Hon. Malone stated in July 25.

According to the Minister, tests were carried out on 335 persons on Jost Van Dyke, 20 on Tortola and three on Virgin Gorda.

Understandably, the Minister stated, that the results may give rise to concerns about the necessity of the approach that was taken to safeguard the health of persons who could possibly have been exposed to the virus.

"On the other hand, if positive cases had been detected, the concern may have been that we should have acted sooner, or more aggressively," Hon. Malone pointed out.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
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
×