Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

Health screening for Coronavirus in place at ports

Health screening for Coronavirus in place at ports

The British Virgin Islands is moving full steam ahead in its thrust to guard against the dreaded Coronavirus, Minister for Health Carvin Malone has said.

Malone gave that indication while delivering an update on his ministry’s plans during a community meeting in Sea Cows Bay on Thursday night.

Malone said: “We had a meeting of the Cabinet today (Thursday) and coming out of the meeting we had a number of suggestions, and we would incorporate it into the strategy that we have moving forward.”

He continued: “In the hospital, we have four quarantine areas. The health care administration folks are already on guard because the protocol for this has been experienced during the Sars (Sars coronavirus) attack and the other viruses and epidemics that we have. But the hospital is ready in terms of doing this. We have a 14-day quarantine period, and if we need to expand this area, there are provisions that we have already looked at where we can get additional rooms.”


Other measures and special equipment

The Health Minister said other measures were being implemented such as enhanced surveillance of acute respiratory infections, increased public health education and awareness, as well as encouraging residents to take preventative measures such as proper handwashing techniques and use of protective gears by health workers.

“We will be conducting training programmes, implementing advanced processes for the effective management of ill passengers at all ports of entry. We have a number of equipment that can point straight in your forehead and take your temperatures and so we are going to have that implemented. So we going to purchase a number of these so that whether it is at the airports, the seaports, we would be able to deploy persons who can use this equipment so that we can test persons for high fevers. After that, we can then monitor where you’ve travelled in the past days,” Malone explained.


Local quarantine area

He said if someone is travelling from a high-risk country and is showing signs of high fever and other symptoms of the virus, additional tests can be administered on that individual, and they can be quarantined.

“We are going to make sure that whatever is required to have the populace safe and sound, that it is done,” the minister pledged.

Ministry meeting with islands’ air and seaport authorities

Malone said his ministry also plans to meet the authorities from various air and seaports from various islands to urge them to redouble their efforts at the screening.

He explained: “Our passengers, they come in through St Thomas and they come over here, they fly to Puerto Rico, St Maarten, St Kitts, from international ports to come here. So, at the end of the day, if they are doing the screening when we do additional screening, we know that we have done all that we could to identify the various cases and make sure that this is done in a way that will be pleasing to the populace. It would be prudent to make sure that we catch it early and have it done.”


BVI alert

The Health Minister further said the BVI is in daily contact with all the international health organisations and is keeping themselves informed about the virus.

According to international media reports, the Coronavirus has now claimed 213 lives globally with confirmed cases rising above 9,500; including the first two in Britain.

The World Health Organisation has declared the virus outbreak a global health emergency.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
×