“This gives us an opportunity now to start to think outside the box. All of us in the territory who have specific skill sets; I think there is a need for a logistician,” Penn said.

He pointed to government’s plans to introduce drive-through testing at the festival village in Road Town and suggested that this might be an ideal situation where a logistician can offer their services.

According to Penn, government needs to be open-minded to accept support coming from the private sector, if necessary; even if the support had to be outsourced from outside of the territory.

Just last week, the Acting CEO of the BVI Health Services Authority (BVIHSA) said her organisation was hosting discussions with private health facilities about how they can offer assistance to help the territory get through the surge.

In the meantime, the aforementioned drive-through testing facility to be set up at the festival grounds is being done to ease the congestion at the hospital. Coupled with this effort, a tent that was set up at the hospital for travellers, quarantine patients, and other persons scheduled to receive tests will be relocated to the Althea Scatliffe Primary School.

The government has also has established a field hospital at the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex in Road Town. This makeshift facility can house up to 26 patients and is expected to help streamline how health officials deal with new cases that come in for testing at the Dr D Orlando Smith Hospital.