“When we open the seaports, we will surely see an influx of visitors to Virgin Gorda and we do not want to inconvenience tourists to come to Tortola for testing,” the Opposition Leader stated.

The Virgin Islands' seaports are slated to reopen for international travel on April 15, 2021, more than a year after they were closed due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

In a press release on Monday, April 5, 2021, Hon Fahie noted that Virgin Gorda is a major hub for tourism and local testing should be facilitated.

He said throughout the pandemic Opposition members continue to offer suggestions, both privately and publicly, to the Fahie administration to help navigate the Territory through the COVID-19 crisis on behalf of the people of the Virgin Islands.

Hon Marlon A. Penn made the calls in a Monday, April 5, 2021, press release when he noted that the island is a major hub for Tourism and local testing should be facilitated.

Frontline workers saluted

He also thanked frontline workers for the work done so far. “We appreciate those persons, for their selflessness and all they do to safeguard our families, visitors, community and the health of the wider Territory,” Hon Penn expressed.

Concerning the current testing services at the Dr D. Orlando Smith Hospital, Hon Penn called for systems to be strengthened which would result in quicker turnarounds so that persons can receive their COVID test results promptly.

“We need to avoid having persons out in public not properly knowing their status, thus resulting in widespread panic,” he said.