He made that announcement in the House of Assembly on Friday, June 26.

Since the start of the controlled re-entry of nationals and permanent residents this month, some 255 persons have returned so far.

“We are pleased that no new positive cases have been detected in the territory since the end of March. A total of 109 returning nationals have been released from quarantine as of yesterday after testing negative for the virus that causes COVID-19,” Malone said.

Malone said 78 more persons are expected to return before June ends while another 80 arrivals are scheduled for July. However, he said these numbers are subject to change.

500 approved to come home

Malone said some 621 persons have registered for re-entry so far. Of that number, 500 have been approved by the Immigration Department.

“Sixty-nine of the registration requests did not meet the requirements established for individuals to re-enter the territory during phase one,” he explained.

The Health Minister stated that, together with Public Health England, the BVI testing capacity now stands at 3,0150.

He said pre-emptive COVID-19 testing continues to be carried out on persons who meet the case definition of COVID-19. These include all emergency room admissions, all hospital in-patients, all persons undergoing surgery, all persons and returning residents exiting quarantine, persons requiring COVID-19 tests for travel, and healthcare workers.

He continued: “A total of 439 persons have been tested to date with eight positive results and 431 negative tests for the virus. Should a new case be detected, we are well poised to take through active monitoring testing, contain it through secure quarantine and contact tracing arrangements and effectively manage it through the delivery of the best available health care services.”

Malone said government is satisfied with the progress the territory has made in its fight against COVID-19 so far.