Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Premier Fahie approves $3M for Coronavirus preparedness & response

Premier Fahie approves $3M for Coronavirus preparedness & response

Premier and Minister of Finance, Hon. Andrew Fahie has agreed to issue a special warrant to secure initial funding of over $3M to assist with preparedness and response efforts to the Coronavirus Disease COVID-19 which broke into the Caribbean region over the weekend and prompted a regional meeting of CARICOM (Caribbean Community) health officials.

The disclosure was made on Monday during a statement to the Territory delivered by Hon. Carvin Malone, Minister for Health and Social Development who attended the CARICOM meeting via teleconference.

According to Minister Malone, the initial funds will be used towards the overall coordination, surveillance and risk assessment, rapid response, laboratory detection, ports of entry surveillance, public awareness and community engagement, case management, and infection control activities.

"This will also cover capital works such as the retrofitting of Immigration booths, establishment of quarantine stations at Ports-of-Entry and the refurbishment of a section of the Major Peebles Wing of the Dr. D. Orlando Smith Hospital, commonly referred to as the ‘old hospital’, for the isolation and care of patients affected by the disease," Hon. Malone stated.

He added, "As the need arises, Government will make additional funding available to ensure a vigorous COVID-19 response to protect the health and well-being of the Territory’s residents and safeguard its economic interests."

The Health Minister assured that there is no confirmed case of the virus in the Territory. He disclosed that there has also been enhanced health surveillance, testing and quarantine of persons of interest.

Of specific interest, according to the Minister, are persons with respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough and difficulty breathing, together with a history of travel to or residence in a country with established community transmission of COVID-19, during the 14 days prior to symptoms onset; as well as persons with any acute respiratory illness.

The Minister shared that as of Monday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has increased its assessment of the risk of spread and impact of the disease to very high at the global level, while the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), based on a regional risk assessment, upgraded the risk of transmission in the Caribbean from low, to high.

To date, WHO has reported 87,137 cases of COVID-19 leading to 2,977 deaths within 60 countries, inclusive of two (2) island nations in the Caribbean.

Shift In Response


The Minister encouraged the entire community to heed the calls being made by the Ministry of Health and Social Development as well as the regional and international Public Health agencies that there should be shift in mindset from preparedness, to readiness and rapid response.

"The Immigration Department will erect glass shields at airport immigration booths, widen the screening of passengers, and facilitate the sharing of Advanced Passenger Information from transit ports, in order to determine recent travel history of arriving passengers," the Minister stated.

He stated that The BVI Health Services Authority has acquired additional equipment and medical supplies and will shortly be ready to conduct COVID-19 testing at the Dr. D. Orlando Smith Hospital laboratory. The CARPHA laboratory in Trinidad will serve as a reference lab to confirm local test results.

he Health Services Authority has also introduced treatment protocols and identified isolation rooms for the safe care of sick patients, should the need arise.

"The Government will also stockpile adequate quantities of cleaning supplies, masks and personal protective equipment (PPE)," the Minister stated.

"Even as we continue to work together to prevent the importation of the novel coronavirus to the Territory, we must at the same time ensure that all health workers, households, schools, businesses, and other segments of our population are well prepared to keep themselves safe – If and When it does occur," Hon. Malone stated.

National Disaster


According to Hon. Malone, A health incident command post will be fully activated in the week ahead.

"The Ministry of Health and Social Development will be working under the ambit of the National Disaster Management Council to ensure a multi-sectoral coordinated approach, which is in keeping with our National Pandemic Influenza Plan," the Minister stated.

Further, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) will be activated at LEVEL One. According to Hon. Malone, this is to ensure community-wide coordination and to provide guidance and support in developing and activating contingency plans.

"The National Emergency Operations Centre represents the highest level of command and control that is activated in a national emergency situation. As COVID-19 is a Public Health Emergency, the Ministry of Health and Social Development is the lead agency for planning, initiation, direction and central coordination at Level One activation of the NEOC," the Minister stated.

Hon. Malone is urging everyone to use basic hygiene practices such as frequent hand washing with soap and water; use of hand sanitizers; coughing into your elbow, or a tissue; frequent disinfection of surfaces; and avoiding close contact with anyone with cough and fever symptoms.

"If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing seek medical attention early, and share previous travel history with your healthcare provider," Hon. Malone stated.

He said the situation is still evolving, and Government will need to tailor it's response to reflect the realities on the ground from day-to-day and from week-to-week.

"We have overcome much greater challenges in the past, and I am confident that we have the capacity and psychological resilience to face this new challenge together, without resorting to undue fear, panic or stigmatization," the Minister stated.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×