The BVI may be faced with another 24-hour lock-down. Premier of the Virgin Islands and Minister of Finance, Hon. Andrew A. Fahie alluded this in a press release issued late last night.
Over the weekend, the BVI reported additional cases, bringing the total to 38 active cases in the Territory. This sprung the relevant authorities and our leaders into action.
Premier Fahie informed the public that the of House of Assembly (HOA) held an emergency informal meeting to discuss matters related to COVID-19. All Members of HOA were in attendance on the virtual meeting.
It was reported that the meeting was fruitful. Recommendations were made in the meeting which included, but were not limited to, an emergency meeting of Cabinet be held to consider options for a more stringent Curfew Order for the Territory to assist in the containment of COVID-19.
Other recommendations from the majority of Members included, but were not limited to, the immediate implementation of a new 24-hour Curfew of the Territory for a minimum of 14 consecutive days.
Cabinet is scheduled to meet on Monday at 4:00 p.m., which decisions will be made on the way forward as it pertains to the combating COVID-19 in the Territory.
After Cabinet concludes, the Minister for Health and Social Development, Honourable Carvin Malone, will officially inform the public of the decisions taken by Cabinet.
CAN’T AFFORD ANOTHER LOCKDOWN
In a live press conference held on the 9th August, 2020, Premier of the Virgin Islands, Hon. Andrew A. Fahie addressed the residents of the BVI about the boost of the economy through the construction industry.
During this address, Premier Fahie stated that the BVI cannot afford another Territory-wide lockdown.
He said ” We cannot take unnecessary risks that can trigger another complete lockdown. An internal assessment has shown that if we end up in another Territory-wide lockdown, the money that we have for rebooting the economy will have to be used instead for social support. And when that is over, we will not have any money left to reboot the economy.”
“So, we are walking a very fine line. It is a tight-rope. It might not seem so at the moment because we are able to move around and to conduct some of our business activities.” he added.