Last week, Health and Social Development Minister Carvin Malone said that health officials had discovered an “overcrowded” building on Wickhams Cay that has been illegally converted into residential use, and that all occupants were subsequently tested for Covid-19 and placed under quarantine. Though he did not...
September 25, 2020
September 25, 2020
Premier softens position on public registers
Premier Andrew Fahie appears to have softened his government’s stance on the United Kingdom’s push for the overseas territories to enact public registers of beneficial owner- ship by 2023. For months, the Virgin Islands was the sole holdout as other territories and Crown dependencies agreed...
September 24, 2020
$4.4m paid in unemployment, Wheatley says
The government’s $10 million Unemployment Relief Fund has benefitted 3,457 people to the tune of $4,366,488, with 2,117 claims denied and 2,072 new ones still processing as of last Thursday, according to Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration Minister Vincent Wheatley. Many applications have been delayed...
September 24, 2020
Hospital gets accreditation
The Dr. Orlando Smith Hospital has achieved accreditation with the Norway-headquartered accrediting body DNV-GL, making it the first in the region to earn the status and one of three public health systems in the region to receive any kind of international accreditation, Health and Social...
September 24, 2020
Borders to open to tourism on Dec. 1
Pink flamingos and flourishing reefs were among the scenes in a video premiere launching “BVI Love,” a marketing campaign geared toward bringing tourism back to the territory on Dec. 1. That day, borders will re-open to visitors for the first time since they were closed...
September 24, 2020
In reversal, schools reopen for some
As the number of reported Covid-19 cases in the territory continued to fall during the latest round of lockdown restrictions, Deputy Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley on Friday announced that some students would be able to return to the classroom for the start of the...
September 22, 2020
Dog laws up for re-evaluation
As part of the government’s efforts to overhaul legislation regulating farming and livestock, it is also reviewing the rules governing the ownership of dogs in the territory. Included in the recently publicised draft Food Security and Sustainability Bill is a section concerning dog-ownership regulations, and...
September 22, 2020
Labour: Work permits to be processed online
Government has tried to be flexible as residents have navigated the challenges of living and working amid the Covid-19 pandemic, from uncertain job prospects to difficulties securing flights to home countries, Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration Minister Vincent Wheatley said during a Facebook livestream on...
September 17, 2020
Local tours boom during pandemic
Shortly before leading a group of hikers into the bush at Brewers Bay, Mervin Hastings stood in front of sugar mill ruins and debunked the myth that the island of Tortola got its name from the Spanish word for “turtle dove.” “I always ask everyone,...
September 18, 2020
1,039 businesses qualify for grants
Government announced Monday that 1,039 businesses will receive funds under the $6.5 million Small Business Sector Grant Programme, and 10 others will benefit from a $40,000 United Nations Development Programme initiative. During a virtual ceremony rolling out the grants, Premier Andrew Fahie said 1,423 businesses...
September 17, 2020
Back to school, at home
The public school year will open on Monday, but students won’t go back to school. Instead, they should expect to learn from home for the rest of the year as part of the government’s ongoing measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the territory,...
