Friday was an emotional day as family members of Clive, Kyle and Harisia Baronville held a funeral for their departed. The brothers and sister all contracted Covid-19 and died last month within nine days of each other.
Luce Hodge Smith gave testimony of each of the siblings’ lives during the broadcasted ceremony, praying that “their souls rest in eternal peace.”
The trio were among many who died with Covid-19 in recent days.
During a Friday night update, Health and Social Development Minister Carvin Malone said that 37 people with the disease have died in the VI. At least 35 of them died since June 28.
However, he added, the territory now is down to 152 known active cases, with seven Covid patients in the hospital, down from a peak of 1,604 active cases on July 18.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ronald Georges also spoke during the Friday update, explaining that the number of active cases continues to taper off.
“Over the last seven to eight days, we have only had single digits in new cases, so we’ve come down from those really high numbers in the hundreds,” he said. “Now we’re between three to eight new cases per day.”
Some of those cases have come from travel screening and others are from within the community, he added.
“We are having a few persons who have longer [recoveries] of Covid-19, so that’s a bit concerning,” Dr. Georges said. “We have a very high risk of chronic diseases, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and these other types of issues. These increase morbidity and mortality with respect to Covid-19.”
Some survivors in the VI are continuing to feel symptoms like fatigue, headaches, nausea, chest pain, and shortness of breath after recovery, he added.
Curfew restrictions
As cases continue to decline, curfew restrictions have eased.
Premier Andrew Fahie announced Friday during a live broadcast that the new curfew hours will be from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. starting the next day. This curfew is expected to last for 14 days, but it will be reviewed after seven days, he said.
Mr. Fahie also said businesses that were previously closed can now reopen, except for bars and nightclubs.
The relaxed measures allow salons, barbershops, gyms and restaurants to open with a maximum occupancy of 50 people, or one person per 36 square feet. Churches, weddings and funerals are allowed to hold up to 100 people.
Visits to Her Majesty’s Prison and social homes are still prohibited. Ferries are allowed to bring only 65 passengers per trip.
Entry testing
Meanwhile, rapid testing sites have been set up at ferry terminals.
Fully vaccinated passengers are being required to be cleared with the BinaxNow rapid antigen test prior to entry into the territory.
If this test returns positive, the traveller will remain in quarantine for at least seven days and will not be released until they have a negative PCR test.
Unvaccinated people still are subjected to quarantine upon arrival and testing on days zero and four of their stay.