Less than a week after Cabinet lifted the territory’s indoor mask mandate, government announced that the requirement would be reinstated for public offices and schools.
“For the next three to six months, considering the high interaction with the public, especially frontline support, receptionists and other officers who give direct regular service to external clients, an extension of the mask policy will be implemented,” Deputy Governor David Archer announced in a Tuesday press release.
The decision came after discussions with senior leaders in the public service, the release stated.
Affected offices included all courts; the post office; the Civil Registry and Passport Office; and the departments of Information and Public Relations; Labour and Workforce Development; Motor Vehicles; Immigration; Inland Revenue; Survey; Treasury; Water and Sewerage; and Trade, Investment Promotions and Consumer Affairs.
Also included are schools and other educational centres, social services, public health services like the Public Health Unit and the Environmental Health Division, Her Majesty’s Customs, the Land Registry, and the Deputy Governor’s Office Apostille Unit.
“Officers outside of the named offices are also allowed to continue wearing masks if deemed necessary for their safety and peace of mind,” the release stated.
As of June 15, there were 77 active Covid-19 cases across the territory, according to government’s Covid-19 dashboard. In the two updates before that, there were 68 active cases on June 9 and 101 on June 2.
As of June 15, 62 of the cases were on Tortola and 15 were on Virgin Gorda. Seventy-one cases were found locally, two through contact tracing, three through travel screening, and one through entry screening at “day zero.”
There was one person in the hospital with Covid-19 related symptoms.