ANGUILLA—A release from the Governor’s office on April 9 noted that the regulations issued by the Minister of Health on March 27 will be extended to April 21. These regulations prohibit gatherings of more than five people and requires all but non-essential workers to stay home except for visits to the pharmacy, doctor, grocery, banking services or to exercise for one and a half hours between 5 am and 6 pm. The release notes that many people are ignoring the regulations and is urging all to comply as the measures could be tightened should the Chief Medical Officer advise.
The ports also remain closed until April 21 with the final repatriation flights for 15 European nationals leaving on April 9. The restriction of all boats in Anguilla waters started on April 8 and will also continue until April 21. The public is being asked to be vigilant and report any boat movements to the authorities. The Commissioner of Police Paul Morrison has the authority to give written permission to grant any owner or captain of a vessel permission to operate in Anguilla waters subject to conditions. The request must be made in writing to the Commissioner.
Meanwhile the Ministry of Health is warning the general public to be extremely careful and vigilant against the use of unauthorised, invalidated test kits for the COVID-19 virus. “Such tests pose a risk of wrong, conflicting or inconsistent results including false positives and false negatives. False negatives are particularly dangerous because the virus may be spread by persons when critical measures including strict isolation and contact tracing are not implemented based on a falsely negative result,” the warning notes.
The Ministry of Health is the only entity in Anguilla authorised to provide testing according to approved international protocols utilizing validated test kits. This is done, in collaboration with the Caribbean Public Health Agency, Public Health England and in strict compliance with guidance and recommendations of the World Health Organization.
