ANGUILLA--Premier Victor Banks, in a message to the public, says that the island’s response to the coronavirus COVID-19 requires the participation of all citizens to achieve success. He stresses that everyone must observe the established guidelines for social distancing, self-quarantine and self-isolation.
Banks said he is concerned that some people are not taking the guidelines seriously and are even making a mockery of the procedures put in place to protect the public’s health. He said the government may have to take stricter measures to curtail the movement of persons and more stringent measures may be needed, including an island-wide curfew.
He reiterated that to date Anguilla has no confirmed cases of COVID-19 and urged the public to practise hygiene measures. “We are all in this together. We are our brother’s keeper. Let us live up to that charge with a sincere sense of responsibility and regard for the health, safety and security of our island and its people,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Princess Alexandra Hospital is well prepared with the Isolation Unit open and ready in case it is needed. There are 10 beds in the Unit that have all the necessary equipment. One section is for the observation of patients and the other section is for the critically ill who need ventilators and/or oxygen. The Unit is a temporary one and is housed in the Psychiatric Unit of the hospital so it is a separate building and has no connection to the regular hospitalised patients.
At the present time Anguilla has no COVID-19 cases. There are three samples that have been sent to Caribbean Public Health Agency CARPHA for testing. Three previous samples that were sent proved to be negative. Anguilla is expecting to soon receive pre-testing equipment.
Anguilla now has a website with the latest COVID-19 news. It is
beatCOVID19.ai.
