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Joined: Oct 2000
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Protocols delayed until Monday at best. What a surprise!!
tpcook
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I think we'll hear some answers during today's meeting here.
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Joined: Apr 2002
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The meeting did not sound promising. Sounds like he was making a case for quarantine.
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Joined: Jan 2008
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George - I listened to almost the whole broadcast while working and I walked away with that same feeling. There was multiple mentions of checks and relief money being given out in the next few days /next week. Perhaps the delay of the meeting and the timing of those checks may be to soften the blow to locals who want tourists back and know a long quarantine could be a deal breaker for many.
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Joined: Apr 2002
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Let’s hope we’re both wrong. I need my Dec trip. If it gets canceled I will probably rebook my June trip to Greece out of spite!
G
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George - I listened to almost the whole broadcast while working and I walked away with that same feeling. There was multiple mentions of checks and relief money being given out in the next few days /next week. Perhaps the delay of the meeting and the timing of those checks may be to soften the blow to locals who want tourists back and know a long quarantine could be a deal breaker for many.
It certainly did NOT sound like USVI day trippers will be back any time soon.
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Joined: Jan 2008
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Jason, Yes, I caught the comment that things will not be the way they were for a while, and than the slight back track with for a few months added.
Was interesting to listen to everyone's comments.....and I found it super funny that they kept showing the picture of the topless woman on the wall behind them.
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Joined: Nov 2000
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Jason, Yes, I caught the comment that things will not be the way they were for a while, and than the slight back track with for a few months added.
Was interesting to listen to everyone's comments.....and I found it super funny that they kept showing the picture of the topless woman on the wall behind them. technically, her hands covered most of her nipples...
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Joined: Oct 2000
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These checks were to have been distributed a couple of weeks ago. There are to small business companies in the BVI and also to locals who are having a hard time.I really feel for the locals who are stuck with no money and no source of income for a long time. All of this will be a stain on the BVI for several years.
tpcook
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Joined: Jul 2008
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Jason, Yes, I caught the comment that things will not be the way they were for a while, and than the slight back track with for a few months added.
Was interesting to listen to everyone's comments.....and I found it super funny that they kept showing the picture of the topless woman on the wall behind them. The picture on the wall reflects their scope of knowledge.
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That was cracking me up, too.
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Jason...... Good one!
ecm56..... and than they zoomed in I think to avoid the picture but that only made it easier to see
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Seaports, airports, none of it matters if there is a curfew. The USVI is going extremely well without one.
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Joined: Oct 2000
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bvi news is reporting that the government is expected to have a 4 day quarantine. One seaport will be open Dec 8
Last edited by tpcook; 10/23/2020 07:21 AM.
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Doubt we would go if there were a quarantine. Not to mention there would be no way to get guards to our property.
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Joined: Oct 2008
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If they let us quarantine on the boat somewhere other than the dock? I am okay with it.
On the dock in Road Town or paying for some hotel lockdown stay?
No.
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Joined: Oct 2008
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Thorsten - they are removing any posts on the various BVI FB pages that have anything to do with speculation on protocols - it’s just going to get uglier and uglier. People who have booked trips in response to the opening announcement are feeling deceived....
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https://bvinews.com/visitor-4-day-q...Sef_TLsLdN6zZQ-GxZlQxsTfk3SOgg3DxJwPAjQwYou are correct on people feeling deceived. I moved two charters to Dec for friends plus my charter. The other two charters have expressed that they will not go back again if their trips are cancelled. The BVI government should have announced that they will have a limited tourist reopening 1 Dec with a quarantine period required. That would have been honest and upfront. George CYOA is going to become a very successful charter company!
Last edited by GeorgeC1; 10/23/2020 08:45 AM.
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George - I listened to almost the whole broadcast while working and I walked away with that same feeling. There was multiple mentions of checks and relief money being given out in the next few days /next week. Perhaps the delay of the meeting and the timing of those checks may be to soften the blow to locals who want tourists back and know a long quarantine could be a deal breaker for many.
It certainly did NOT sound like USVI day trippers will be back any time soon. What was said about that?
"Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and travel — leaves marks on you.”
-Anthony Bourdain
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Joined: Oct 2008
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Happy for Jay and CYOA (hey that rhymes!) since they are such a great outfit. I would charter there again in a hot heartbeat with a catamaran group this time.
Agree, George - I have a final payment due on my 12/3 charter that will be very painful to send since I don’t even know if we will be able to go now :-(
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Joined: Oct 2020
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If our deposit wasn't already tied up for our BVI charter Dec 5-12 I would have gone ahead and booked somewhere else at this point. In hindsight we were just so excited to see the original announcement of the Dec 1 opening that we quickly moved our charter to that first week feeling that they would all book up fairly quick. It seems somewhat of a bait-and-switch now that we've committed without announcing any protocols... Needless to say we won't be going if there is any sort of quarantine requirement.
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Joined: Nov 2000
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George - I listened to almost the whole broadcast while working and I walked away with that same feeling. There was multiple mentions of checks and relief money being given out in the next few days /next week. Perhaps the delay of the meeting and the timing of those checks may be to soften the blow to locals who want tourists back and know a long quarantine could be a deal breaker for many.
It certainly did NOT sound like USVI day trippers will be back any time soon. What was said about that? Nothing specifically about day charters but they continue to talk about testing and possible quarantine. If there's a test required, that will make entry very difficult for a day charter guest who is only in the BVI waters for 6 hours. If there's a quarantine, it obviously doesn't make any sense.
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Joined: Oct 2008
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I just made our final payment on the December charter - BVIYC has confirmed that we can reschedule if the protocols end up being too difficult to adhere to....so that’s a bit of a relief. My hope is waning :-(
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Joined: Oct 2001
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So " more patience required" is the message of the day.
Remember, the US - Canada border is firmly closed to tourism, too. There are plenty of families whose brothers/sisters/parents/grandparents live just a few miles away but are off limits except for life-changing emergencies and Prime Minister intervention. Canadian tourism has been sorely missed in every tourism market, never mind tourism from GB and Europe. Our borders aren't exactly open and welcoming visitors right now, either.
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Joined: Oct 2008
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So very true - and speaking as someone who works in a high tourist traffic location...I have never seen more obnoxious, entitled behavior in my life than what I have witnessed here during the last 6 months since we have re-opened post-COVID. While it is frustrating not knowing if we will get to the BVI or not? I completely understand their fear :-(
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Joined: Apr 2019
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Considering you have to have a negative test to get to the USVIs, why would they not accept day trippers who would still have such paperwork as they produced at the airport??
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Joined: Nov 2000
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Considering you have to have a negative test to get to the USVIs, why would they not accept day trippers who would still have such paperwork as they produced at the airport?? Because the USVI rates seem to spike after they open for tourists and the BVI protocols will not be as easy as the USVI.
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I have a question...if they are truly so concerned about COVID...why were they all using the same microphone during the JVD new conference and holding it mere inches from their face as they passed it around. Additionally, the Premiere and the guy next to him in the purple shirt were often sitting side by side and neither was wearing a mask.
So...Is this really about keeping everyone safe? I, personally, don't think so.
Sadly, I have $ tied up in a charter for jan '21 that I do not believe is going to happen.
My opinion (and YES, i know what they say about opinions...) is that life must go on...this virus has a 99% recovery rate.....
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Just to be clear on the USVI. The spike in cases occurred after the first opening and I don’t think it was tourist related. They however essentially opened with no testing ect. The reopening required testing and they have since had excellent results. New cases have been at zero for many days at a time and currently there are 20 active cases in the entire USVI.
USVI requirements
All travelers aged five years or older must provide proof of a negative result from a COVID-19 antigen (molecular/PCR/rapid) test taken within five days of departure or provide positive results of a COVID-19 antibody test taken within the four months prior to travel. Travelers are required to produce both their original test results and the travel certificate processed through the online portal
Last edited by GeorgeC1; 10/23/2020 03:09 PM.
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Just to be clear on the USVI. The spike in cases occurred after the first opening and I don’t think it was tourist related. They essentially opened with no testing ect. The reopening required limited testing and they have since had excellent results. New cases have been at zero for many days at a time. I agree that numbers are pretty good but they've recorded 18 new cases in the last 10 days. Based on population, that would be like BVI getting 6 in 10 days. Based on past reactions, I think that would result in borders closing again and a severe curfew. We've learned a lot here but the knee jerk reactions are still pretty strong.
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If the BVI only has 8 ventilators why over the past 8 months didn't they buy some more?
Covid is not going away in the near future, if ever. Why didn't the government move quickly to increase hospitalization capacity so they could handle an outbreak? Instead, the plan is to keep the economy shutdown unless the infections rate is at zero. Even with a 4 day quarantine opening to tourism will result in increased infection. Its unavoidable given the current science. So the BVI opens with a 4 day quarantine 12/1. 12/21 there are 20 confirmed cases. Do they lockdown again? How do tourists get out?
This is just more of the nonsense that has been going on the past 30 years in the BVI. Wasted money on airlines, greenhouses, consultants to expand the runway, power plants, recycling, etc.
The deep pockets of offshore banking and financial services is largely over. Tourism which was the other half of GDP is dead in the water. The BVI politicians refuse to recognize the situation they are in. The recent statement that the budget will be balanced by the end of the year is ludicrous.
Many of us have longed for the BVI of old. The way things are headed with this government we are going to get it soon.
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Joined: Nov 2000
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If the BVI only has 8 ventilators why over the past 8 months didn't they buy some more?
Covid is not going away in the near future, if ever. Why didn't the government move quickly to increase hospitalization capacity so they could handle an outbreak? Instead, the plan is to keep the economy shutdown unless the infections rate is at zero. Even with a 4 day quarantine opening to tourism will result in increased infection. Its unavoidable given the current science. So the BVI opens with a 4 day quarantine 12/1. 12/21 there are 20 confirmed cases. Do they lockdown again? How do tourists get out?
This is just more of the nonsense that has been going on the past 30 years in the BVI. Wasted money on airlines, greenhouses, consultants to expand the runway, power plants, recycling, etc.
The deep pockets of offshore banking and financial services is largely over. Tourism which was the other half of GDP is dead in the water. The BVI politicians refuse to recognize the situation they are in. The recent statement that the budget will be balanced by the end of the year is ludicrous.
Many of us have longed for the BVI of old. The way things are headed with this government we are going to get it soon. I have wondered about the ventilators for a long time. In the JVD meeting that is available to view online, they did mention that there are actually 13-14 ventilators available on Tortola but the 8 they refer to are fully commission and ready to use. I know nothing about hospitals but it sounds like the additional ventilators are here and would have to be setup if needed. I would assume if they use 3 or 4 of the 8 that are commissioned, additional rooms would be prepared to accommodate the extra ventilators that are here and ready to use. Regarding tourist exits, at the end of the current curfew on 5 November, we will have had 36 curfew orders that cover 220 days this year. 30 of those days were 24 hour lockdowns but during all of the curfew orders, visitors and residents were allowed to exit the country. It required coordination if you needed to be on the road during curfew hours but was never prevented. There were flights and then eventually water taxis available. Getting out is relatively easy; no Hotel California here...
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Minister Malone mentioned that to treat a patient with a ventilator requires a specially equipped room. So while they have more ventilator machines, they don't have the fully equipped rooms to use all of them.
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Hi all...
Just curious: Given the giant mess that is shown by the BVI authorities, WHO in the world feels like chartering in the BVI in December and beyond?? I mean... seriously.. Can you imagine getting sick there and being stuck?
Just sayin'...
Last edited by Michel_Benarrosh; 10/24/2020 11:20 AM.
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Can you not enter the US with a positive test if your a citizen?
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I don't think that is the issue, actually ENTERING the US. If one tests positive on island, my feeling, without any corroboration, is that this will be communicated to the airline and you won't be able to FLY, even if you were to pass the temperature test.
Carol Hill
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Thats the conundrum ,
With whats happening in Europe and the US at the moment I worry they are making the protocols to include the 4 day quarantine which will cancel most 7 day visitors and this is why it was delayed till Monday.
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There are worse places in the world to be stuck. I have been sailing in the BVIs for 50+ years, but don't need any new challenges related to the pandemic. I just want some rules to follow that are understandable and don't require backflips.
Douglas E. Linton
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