The Ministry of Health, under the auspices of the Government of Anguilla, recently announced a slackening of COVID-19 protocols. The announcement was made by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Foster Rogers, during the weekly Government press briefing, on Monday, April 12th, where the subject of COVID-19 vaccinations dominated the discussions.
In disseminating this information, the PS stated: “As of today [April 12th], persons entering Anguilla, as long as they have been fully vaccinated, for as long as three weeks, will have a reduction to their quarantine period from 14 days to 7 days. As of July 1st, persons entering the island who would have been fully vaccinated, for as long as three weeks, will not be required to quarantine. Persons who are still not vaccinated, or those who would have had only their first dose, would still be required to quarantine for 14 or 10 days, depending on the prevalence rate of COVID-19 in their country of origin.
“This is an important milestone in Anguilla. Now we can begin to really open up the country in these stages under these conditions. As of October 1st, it will be mandatory for any visitor entering Anguilla to be fully vaccinated. Returning residents who are not fully vaccinated will require to be quarantined, even as they are required to do so now.”
“Therefore, we are imploring everyone, whether current resident, returning resident, or potential visitor, to get vaccinated. This is a key part of our health programme going forward,” he said.
The PS reported that the Ministry of Health will be soon issuing vaccination cards, which resemble a driver’s licence, to all persons in Anguilla who are fully vaccinated. He said that, however, in the interim the Ministry now issues a vaccination certificate that bears a raised Health Authority seal. He noted that this seal inhibits any risk of forgery.
The Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Aisha Andrewin, reported that thus far, 6,760 persons have registered to be vaccinated and, of those, 5,857 have been vaccinated with their first dose. The second dose is now beginning to be administered. She said, again, that there is an obvious plateau in the number of persons coming forward to register for vaccinations, but certain policies going forward will be geared towards addressing this situation.
The CMO continued: “The international climate dictates that we now move towards mandatory vaccinations for everyone over 18 years of age. This is destined to protect health while it facilitates travel. This will be the wave of the future as we try to get out of this pandemic. Once again, I would like to stress that we in Anguilla have a great opportunity to make getting thi s vaccine an utmost priority. We must do what we have to do to stay ahead of this curb, and be ready for when countries of the world begin to reopen and this pandemic is almost over.”
– Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
