Forums39
Topics38,591
Posts311,713
Members26,555
|
Most Online2,218 Jan 21st, 2020
|
|
11 registered members (BillR, ChuckG, MrEZgoin, steve74, Beansbbq, Wingman, 5 invisible),
568
guests, and 80
spiders. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
Re: March 1
[Re: Manpot]
#248355
02/25/2021 11:39 AM
02/25/2021 11:39 AM
|
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,390 Ill, USA
Will_L
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,390
Ill, USA
|
It seems one cannot underestimate the lack of advanced planning or even a cohesive plan of operation by the government of the bvi. I’m not talking about one party or the other. I don’t know the principles in either or if they differ in philosophy. I was dismayed for those setting up travel via St. Thomas on a delayed March 1 opening when they pulled the rug out a few days ahead of the date they selected. There is nothing new upon which to change the date yesterday. There was little Covid in the bvi, when they chose the delay to March 1, there is little or none now. There was a lot of Covid in much of the world then and is now and likely will be quite a bit on April 15. No, it seems like decisions are made on the fly and they just pick another date out of the air so potential tourists keep booking and will arbitrarily decide whether to stick to a date, or a couple days before pull a Lucy and move the football a couple days before. What is obvious is that in doing so they do great additional harm to a tourism product. It is almost as if they believe they are not competing for tourism. I don’t blame them for the decision to protect their population from Covid. An island doing what they have done is pretty much the only way you can keep it from becoming an epidemic. With a poorly suited health system to deal with severe Covid cases it could have gotten ugly in a hurry. What I fault them for is poor planning and seat of the pants decisions. They knew they were getting 8,000 doses of vaccine several weeks before it arrived, now going on a month ago. You would have thought in a small island nation, there would have been a coordinated plan ready to go prior to its arrival. You would have been wrong. There were pictures with the politicians receiving the vaccine bundle at the airport. Then they waited a week or ten days to give the first vaccination. If accurate last week after a couple weeks of vaccinations they had given just 200 doses. Now they are standing up other sites between ten and 3pm throughout the islands. Now in the US there have been hiccups with the rollout..but that’s in a country with 300 million people and several time zones and jurisdictions involved. The vaccines in use require much more stringent handling because of refrigeration. Our county is going through vaccine as quickly as they can get it and have several centers going daily for ten to 12 hrs a day. We got our second dose on Tuesday after a weeks snow delay. The BVI has a small population they should have had prepared for and educated about the vaccine. Instead they seem to be on islon time. I read last week that their minister of health had said they couldn’t fully open until they vaccinated 70 % of the population which he said would be July. Today in the Platinum news they are talking about the high numbers of locals, including first responders and frontline people refusing to get the shot. So it’s going to set up another moving of the goal posts or arbitrary decision affecting travel. https://www.bviplatinum.com/news.php?articleId=32360
|
|
|
Re: March 1
[Re: GeorgeC1]
#248461
02/26/2021 09:32 AM
02/26/2021 09:32 AM
|
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,359 Cane Garden Bay, Tortola
JasonHelmbrecht
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,359
Cane Garden Bay, Tortola
|
I find it completely incredulous they had only given out two hundred doses after over two weeks. G That number is way off. At the beginning of the week they were over 2,000 and planning for 500/day before they opened the additional vaccination centers. It hasn't been announced, but it looks like they opened an extra center in CGB yesterday as I saw a huge line at the Baptist Church.
|
|
|
Re: March 1
[Re: Manpot]
#248506
02/26/2021 02:24 PM
02/26/2021 02:24 PM
|
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,390 Ill, USA
Will_L
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,390
Ill, USA
|
Indeed in latest article they say they had vaccinated 2032 by feb 23 in an article about the premier getting his shot. Curious as to why they waited a full week after arrival of vaccine and appeared to be giving a low number of doses daily between the 11th and 23. The previous article saying 200 doses must have been confused and talking about a daily total near the high of that 12 days. It would seem that provisions would have been in place to get it up and rolling before the vaccine arrived and the process would have begun immediately not a week later. I understand there is no epidemic there but there is something of a tourist deficit. That deficit can be solved by vaccinating much of the country and as many of the elderly, overweight and those with medical issues as possible. Then there should be no need for quarantine of vaccinated tourists who test negative prior to travel. That is needed to open up tourism to those wanting a week long vacation on yachts or land based. Their main country supplying tourists, the US should have vaccine available to all who want it by April or May. Dr. Gotleib who was fda commissioner and on the board of Pfizer said he thought with JnJ coming on board that there would be vaccine available for those who want it in April. Connecticut, he said was now lowering the age for eligible vaccination to 55. It’s going to be like a coiled spring when people who could not travel feel safe. Destinations that can protect their populations through vaccination and open without quarantine will thrive. If not they will simply lose a second year. If I was in government I would light a fire under the health Secretary to get that vaccine in arms ASAP starting on arrival. I would have psa playing constantly and address all the wild claims in the comments section of local media. . If they can be ready to go when most in us have access to vaccine, they can insist on proof of vaccination if they choose and still have enough tourists to make a big difference to a lot that are suffering economic hardship. https://www.bviplatinum.com/news.php?articleId=32361Btw, the other news item was a 360,000.00 payment for two barges that C&i used for one month. I have no clue but that sounds pretty steep price.
Last edited by Will_L; 02/26/2021 02:25 PM.
|
|
|
Re: March 1
[Re: Will_L]
#248508
02/26/2021 02:33 PM
02/26/2021 02:33 PM
|
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,359 Cane Garden Bay, Tortola
JasonHelmbrecht
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,359
Cane Garden Bay, Tortola
|
Btw, the other news item was a 360,000.00 payment for two barges that C&i used for one month. I have no clue but that sounds pretty steep price.
That's been happening for months and months. Since the last major outbreak the strippers from STT caused. I'd guess it's been that monthly price since August at least. Why would we want the free UK ship to help? Not too hard to figure out why that wasn't allowed.... Regarding the vaccines, this season is toast and we have zero active cases so there's not a major urgency.
|
|
|
|