Dominica extends curfew till August 17 with additional exemptions

Monday, 9th August 2021

Dominica: Due to rising COVID-19 cases in the country, Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit announced an extension in curfew till August 17, 2021, with additional exemptions. During a radio programme of DBS Radio, Prime Minister said that the government is implementing the curfew to stop the community spread of COVID-19 and urged the public to comply with the safety measures.

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Divulging the details, the Acting Attorney General of Dominica, Lennox Lawrence, said that the curfew would be extended till August 17, 2021. “The new curfew will expand the areas of exemptions to include persons collecting their social security payments, renewal of insurance policies, purchase of vehicle spare parts and delivery services for groceries, fisheries, medicine and things of that nature. Moreover, a person who is the holder of written authorisation from the Commissioner of Police, a person who is in a public place for the purpose of providing or accessing an essential service, engaging in construction and manufacturing and Attorney at Law office provided that the law office shall remain closed for public.” He added that these exemptions are not intended to allow persons to be out in public generally but intended only to facilitate certain important transactions within the community while at the same time not exposing the community risks or unnecessary risks. Apart from this, Minister of Health, Wellness and New Health Investment, Dr Irving McIntyre, said that there are currently total of 179 active cases of COVID-19 in Dominica. He added that testing centre was set up at the Windsor Park Stadium and mobile testing was carried out in several villages of the country. “The intensified Antigen testing by the Ministry of Health made it possible to identify the cases of COVID-19 in the country. And the ministry has removed these individuals from the community, preventing further transmission of the virus.” As many as 84 health workers have been trained to administer the COVID-19 antigen and PCR tests which will assist in contact tracing. Know Your Status The government also implemented a testing initiative dubbed ‘Know Your Status’ started on Saturday and continued on Sunday to ensure that every hospital staff member is tested and cleared, so that medical staff can be sure about the safety of patients. Minister McIntyre said that in Dominica 5 medical staff members were tested positive in Antigen testing last week; out of those, 1 tested PCR positive and symptomatic who is at the COVID isolation unit. Whereas, other 4 are under the government quarantine facility. “Total of 235 staff members were tested for COVID-19 antigen on Saturday and Sunday, under the initiative and all are tested negative. This initiative tested about 50 percent of the hospital staff in Dominica,” Health Minister added. No visiting is allowed at the hospital in Dominica until further government notice. Only people with life-threatening diseases can go to the hospital for treatment, including chemotherapy and hemodialysis.

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The Ministry of Health will also be scheduling the COVID-19 testing at the state prison for the staff as well as inmates, so there would be no visiting allowed in prison this week. The ministry of health is in possession of 12,000 PCR testing kits and 13,000 antigen testing kits. Additionally, over 12,000 more antigen testing kits are set to arrive on Wednesday, August 11, 2021, and 10,000 on Friday, August 13. To strengthen the medical infrastructure, the Ministry of Health has also increased the staff with the employment of 27 registered nurses and 8 doctors. DEXIA Minister of Trade, Ian Douglas said that the Dominica Export Import Agency (DEXIA) announced the re-opening of the Roseau Market on Monday, August 9 at 8 AM. “The market will remain open until 3 PM Monday to Friday for the duration of the curfew period; farmers are advised to vend their produce as during the weekdays vending will also be allowed along the Bayfront under the management of DEXIA. However, all produce must remain aboard vehicles. Other prevention measures are must during the visit at the markets.” People who have flu-like symptoms can call the hotline numbers: 448-2151, 448-2171, 448-2156, 611-4333 or 1800-219