Are Changes Coming in COVID-19 Regulations?

Henry Charles Usher

So given the COVID data, is cabinet planning to institute a new statutory instrument to adjust COVID-19 regulations? Still in effect is S.I. one-fifty-one of 2021, which in early December had changed the curfew so it begins at eleven p.m. from Sundays to Thursdays, and twelve midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. That S.I. expires on Saturday, January fifteenth. Minister Usher says not to expect any big adjustments in the near future, but keep practicing your protocols.

Henry Charles Usher, P.U.P. Minister

“The medical task force made a couple of recommendations – not in terms of lockdown or anything like that. But we know the omicron came here probably through the airport or some other port and so they are recommending that the tests that are done; that the testing period is less. So in terms of the P.C.R. testing, instead of ninety-six hours it’s brought down to forty-eight hours; the rapid test, twenty-four hours so that we can have a better idea if that person is contagious or not. Recommendations like that are coming forward. But certainly, I haven’t seen any recommendations having to do with any type of lockdown or so. But lockdown or not, we have to be safe, Duane; we have to practice our safe practices and we have to be healthier as a society as a country. Our people have to be healthier because if you combine healthy living with the vaccine, more than likely there is a very good chance you will be safe. We have to continue monitoring it. We hope that we can see a burnout of this virus – that it just goes through very fast, so fast that it burns itself out. We are seeing other countries in Europe that have already reached their peak. South Africa just made a declaration – this was the origin of the omicron – they have already passed their peak days and they are seeing declines in numbers now. So, we hope that we can reach that level as well without any fatalities of course.”