PM Skerrit announces new exemption for curfew extension till August 17

Dominica: Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit extended the curfew till August 17 2021. Along with this PM, Skerrit mentioned new exemptions during the curfew. These exemptions include lawyers who can go to their offices but meeting the clients would be prohibited. People can go to pay their insurance premiums or persons collecting their social security payments. The citizens who want to buy the spare parts of their vehicles would be exempted during curfew hours. Those passengers who want to travel out or Dominica of travel to Dominica.

PM Skerrit noted that the essential businesses would be allowed to be open from 6 am – 4 pm. This list contains banks, credit unions, money service businesses, village grocery shops, supermarkets, petrol stations and Pharmacies. The airports would remain operational, but the government has requested the passengers to follow COVID-19 guidelines, in case if anybody is found not following the guidelines, that person has to pay a fine of EC $500.

PM Skerrit urged the people of Dominica to get vaccinated as it is the only way to contain the increasing cases of COVID-19. They should also get tested by themselves, and PM Skerrit also said that he would get himself tested after every-7 days.

While speaking on the DBS radio and Kairi FM, PM Skerrit said that there had been 179 positive cases in Dominica. The government of Dominica will fasten their COVID-19 contact tracing and testing in the coming days. If a person is not feeling well and notices some symptoms of COVID-19, they can call on the given hot-line numbers, the team will come to their residence and test them and provide the person with treatment according to the test report.

On August 7 2021, 664 citizens of Dominica get tested voluntarily, and 700 was the expected number of COVID-19 tests on August 8 2021.

PM Skerrit, while explaining rapid antigen test and PCR test, said that antigen test is a rapid test, but no report from such test can be used for making COVID-19 statistics of the country. If a person has been tested positive in a rapid antigen test, then that person would be subjected to a PCR test. At the same time, the PCR test takes 2-3 days for giving a report. According to that report, the cases are shown on the dashboard. A positive person in isolation can only get discharged after producing 2 PCR tests with negative results.

The Health Ministry is in possession of 12,000 PCR testing kits and 13,000 antigen testing kits. He noted that more than 12,000 more antigen testing kits are all set to arrive on Wednesday, August 11, 2021, and 10,000 on Friday, August 13, from Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Due to expectations of increasing cases in the future, the government has been making arrangements to increase the number of rooms facilities. The government of Dominica said that they would be separating the symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Saint James COVID-19 centre would be used for symptomatic COVID-19 patients. Some apartments in Portsmouth would be used for asymptomatic patients.

Esprit Murphy Health and Wellness Centre in Mahaut on Saturday, August 7, 2021, from 9:30 am

Morne Prosper Health Centre on Saturday, August 7, 2021, from 1 pm.

Pointe Michel Health Centre on Sunday, August 8, 2021, from 9:30 am to 1 pm.

Campbell Health Centre on Sunday, August 8, 2021, from 9:30 am to 1 pm.

Wotten Waven/Trafalgar on Sunday, August 8, 2021, from 9:30, am to 1 pm.

PM Skerrit concluded that these measures had been taken to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the country. All citizens should follow these measures, and the police would fine those who will not follow.