#Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – August 27, 2020 — Turks and Caicos is added to the growing list of places which are abandoning the standard that COVID-19 patient recovery is measured by two negative RT-PCR tests. Edwin Astwood, the Minister of Health on Wednesday said Cabinet has agreed to give clearance to previously positive patients after 10-days of having experienced no fever or symptoms of the coronavirus.
“The Ministry of Health has updated its standard operating procedures
for recoveries and people being relieved from quarantine which is based on
technical guidance received from PAHO, Public Health England, CDC, WHO and
CARPHA. These new protocols for
recoveries and persons being released from quarantine are now being instituted
by the Ministry of Health Agriculture Sports and Human Services (and) will come
into effect immediately.”
Advertisement
The announcement, backed up by “new and emerging science”
was met with skepticism and labelled risky by some tuned into the national
press conference broadcast live from the Office of the Premier in
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos.
Still the world’s leading health regulators including the
World Health Organization (WHO), the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and
the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are promoting the research as a
recommendation.
The WHO updated its recovery recommendation since May 27,
2020. An excerpt from its website says
this:
Criteria for
discharging patients from isolation (i.e., discontinuing transmission-based
precautions) without requiring retesting[1]:
For symptomatic patients: 10 days after symptom onset,
plus at least 3 additional days without symptoms (including without
fever [2] and
without respiratory symptoms)[3]
For asymptomatic cases[4]:
10 days after positive test for SARS-CoV-2
The WHO says there is
some risk associated with this “isolation discharge criteria” and adds, “There is a minimal
residual risk that transmission could occur with these non–test-based criteria.”
Among the reasons for
the change is to bring relief to medical centers which need the bed space; to cut-down
workload on testing centers which are overwhelmed by new and repeated testing
demands; to support healthy patients with a more expeditious return to life in
the ‘new normal’ and to embrace the science which says COVID-19’s dead particles
are responsible for positive diagnoses long past the time a patient is
infectious.
Advertisement
The WHO, in that June
17 brief, encourages countries that can, to continue laboratory testing. The Turks and Caicos has opted to go a new and
different route which should dramatically increase the figures on recoveries.
“If a person who had
recovered from COVID-19 is retested within three months of the initial
infection they may continue to have a positive test result, even though they
may be spreading COVID-19,” said Minister Astwood, who shared about individuals
held in long isolations: “…they have been in quarantine for some 25 days, some 35
days, some 45 days and they feel well, they feel healthy and they are wondering
why they have to stay this long in quarantine and the results now, the science
now backs up that we can now release those persons from quarantine much earlier;
10-days and 14-days depending on symptoms and if the person is asymptomatic.”
While some may say we
can trust the science, there is grave concern about whether we can trust the
patient. The Ministry of Health will
admittedly be relying upon patients to be honest about their state of health.
from Ministry of Health, Turks and Caicos Islands
“We have to rely on
persons to be honest and truthful but still they will be under the quarantine
order to remain at home and if they have fever and symptoms we want them to
report that, the Minister of Health continued with, “We have seen that persons
have not been giving full and complete information but we have more good people
out there than bad so, we know that we will get from our people here in Turks
and Caicos Islands, at least 95 to 95 percent compliance with this because we
have a lot of people who want to do the right thing.”
Minister Astwood’s
enthusiasm is not shared by many residents.
By admission, some positive patients were not forthcoming during the
contact tracing phase. By widespread
observation, individuals have shown a reckless tendency to shirk responsibility
of self-quarantine regulations in order to get out and about.
Thousands of tests
have been used up in the previous method of retesting before clearance is given. Scores of people have been waiting weeks for medical
clearance to return to work because Health personnel have been unable to
deliver timely follow-ups.
The Minister was
optimistic that reducing this painstaking process of sequential negatives for
the coronavirus will allow his team to move on to community testing, which had
been waylaid by a surge in coronavirus cases.
In the past two days,
81 new cases of the coronavirus were recorded for the Turks and Caicos Islands;
bringing the country’s total number of infections to 464.
Magnetic Media is a Telly Award winning multi-media company specializing in creating compelling and socially uplifting TV and Radio broadcast programming as a means for advertising and public relations exposure for its clients.
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands — The Turks and Caicos Islands could soon be facing a major tourism problem: thousands more stray dogs.
It’s a likely consequence of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ban on US puppy imports, says Potcake Place K9 Rescue founder and director Jane ParkerRauw in a new video produced by Visit Turks and Caicos Islands.
The collaboration between the country’s leading tourism website and the charity dog rescue—which works to reduce the local population of homeless dogs—sheds light on how the CDC ruling has disrupted the charity’s operations and is contributing to an alarming rise in the country’s homeless dogs.
“It’s going to take years of getting back from [the progress we’ve lost] over the last 14 months,” said Parker-Rauw in an interview with VisitTCI. “I can’t stress how in such a short period of time, this is going to have such an impact on tourism here.”
On Aug. 1, 2024, the CDC’s ban on importing dogs less than six months old into the US took effect. The ban aims to prevent the introduction of DMRVV (dog-maintained rabies virus variant) into the US.
Since then, Potcake Place has been unable to find homes for hundreds of puppies. For the first time in the rescue’s 25-year history, they have had to turn away dogs.
“If we allow stray dogs to overrun the islands, it will inevitably affect the experience of our visitors and the tourism industry as a whole,” says Daniel J. LeVin, executive editor of VisitTCI. “Visit Turks and Caicos Islands works hard to promote the Turks and Caicos as one of the world’s premier travel destinations, and that means supporting efforts that protect the environment, community, and visitor experience.”
Many residents of Providenciales remember a time when wild dogs were shot to keep packs in check, or more recently, the fatal attack of a North Caicos woman in 2012 by feral dogs.
Large stray populations pose health and safety risks, deter tourists, and strain public resources. Many puppies the Potcake Place has had to turn away since the ban began have likely already had puppies themselves, says Parker-Rauw.
The impact of controlling a potentially explosive population of homeless dogs could have serious negative effects on the Turks and Caicos tourism industry, as seen in countries like Turkey.
“Two dogs in six years, if none of their offspring die, will produce 62,000 dogs,” says Parker-Rauw. “This is a major problem.”
The United States accounts for over 80% of visitors to the Turks and Caicos Islands and the vast majority of Potcake Place’s adoptions.
Since the ban came into effect, US adoptions have dropped from roughly 500 per year to just five per month, says Parker-Rauw. Getting older puppies to the US is challenging, as they’re too large for airline cabins and not permitted in the hold of planes traveling between Turks and Caicos and the US.
Potcake Place has been advocating for a revision of the ban to allow puppies from lowrisk rabies or rabies-free countries into the US. Turks and Caicos is a DMRVV-free country, and all puppies adopted through Potcake Place are fully vaccinated before travel.
This collaboration is one of several that Visit Turks and Caicos Islands has spearheaded this year to promote sustainable tourism. Both the video and an expanded article can be found at www.visittci.com/news.
Mr. Paul Pennicook, Interim CEO Consultant, Experience Turks and Caicos
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS – (October 6th, 2025) – The Turks and Caicos Islands has once again reaffirmed its status as the Caribbean’s premier beach and romance destination at the annual World Travel Awards.
At the ceremony held in Saint Lucia on October 4th, the destination was named the region’s Leading Beach Destination and Most Romantic Destination. Turks and Caicos has captured the Leading Beach Destination title every year since 2015 and the Most Romantic Destination award for seven consecutive years.
“It is no secret that the Turks and Caicos Islands is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean, and we are honoured that voters continue to recognise this. Our pristine waters and secluded settings also make the destination one of the world’s most romantic getaways, especially for couples seeking luxury and intimacy. On behalf of Experience Turks and Caicos, I extend sincere thanks to the World Travel Awards and to everyone who voted in support of our islands,” said Mr. Paul Pennicook, Interim CEO Consultant, Experience Turks and Caicos.
Experience Turks and Caicos would like to extend congratulations to our hotel partners and stakeholders who also won regional recognition at the World Travel Awards.
Beaches – Caribbean’s Leading All-Inclusive Family Resort 2025
The Palms – Caribbean’s Leading All-Suite Hotel 2025
Ambergris Cay Private Island Resort – Caribbean’s Leading Private Island Resort 2025
InterCaribbean – Caribbean’s Leading Cabin Crew 2025
Turks and Caicos Islands Awards
Windsong Resort – Turks and Caicos Leading Boutique Hotel 2025
The Palms – Turks and Caicos Leading Hotel 2025
Grace Bay Club – Turks and Caicos Leading Luxury Resort 2025
The Shore Club – Turks and Caicos Leading Resort 2025
Four-bedroom Oceanfront Penthouse @Windsong Resort – Turks and Caicos Leading Hotel Suite 2025
Avis – Turks and Caicos Leading Car Rental Company 2025
Caicos Dream Tours – Turks and Caicos Leading Tour Operator 2025
Olympia Destination Management Company – Turks and Caicos Leading Destination Management Company 2025
The Turks and Caicos Islands now has an opportunity to win ultimate recognition in global travel and tourism with three global nominations in the World Travel Awards for the following:
World’s Leading Beach Destination World’s Leading Island Destination World’s Most Romantic Destination
The “World’s Leading” categories are the highest in the World Travel Awards programme. Voting runs from October 6th -26th October 2025. Votes can be cast by travel professionals, media and tourism consumers, with the nominee gaining the most votes announced as the 2025 World Travel Awards winner.
Turks and Caicos, September 21, 2025 – On Sunday, September 21st, 2025, the United States Coast Guard Southeast (USCG), working in coordination with the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RT&CIPF) Marine Branch, the TCI Regiment, and the TCI Border Force, intercepted a vessel carrying 103 migrants bound for Providenciales.
The suspicious vessel, first tracked by the USCG, was stopped at sea and later secured by the Sea Guardian vessel, which towed it safely to South Dock Marina. Upon arrival, the migrants were disembarked and handed over to the TCI Border Force for processing.
A breakdown of those on board confirmed:
75 males (including two minors)
28 females (including two minors)
This interception marks the 18th such operation in 2025, bringing the total number of migrants detained this year to 1,510. The RT&CIPF thanks the USCG and local agencies for their close cooperation, noting that this successful outcome demonstrates the effectiveness of layered security measures protecting the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Force reminds the public that illegal migration is dangerous and life-threatening, and violations of the law will not be tolerated.
Anyone with information on illegal migration is urged to contact the nearest police station, call 911, the Serious Crime Unit at 231-1842, or report anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 or via the P3 app.
Photos Courtesy: Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force