TCI News
TCI Ministry of Health confirms ‘Lab’ termination; 125 new cases in 9-days
#Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – August 23, 2020 – It remains a mystery, the reason for the sudden departure of the two-year director of the National Public Health Laboratory, NPHL but today the Ministry of Health confirmed the contract of Samuel Johnson was indeed terminated on Friday August 14.
Already, the search is on for a new director explained the Ministry of Health in a statement to Magnetic Media on Saturday.
“The substantive Director post which recently became vacant, has been advertised in the latest recruitment batch as a part of TCIG’s recruitment programme.”
In the past nine days, the Turks and Caicos has recorded 125 new cases of COVID-19; the spike and regular reports of offices and businesses having to close as a result of positive diagnoses of staff had also spiked concern about the timing of the termination.
“…the National Public Health Laboratory continues to carry out testing as necessary under the leadership and direction of the Acting Director of the NPHL, Mr. Samajeo Williams, who is a TC Islander that is a highly trained and qualified Chief Medical Technologist.”
Samajeo Williams, a Turks and Caicos Islands native, was added to the NPHL team in November, with glowing commendation from the Office of the Deputy Governor. Williams is now the acting director.
“Mr. Williams, a former recipient of the ‘Best Performing Student’ award in 2007 (External Exams), completed his A-levels at the British West Indies Collegiate shortly after. He later enrolled in Newcastle University in pursuit of a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and Psychology which he completed in 2012. In 2016, he graduated with Honours from the University of the West of England with a Bachelor’s of Science in Healthcare Science – Infection Sciences. While working as a registered Biomedical Scientist in the United Kingdom, Mr. Williams also attained the accreditation of a Specialist Biomedical Scientist in Microbiology.”
Manpower has been strained at the lab; a fact which has waylaid plans for progressive community testing. The National Public Health Laboratory is overwhelmed by the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic which has been 30 times worse than the first wave for the TCI.
A molehill has certainly turned to a mountain for the Turks and Caicos Islands as data exposes the country is currently averaging more cases per day, than the total number of positives charted in the entire first wave of the pandemic.
Between August 14 and August 22 – nine days – there have been 125 cases of COVID-19; that’s an average of 13 new cases per day.
In the first wave, the Turks and Caicos recorded 12 positives for the coronavirus.
Over the same period, testing has been erratic, ranging from no tests done to as many as 168 tests performed in a single day. The daily average for August 14-22 is 50 tests, which exceeds a previously divulged daily COVID-19 testing capacity of 47.
Within the same period, the lab was able to inform that 48 people were recovered from the virus; from 54 recoveries charted on August 14 to now 102 patients who are COVID-19 free.
The rate of work at the NPHL appears to have not been stymied by the loss of the director given the data provided by the TCI Ministry of Health.
Still, the expeditious action to advertise the director vacancy underscores the need to shore up human resources at the lab, which is the key agency guiding and influencing national decisions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Wednesday, 25 February 2026: Staff of the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) participated in a one‑day Professional Staff Development Workshop on Thursday, 19th February 2026. The session was facilitated by former DDME Director (2011–2021) and current Permanent Secretary of the Governor’s Office, Dr. Virginia Clerveaux.
The in-house workshop was organised by the DDME Training Unit, to focus on the National Disaster Management Framework, strengthening staff understanding of their roles and responsibilities within disaster management. The session also aimed to enhance the effectiveness of the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) and reinforce inter‑agency coordination.
Drawing on her extensive experience in disaster management in the Turks and Caicos Islands, as well as several deployments to CDEMA member states including Haiti, The Bahamas, and Jamaica, Dr. Clerveaux provided practical insights that reinforced key concepts and clarified operational expectations. Staff members actively participated in discussions and shared recommendations to improve sub‑committee performance and overall departmental efficiency.
To support learning retention, the workshop incorporated pre‑ and post‑assessments, enabling participants to evaluate their understanding and track improvements.
Acting Director of DDME, Mr. Kevaun Lucas stated: “Investing in the continued development of our team is essential to strengthening national resilience. This and future planned workshops will help to reinforce our commitment to building a highly skilled, well‑coordinated workforce capable of leading and supporting disaster management efforts across the Turks and Caicos Islands. I am proud of the team’s engagement and encouraged by the meaningful contributions they made throughout the session.”
This Professional Staff Development Workshop forms part of DDME’s ongoing commitment to enhancing internal capacity, strengthening operational coordination and improving overall departmental synergy as the agency continues to advance national preparedness and response capabilities.
Photo Captions:
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 20 February 2026 — The Informal Settlements Unit (ISU), in collaboration with key
government agencies, coordinated a multi-agency enforcement exercise on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at Block and Parcel 60609/33 in the Five Cays area.
The exercise was led by the Crown Land Unit, pursuant to its statutory mandate under the Crown Land Ordinance to prevent squatting and encroachment on Crown land. The ISU coordinated the operation, with support provided by the Planning Department and the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force, while the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force ensured security throughout the activity.
The enforcement action followed a series of inspections conducted by the Crown Land Unit throughout Five Cays, which identified several illegally constructed buildings made of concrete and timber on sections of the subject parcel. In keeping with the provisions of the Crown Land Ordinance, occupied structures were served Letters of Illegal Occupation, delivered by hand to occupants and
posted on structures where individuals were absent. Incomplete and unoccupied structures were served Notices of Unauthorized Occupation pursuant to section 22 of the Ordinance. A total of ten (10) Letters of Illegal Occupation and three (3) Notices of Unauthorized Occupation were issued during the exercise.
The Informal Settlements Unit reiterates that these coordinated enforcement exercises form part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to uphold the law, protect Crown land, and manage informal settlements in a structured and lawful manner. Members of the public are reminded that unauthorised occupation and development on Crown land is unlawful and subject to enforcement action.
Almost two million visitors recorded in 2025
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS – The Turks and Caicos Islands saw an increase in stayover arrivals in December, seven percent higher than the corresponding period in 2024.
Preliminary data suggests that stay over arrivals by air for the month of December was 66,427 in comparison to 62,610 in December 2024.
From January to December 2025, preliminary visitor arrival numbers totalled 640,754; on par with the number recorded for the same period of 2024.
Stay Over Arrivals YTD December 2024/2025
The first quarter of the calendar year attracted the largest number of arrivals with visitor arrivals three percent higher than the first quarter of 2024. Reduced airlift from the United Kingdom and the United States, most notably the Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue services, was however felt from the second quarter (April to June). As a result, visitor arrivals dropped three percent in the second quarter.
By the third quarter of this year (July to September), geopolitical and economic conditions in the key source markets, namely the United States, led to further contraction of arrivals. In the last quarter of 2025, arrivals were impacted in October due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa but additional airlift from the USA and Canada resulted in an increase in arrivals in November and December.
Mr. Paul Pennicook, Interim CEO Consultant of Experience Turks and Caicos, said December’s increase in stayover arrivals is an encouraging indicator of the sustained interest in the Turks and Caicos Islands as a premier destination.
“While we note and continue to monitor geopolitical shifts that affect us, Experience Turks and Caicos is focused on increasing marketing initiatives in our primary source markets. We have spent the last two years investing in groundwork such as crucial travel advisor training to assist them in selling the destination more effectively. In the next fiscal, we will be building on those initiatives with co-op activities with partners as well as out of home advertising to increase visitation to our destination,” he said.
In Cruise, the preliminary count of passenger arrivals for the month of December 2025 was 129,346, a 22 percent increase over last December. This growth follows the berthing of 11 additional ships in Grand Turk this month.
From January to December, the cruise sector continued to outperform the same period last year, as the 1.3 million total cruise passengers recorded, marks a five percent Year-on-Year increase. 
The cruise sector experienced significant growth in the first quarter of 2025, with passenger arrivals surpassing last quarter by 53 percent. In the second and third quarter however, several cruise lines adjusted their itineraries as vessels were pulled from the fleet or from the Caribbean region, which resulted in fewer passengers.
Arrivals dropped seven percent and 10 percent in the second and third quarters, respectively. Double digit growth was recorded in the last two months of Quarter 4. This growth however, was not sufficient to outweigh the drop in arrivals experienced in October, following the cancellation of cruise calls due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Despite the late-quarter rebound, arrivals for the final quarter of 2025 closed six percent below the same period in 2024.
