#TurksandCaicosIslands – January 28, 2021 – Turks and Caicos in the past five and a half weeks has recorded 590 new cases of the coronavirus and the highest daily count was marked on Wednesday with 75 new infections added for a total of 327 active cases.
The shocking reveal came on the same day a
national curfew took effect.
Grand Turk has a curfew of 8pm and had nine
new infections, to take its active case count to 35. Providenciales has a curfew of 9pm and as
many as 60 new Covid patients.
There are no other curfews but North Caicos
is now with 13 total active cases on the island, an increase of three.
South Caicos is also increased by three, after
having joined the list of islands with a new infection reported on
Tuesday. Active cases of the coronavirus
in South Caicos is at four individuals now.
The Attorney General’s Chambers, following
a Cabinet Meeting held on Monday, issued the Public Health Regulations which
includes businesses in Providenciales closing even earlier, now at 8pm instead
of the previous 10pm.
Social gatherings are still outlawed and
church services, weddings and funerals are reduced to 20 people; down from a
previous 40 people or 30 percent room capacity.
A severe hit came too in order to crack
down on the party boats which are being hired to take people away from scrutiny
and the private cays for illegal social gatherings.
Pleasure craft are restricted to six guests
and everyone is still required to wear face coverings and to be adequately
physically distanced.
The new measures expire on February 10.
Meanwhile the National Public Health lab
conducted 185 Covid-19 tests, taking the national test total to 13,582
performed both inside and outside of the Turks and Caicos. Overall, 1,387 have been infected with the
virus since it was first detected on March 23, 2020 in Providenciales, TCI.
Soon, the lab will be able to more than
double its testing capacity.
Minister of Health Edwin Astwood
announced the automation
extraction kits are in country and will boost daily testing to as many as 400
samples.
As a result of those most recent positives test results,
there are 825 people in some kind of quarantine.
