TCI Governor Signs A New Regulation changing Quarantine for Vaccinated people

#TurksandCaicos, May 3, 2021 – Turks and Caicos Governor Nigel Dakin Signed a new regulation into law. The ordinance signed on April 29, 2021, allows the Chief Medical officer (CMO) to quarantine anyone who is, in the opinion of the Chief Medical Officer or any health officer, exposed to the risk of Covid-19 infection for a suitable period, according to the case and national guidelines. 

“ (1) Without prejudice to any other powers conferred by these regulations, a person who in the opinion of the Chief Medical Officer, or a health officer, has been exposed to the risk of infection by COVID-19, may at the discretion of the chief medical officer or health officer, be required to remain at home or such other place of quarantine as may be specified by the Chief Medical Officer or Health officer for a specified period in accordance with the national guidelines on quarantine for persons who are fully vaccinated, or persons who are not fully vaccinated, as the case may be,” read part of the regulation. 

According to the new law, those in quarantine shall be monitored by the Chief Medical officer or health officer during their quarantine period. Also, the new regulations apply a 14-day quarantine for non-vaccinated visitors and residents arriving in the Islands and a PCR COVID-19 test at the end of the quarantine period at the government’s expense. 

Further, the law states that one can only be allowed into the country only if the person has negative COVID-19 PCR results. However, for fully vaccinated TCI residents, the ordinance allows the Chief Medical Officer or Health officer to quarantine them for a specified period according to the national guidelines for fully vaccinated persons. 

While the earlier version of the regulation had already allowed the Chief Medical Officer to quarantine people for 14, adopting the new guidelines prescribing a seven-day quarantine for fully vaccinated people would lead to a legal breach since the guidelines for fully vaccinated people were not captured in the pre-vaccination quarantine guidelines. 

As such, the newly signed regulation includes a clause allowing the CMO to quarantine fully vaccinated people for a suitable time, typically seven days before being freed to mingle upon receiving a negative PCR test result at the end of the quarantine period.