Nat’l Security Council focused on Keeping Cholera Out as Haitians try to slip in

By Deandrea Hamilton

Editor

#TurksandCaicos, February 11, 2023 – Protecting the borders of the Turks and Caicos has never been without conscious efforts to also protect public health, and with over 13,640 cases of and 283 deaths linked to Cholera in peace-shattered Haiti, according to the World Health Organization, the Turks and Caicos Islands Ministry of Health has been tasked with a new assignment.

“The Ministry of Health was asked to develop a smart screening program from Cholera and the sourcing of vaccines, to be called on if required, has started,” informed an update from the National Security Council meeting of February 2, 2023.

The same document issued on February 9, informed that Turks and Caicos “Police arrested 690 migrants at sea over December 2022 – January 2023; cooperation with the US; charges against an Officer for harbouring; disposal of seized goods; and clearance systems.”

This is a clear signal for the country’s security body to improve not only border protection in terms of manpower and alliances to fend off vessels involved in human smuggling, but to ensure those who slip through and detected by the Coastal Radar System are better screened in order to fend off an invasion of Cholera.

Just this past week, the Dominican Republic reported having eight new infections.  The DR shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, and has also been inundated with residents seeking refuge from the riotous conditions at home.

It was explained that presentations focused upon: “Progress discussing maritime delineation with the Government of the Bahamas; and Activities that stemmed from the visit to the Bahamas by the Governor and the Premier, which included support from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force for training and improvement of radar capability to assist with interception of migrant vessels.”

It was a packed house  at this recent gathering of the NSC included: His Excellency the Governor, Nigel Dakin; the Hon. Premier Charles Washington Misick; HE Deputy Governor; the Hon. Deputy Premier; the Hon. Minister of Immigration and Border Force; the Hon. Attorney General; the National Security Secretariat (NSS) Permanent Secretary; NSS Deputy Permanent Secretary and the National Security Threats Lead, and the Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF) who represented the Commissioner who was out of the jurisdiction at the time.