As the health and safety of the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) public is of the utmost importance, the Ministry of Health, supported by the wider TCI government, is continuing to implement aggressive protocols across the TCI to ensure that the general public is aware of how to protect themselves and their loved ones as we fight the global pandemic of COVID-19. As part of our efforts to keep the public regularly informed, the following is the TCI COVID-19 update as at 3pm Friday, 13^th March, 2020:

• There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
• There are currently 2 suspected cases whose samples have been sent for testing. Results are expected shortly.
• The suspected cases have been quarantined in their residences and the recent travel history of both are being reviewed.
• 12 persons placed under quarantine in Provo: The suspected cases (2), relatives of a suspected case (2), persons who have been in contact with a suspected case (2), an individual with possible contact with a confirmed case outside of TCI (1), traveling companion of possibly exposed person (1), persons travelling from a highly affected country—Italy (2), residents who have returned from country with local transmission (2).
• 1 person is under self quarantine—a contact of one of the suspected cases. This person is also not displaying any symptoms.

For more information, please visit the Ministry of Health website, www.gov.tc/moh/coronavirus; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or call our hotline numbers, (649) 232-9444 and (649) 333-0911, if you or someone you know has symptoms or signs of COVID-19.

The Ministry of Health wishes to provide the following Coronavirus- COVID-19 update as of Wednesday, 11March 2020:

• There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
• There are currently 2 suspected cases whose samples have been sent for testing. Results are expected within a week.
• The suspected cases have been quarantined in their residences and the recent travel history of both are being reviewed.
• 6 persons are currently under quarantine in Providenciales: The suspected cases (2), relatives of a suspected case (2), persons travelling from a highly affected country—Italy (2). Relatives of a suspected case and the persons from Italy are all not exhibiting any symptoms but are being continuously monitored by the public health team.
• 1 person is under self quarantine—a contact of one of the suspected cases. This person is also not displaying any symptoms.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today declared that COVID-19 novel Coronavirus is a pandemic – this announcement means that the spread of the infection has now reached global proportions. However, according to a statement issued by Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO, "Describing the situation as a pandemic does not change WHO’s assessment of the threat posed by this coronavirus. It doesn’t change what WHO is doing, and it doesn’t change what countries should do".

The Ministry of Health, supported by the wider TCIG, has already activated and aggressively scaled up protocols and response mechanisms to deal with the threat of COVID-19 and, as indicated by the WHO Director General, this declaration of a pandemic does not change those protocols at the moment.

However, we would like to remind everyone that this situation should not be taken lightly and individuals MUST BE PREPARED. Like other countries, the TCI is focusing on four (4) key areas to fight this pandemic:

(1) Prepare and be ready;

(2) Detect, protect and treat;

(3) Reduce transmission;

(4) Innovate and learn.

We will continue to communicate with the public regularly to ensure that the most relevant and updated information is available. Some of the steps being taken to ensure that we are ready to fight this threat includes:

-Readying our hospitals,

-Refresher training for our health workers and other frontline staff to protect themselves,

-Engaging with communities so they understand the risks and how to protect themselves.

We must remind everyone that we are in this together, we can and must do the right things with calm preparedness to protect everyone. Please continue to follow and share advice and information from the Ministry of Health and other government agencies.

We once again encourage the public to seek information from official sources; handwashing and other hygiene practices remain the most effective way of preventing the risk of spreading the virus. Mitigating the impact of this virus is achievable – let’s be prepared and stay safe.

For more information, please visit the Ministry of Health website, www.gov.tc/moh/coronavirus, or call our hotline numbers, (649) 232-9444 and (649) 333-0911, if you or someone you know has symptoms or signs of COVID-19.

The general and travelling public is hereby being asked to take note of the following provisions of the Turks and Caicos Islands Public and Environmental Health (Control Measures) (COVID-19) Regulations 2020 which came into effect on March 10, 2020:

1. Refusal of entry of direct flight to the Islands originating from infected country

No flight originating from an infected country shall be permitted to land in the Islands.

Infected country means China, Iran, South Korea, Italy, Singapore, Macau, Japan and any other country which the Governor declares from time to time, by notice published in the Gazette, as a country where there is known or thought to be sustained human-to-human transmission of Covid-19, or from which the CDC reports there is a high risk of importation of infection or contamination (with Covid-19) via travel from that country to the Islands;

2. Refusal of entry of cruise ship carrying passenger from infected country

No cruise ship shall be permitted to enter the Islands, where that cruise ship is carrying a passenger who has travelled to, from or through an infected country within a period of twenty-one days or less immediately preceding the intended arrival in the Islands.

3. Refusal of entry to the Islands by visitors after visit to an infected country

No visitor shall be permitted to enter the Islands, whether by ship or aircraft, where that person has travelled to, from or through an infected country within a period of twenty-one days or less immediately preceding the visitor’s arrival in the Islands.

4. Persons in the Islands who have travelled to, from or through infected country may be quarantined

(I) A Turks and Caicos Islander or resident of the Islands who arrives in the Islands after travel to, from or through an infected country shall be—

(a) subjected to screening and passenger tracing at port of entry;

(b) subjected to clinical examination at port of entry; and

(c) quarantined for a period of fourteen days, as deemed necessary.

(II) A person referred to in sub regulation (1) who is deemed at high risk of having the virus by a health officer, based on travel or contact information but is asymptomatic, shall, for the purposed of surveillance by the Chief Medical officer, be placed under quarantine in a specified place for up to fourteen days and monitored for symptoms and signs of viral illness daily by a health officer.

(III) An immigration officer shall alert the health authorities of any Turks and Caicos Islander or resident of the Islands arriving in the Islands –

(a) who has travelled to, from or through an infected country within the within the last twenty-one days;

(b) with symptoms suggestive of the virus; or

(c) if he suspects that a person has been exposed to the virus.

(IV) A person suspected of having been exposed to or having symptoms of the virus shall be removed to an isolation room for assessment and evaluation by health officials.

(V) A person who is symptomatic or a person who becomes symptomatic under home-based quarantine shall be placed under quarantine in a designated facility with precaution taken to protect uninfected persons from exposure to the virus.

(VI) Where -

(a) any person in the Islands who, at the date of the commencement of these Regulations had travelled to, from or through an infected country within a period of twenty one days or less immediately preceding the person’s arrival in the Islands; and

(b) that person shows respiratory symptoms or symptoms of the virus, the person

(c) shall be managed under the direction of the Chief Medical Officer and shall be quarantined at a quarantine facility specified by the Chief Medical Officer for a period of up to fourteen days, or until the Chief Medical Officer determines that the person is fully recovered, whichever is later.

5. Health practitioners, health officers and other persons may be quarantined

A health practitioner, health officer or any other person who may have had direct contact with a person suspected of having the virus or with bodily fluids of such a person shall, on assessment, be subject to quarantine for fourteen days, or until the Chief Medical Officer determines that the person is fully recovered, whichever is later.

6. Court’s power to order quarantine

If on the application of a health officer the court is satisfied that a person who is placed under quarantine has failed to comply with such direction, the court may order him to be placed under quarantine for a period specified in the order and a health officer and any police officer may do all things necessary for giving effect to the order.

7. Duty to provide information

The Chief Medical Officer may, request any person to provide to the Chief Medical Officer with such information the Chief Medical Officer considers necessary to assess what precautions should be taken to prevent the spread of the virus in the Islands.

8. Offence

A person who does not provide any information as required by sub regulation 9, or who leaves a specified place or a designated facility when he is placed under quarantine there, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine or to a term of imprisonment.