Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Minister of Health Jeffrey Bostic addressed the nation on September 9, 2021.
Minister of Health Jeffrey Bostic
- The COVID-19 trajectory continues to show steady increase because of community transmission and the impact of the Delta variant.
- Out of 1 387 tests, 78 new positive cases of which 17 are Under-18.
- Positivity rate:
- 368 out of 100 000 over the past 28 days
- 287 out of 100 000 over the past 14 days
- A lot of work to be done, well above the target of 25 per 100 000.
- 697 people in isolation facilities across the country up to 9 this morning, but numbers will fluctuate throughout the day
- We are still able to manage, but we have a lot to do to get the rates down.
- Best-dos Santos lab is now current with tests.
Prime Minister Mia Mottley
- 1 in every 2 adults is vaccinated
- 1 in every 5 youths is vaccinated
- We need to boost numbers and we need to expand the fight.
- Delta variant is proving to be deadly and dastardly not in public places, but when people reach home and remove their mask.
- We will have to slow down to boost vaccines.
- We will not mandate adults.
- In the next 5 weeks, we want to vaccinate as many of our students as possible because they need to get back into functional school.
- This battle must be fought in the nooks and crannies of the island and in the homes.
- Delta variant is as contagious as chicken pox.
- We need as many people on board as possible with vaccinations.
- Young people between ages 31 and 33 with no comorbidities are in the primary isolation facility.
- Because of numbers, the Ministry of Health have come up with new framework for home isolation and home quarantine for low-risk individuals.
- 8 out of every 10 in primary, second and tertiary are not vaccinated.
- Only 2 or 3 vaccinated people have reached primary.
- We must seek to save lives. We must seek to minimise hospitalisation, contain spread by wearing mask, sanitising, and getting vaccinated.
- We still have other issues we faced before March 2020.
- We are going to fight this problem because the economic and social implications are too serious.
- We have to slow down for the next two weeks, possibly four weeks depending on level of vaccination…
- From midnight on Saturday, the curfew will be at 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily, except for Sundays when it will be 6 p.m. to 5 a.m.
- Restaurants have been instructed to close by 8:30 p.m. for workers living within 15 to 30 minutes of work.
- Others that live further away will be given an extended pass to 11 p.m.
- No in-house dining for fast food restaurants for the next two weeks; only deliveries and curbside.
- Do not gather in shops.
- No change on churches; have individual church plans.
- Working with private sector on warehouses with ventilation issues.
- Put a hold on contact and team sports for the next two weeks.
- No hiking.
- I have asked the AG to explicitly to put in Directives that you must wear masks properly as a reminder.
- There is no penalty for this.
- To boost vaccine drive, we will go into communities as we have started today.
- Private doctors will help with vaccination drive. Government will pay them, so that they will not have to charge anyone.
- Will put in place a national voice and PR firm to work with Health Committee to roll out a national public education programme.
- We have enough vaccines for 75K vaccinations.
- We do not want to see three-figure numbers of deaths.