The Ministry of Health at the directive of the prime minister has further relaxed the COVID-19 restrictions currently in place in the country. Minister of Health Dr. Irving McIntyre provided a new time-frame that people can be out in the open for business, adding that religious houses may be reopened very soon.
As from Monday, May 25, businesses will be allowed to operate from morning to 6 pm during weekdays, and they will be allowed to close at 3 pm on Saturdays. Commercial buses are now also allowed to carry up to three passengers per row but not more.
McIntyre disclosed that the outcome of ongoing discussions between the Ministry of Health and stakeholders will determine whether churches, restaurants, and gyms could be allowed to reopen by next weekend. He noted that “all of this is being done with extreme caution to avoid sacrificing our present health status and gains that we have made so far.”
The health minister added that schools and border reopening will come up for discussions very soon and that members of the public will be carried along as things unfold. He announced that all the overseas students and cruise ship workers who returned to the country last week remain under quarantine and none among them is symptomatic yet.
“We urge all of those in quarantine to adhere to the quarantine guidelines and see it as their contribution to the fight against COVID-19 in Dominica,” the health minister stated.
Following the discharge of the 16 active COVID-19 cases from hospital, the country has not witnessed another active case in almost 50 days. However, national epidemiologist Dr. Ahmed said the public must not relax their guard because it is possible that many people in various communities are still incubating the disease without really knowing it.
Ahmed said community testing will remain operational in order “to detect persons with symptoms within the community who are not seeking medical care as well as those who are asymptomatic and roaming around in the community”.
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