A federal
judge in Miami has ruled that the premier of the British Virgin Islands can be
released on a $500,000 bond, following his arrest on drug-smuggling charges in
a U.S. government sting in South Florida
British
Virgin Islands premier granted bond in US drug case
The premier of the British Virgin Islands could be released on a $500,000
bond as he awaits trial on charges tied to a U.S. government narcotics sting, a
federal judge in Miami said Wednesday.
In a surprise decision, federal court Judge
Alicia Otazo-Reyes rejected prosecutors’ argument that Andrew Fahie would flee
the U.S. if released. Instead, she said he could remain in Miami, at the rented
home of his two college-age daughters, if he and his family surrender their
travel documents and he wears an ankle bracelet monitor and pays the sizable
bond.
Prosecutors said they would appeal the
decision, meaning it’s unclear when and if Fahie would be released.
Fahie, 51, was arrested last week during a
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration sting after accepting what he was told was
$700,000 cash from undercover DEA agents and informants who posed as Mexican
drug traffickers. Fahie and his ports director, Oleanvine Maynard, met with the
group on a private jet in the Miami area, according to the criminal complaint.
The complaint says Maynard referred to Fahie
as a “little crook sometimes” who wouldn’t hesitate to profit from a plan
cooked up with the help of self-proclaimed Lebanese Hezbollah
operatives to move mass quantities of cocaine and drug proceeds through the Caribbean
island.
in
All
News / By: Fitsroy Randall on May 19, 2022 at 11:39 AM /
BVI Police Commissioner Mark Collins
As the United
States (US) continues to build its case against disgraced former Premier Andrew
Fahie and his alleged co-conspirators, Commissioner of Police in the BVI, Mark
Collins, has declined to state the extent of the Royal Virgin Islands Police
Force’s (RVIPF) involvement in the investigation process.
BVI News asked
Commissioner Mark Collins if US law enforcement agencies have been in contact
with the RVIPF for assistance into their probe of Fahie and his co-accused.
In response,
the Commissioner said: “That’s not something I would discuss with the media as
the Andrew Fahie investigation is still ongoing”.
Just last week,
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley signalled the government’s willingness to cooperate
with the US officials if assistance is required in further investigations of
alleged co-conspirators of Fahie.
In Fahie’s
charging affidavit, there was mention of a person classified as ‘Government
Official 1” who was described as a high-ranking, corrupt government operative
who has ‘many employers’.
It was
insinuated the person is controlled by drug dealers and facilitates the passage
of illicit drugs through the territory.
Premier
Wheatley maintained the BVI has a strong history of working with officials in
the United States and will continue to do so.
Fahie was
arrested along with Managing Director of the BVI Ports Authority, Oleanvine
Maynard at Miami-Opa Locka Airport on April 28. Maynard’s son Kadeem was
arrested in St Thomas, USVI. The three are charged with conspiracy to import a
controlled substance (cocaine), conspiracy to engage in money laundering and
attempted money laundering.
Fahie and Oleanvine are currently being detained in Miami while Kadeem is in detention in Puerto Rico. The three face a possible life sentence if convicted of the alleged crimes.
in All News / By: BVI News on May 19, 2022 at 8:18 AM /
Premier Dr. Natalio Wheatley has expressed hopes for an urgent response from the United Kingdom (UK) to a proposal he submitted recently on the way forward for the BVI.
The BVI’s political leaders are hoping to avert direct rule by the UK as recommended in the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report which was released recently.
New Premier Wheatley with BVI Governor Rankin
Premier Wheatley disclosed previously that he had submitted a proposal to the UK on how the locally elected government can address concerns raised in the report and implement suggested reforms on its own.
“I’m hopeful that we would receive a decision within a few days. I’m hopeful. They received our proposal, they’ve said to us they’ve received it. They actually asked a few questions about the proposal, so we know that they are currently considering it and we are hopeful that they will come forward with a positive response to us very soon,” Dr. Wheatley said late last week.
Direct rule by the United Kingdom, as proposed by the COI report, may possibly entail a temporary partial suspension of the territory’s constitutional order and the assistance of an Advisory Council to support the Governor in the execution of his duties and the formulation of policy as the territory’s new leader.
Sir Gary Hickinbottom, who led the COI and authored the report, concluded that this suspension was necessary given that elected officials over the years have deliberately ignored the tenets of good governance.
He said this situation has given rise to an environment in which the risk of dishonesty in public decision-making and funding has continued unabated.
“We are hopeful that they accept [the terms in the proposal]. So I’m pretty sure that they will respond directly to our proposal as to whether they accept it or not accept it,” the Premier stated.
Conservative foes of the Prime Minister want to see a leadership election with a new Prime Minister in place in time for the autumn party conference. Tories fear they will lose control of a raft of councils in London and that councillors across the country will be ousted from their seats. A poor result would likely lead to letters being sent to the 1922 Committee in an attempt to unseat him as leader, it was warned.
Mr Johnson’s opponents in the party want him to face a confidence vote before recess starts on July 21 so a leadership election can be held and a new PM installed in time for the autumn party conference.
A bullish Mr Johnson defended the Tories’ record in local government and fired a new salvo in the so-called culture wars, saying: “The choice on May 5 is clear. Labour and Lib Dems who fritter away your council tax on deciding which statues to tear down or Conservatives, delivering value for money and delivering on your local priorities.”
Conservative hopes of avoiding disastrous results may well hinge on whether Mr Johnson can persuade Tory-leaning voters not to make a protest vote or sit the election out.
A Conservative MP warned: “It’s voter apathy that’s going to be the killer this time, it really is.”
Mr Johnson put the focus on street-level issues, saying: “The elections next Thursday matter. People are voting for councillors and councils who decide how often bins are collected, how many potholes are repaired and how much council tax is paid.”
He claimed “Conservative councils on average fix four times as many pestilent potholes as Labour councils” and said they “recycle more of your rubbish than Labour too”.
Conservative party chairman Oliver Dowden boasted that Tory councils charge the “lowest council tax in the country” and blasted rival parties, saying: “Woke lefties running Labour and Lib Dem councils obsess about changing street names while leaving councils like Labour-run Croydon bankrupt.”
Decisive: Sir Keir Starmer (Image: GETTY)
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “When Sunday Express readers go to the polls this week I hope they will elect hard working local Conservatives who have a proven record of managing money well, delivering high quality local services, and who support good local jobs.”
The raft of local elections taking place on Thursday are held against the backdrop of the cost of living crisis, with both the Conservatives and Labour rocked by allegations of breaking Covid restrictions.
Labour last week admitted that Angela Rayner, the party’s deputy leader, was at an event where Sir Keir Starmer was filmed drinking a beer.
Conservative MP Richard Holden has asked Durham Police to reconsider its assessment that no offence was committed during the April 30 event last year.
Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson yesterday said Mr Holden should “know better than to waste police time on this nonsense”. Mr Holden accused Labour of hypocrisy for suggesting investigating concerns about Covid breaches is a waste of police time “when it’s all we’ve heard from them for months”.
Former Conservative chief whip Mark Harper, who called for Mr Johnson to step down after he received a fixed penalty notice for attending a birthday celebration in No 10, expects the council elections may be a “mixed bag” and “inconclusive” but said: “Before the summer recess, all my Conservative colleagues should have enough information to make a decision on who they want to lead us into the next general election.
“Do we stick with an uncertain course led by someone who is making good and decent Conservatives across the country defend the indefensible? Or do we get a new team in place to lead a revitalised Government, focused on Conservative priorities who will treat the electorate with respect?
“We have a large majority, it’s time we started to use it properly to deal with the country’s challenges using Conservative principles.”
Another leading Conservative critic of Mr. Johnson said the “general view” now was that Mr. Johnson should face a confidence vote if councils are lost. They said a leadership contest over the summer with a new PM in place in time for the autumn conference was the “logical timetable”.
A Conservative MP warned that the Tories could face “annihilation” in London, the Home Counties and “Lib Dem-facing seats”.
However, they were wary of staging an election for a new leader, saying: “I think a leadership contest is by its nature at least a three-month contest. It’s going to be a massive distraction from some fairly big issues at the moment.
“I’m not sure the public will thank us at the end of it, when probably at least half of voters will be no happier with a new Prime Minister than they are with the old one.”
A further concern is that a raft of cabinet ministers would throw their hats into the ring and look “more focused on a leadership contest than on Ukraine, rebuilding the NHS or whatever else they are supposed to be doing”.
Another Conservative MP who represents a seat in the so-called “red wall” of former Labour constituencies acknowledged how the party mood could turn against the PM after a bad night.
They said: “[When] MPs start having their own membership, activists, councillors, or maybe recently former councillors after next Thursday, on at them, I’m not sure how quickly the mood might turn. [I] think the emotional impact for people who have been working really hard to make gains or hold seats in some of these tougher areas and get trounced, that’s going to be very hard to swallow for some people.”
Conservative insiders are braced for attempts by Mr Johnson’s internal critics to oust him in the wake of bad results but are in no doubt that he will fight to stay.
A source said: “The PM is not going anywhere. He will fight on.”
However, a party insider did nothing to play down the scale of the challenge facing the Conservatives.
They said: “We are expecting it to be a tough night for us. We are 12 years into government…
“London is looking very tough for us. Places like Barnet and Wandsworth and Westminster are looking very, very difficult for us to hold.”
High profile victories in London will boost the spirits of Labour supporters but the party will look for signs that under Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership it is winning back voters it lost in 2019. Failure to score major successes outside London could trigger renewed criticism about his strategy.
The Tory insider said: “We do expect [Labour] to do well in London and probably take some councils off us but the test will be how’s he doing in areas of the Midlands and the North that they lost in 2019.”
They said: “[When] MPs start having their own membership, activists, councillors, or maybe recently former councillors after next Thursday, on at them, I’m not sure how quickly the mood might turn. [I] think the emotional impact for people who have been working really hard to make gains or hold seats in some of these tougher areas and get trounced, that’s going to be very hard to swallow for some people.”
Conservative insiders are braced for attempts by Mr Johnson’s internal critics to oust him in the wake of bad results but are in no doubt that he will fight to stay.
A source said: “The PM is not going anywhere. He will fight on.”
However, a party insider did nothing to play down the scale of the challenge facing the Conservatives.
They said: “We are expecting it to be a tough night for us. We are 12 years into government…
“London is looking very tough for us. Places like Barnet and Wandsworth and Westminster are looking very, very difficult for us to hold.”
High profile victories in London will boost the spirits of Labour supporters but the party will look for signs that under Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership it is winning back voters it lost in 2019. Failure to score major successes outside London could trigger renewed criticism about his strategy.
The Tory insider said: “We do expect [Labour] to do well in London and probably take some councils off us but the test will be how’s he doing in areas of the Midlands and the North that they lost in 2019.”
One month ago the Sunday Express helped us launch our campaign to boost the number of people getting Pension Credit. Thanks to its support we’ve seen an increase in the numbers visiting our online Pension Credit calculator.
But we’re not stopping tere. Pension Credit can be worth over £3,300 a year for those over State Pension age and on a low income. It also opens up access to other support.
Over the coming months we’ll be going all out to raise awareness of Pension Credit and showing how easy it is to claim. And we want Sunday Express readers to keep helping us too.
We are calling on everyone with retired family and friends to encourage them to check if they qualify and help them make a claim if they do.
With rising costs, it’s never been more important to make sure that people are receiving all the support they can get.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson shake hands during their meeting in Kyiv.
(CNN)The UK is to send 120 armored vehicles and new anti-ship missile systems to Ukraine, Downing Street announced Saturday after Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid an in-person visit to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Johnson and Austria’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer made separate visits to Zelensky on Saturday, the latest in a string of leaders to travel to the country during the ongoing Russian invasion. A photograph tweeted by Ukraine’s Embassy to the UK showed Johnson seated opposite Zelensky at a table in a pink and green stuccoed room. The post was captioned with the word “Surprise” and a winking face emoji.
The Press Service of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine said on its official Twitter account that the two leaders had held talks in Kyiv, posting several photographs of the pair’s previously unannounced meeting. Johnson posted on Twitter that his visit to Kyiv was “a show of our unwavering support for the people of Ukraine” and announced a new package of financial and military aid.
In this image provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, welcomes Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Kyiv.
“Ukraine has defied the odds and pushed back Russian forces from the gates of Kyiv, achieving the greatest feat of arms of the 21st century,” the UK PM said in a statement.
He praised Zelensky’s “resolute leadership” and the “invincible heroism and courage of the Ukrainian people,” adding that the UK “stands unwaveringly with them in this ongoing fight … we are in it for the long run.
“Later in his nightly address posted on social media, Zelensky thanked the UK and Johnson.
“Boris was among those who didn’t doubt for a minute whether to support Ukraine. The leadership of Great Britain in providing our country help in defense, and also leadership in the sanctions policy, will always be in history.
“Ukraine will always be grateful for this to Boris and Britain,” Zelensky said.
During the press conference, Johnson said the UK will continue to intensify sanctions against Russia. Johnson also said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions have dealt a “crushing blow” to his reputation and the Russian government.
“We will influence Russia’s ability to use its energy resources,” he added.
“The war determines the vision of Ukraine’s future, so our partners and I will supply Ukraine with equipment, technology, and intelligence so that Ukraine never faces the horrors of invasion and blackmail.
” Following the meeting, Downing Street said the UK government would provide armored vehicles and anti-ship missile systems, “in addition to the £100 million worth of high-grade military equipment” announced on Friday.
Zelensky and Nehammer’s meeting was separate to the one with Johnson and happened earlier on Saturday, according to Zelensky’s official Telegram channel.
While several other leaders have visited Ukraine in recent weeks, the trip by Nehammer is significant given his country’s neutral status, which is enshrined in its constitution.
Russia or die: After weeks under Putin’s bombs, these Ukrainians were given only one way out.
Austria is not part of NATO and does not supply weapons to Ukraine. It has, however, provided Ukraine with humanitarian aid and helmets and protection vests for civilian use, according to a statement from the Austrian Chancellery.
Nehammer said Saturday that while his country is militarily neutral, “We understand we have to help where injustice and war crimes take place.
“According to his office, Nehammer was set to meet with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, before returning to Austria on Saturday evening.
Nehammer was also due to visit the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, which endured five weeks of near-constant firefights; after Russian forces withdrew from the town, the bodies of at least 20 civilians were found lying in one street, some with their hands tied.
“We have to make those war crimes known to the UN, and international justice must begin investigating and fight these crimes,” he said during a news conference with Zelensky.
The twin visits by Johnson and Nehammer came a day after top European Union officials made a trip to Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Josep Borrell, the bloc’s top diplomat, visited Kyiv and Bucha on Friday, alongside Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger.
During the visit, von der Leyen ceremoniously handed Zelensky an EU questionnaire to complete — a symbolic, but important step towards Ukraine’s membership of the bloc. Tweeting about the move, von der Leyen said: “We will accelerate this process as much as we can, while ensuring that all conditions are respected.”
The prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia visited Kyiv last month, at a time when it was still regularly targeted by Russian strikes. Like Johnson’s visit on Saturday, that trip was kept secret until the three leaders were in the country, traveling on a train from eastern Ukraine.
CNN’s Sarah Dean reported from Przemysl, Poland and Ivana Kottasova wrote in London. CNN’s James Frater, Radina Gigova, Alex Hardie, Tara John, Max Foster, Mariya Knight and Maija Ehlinger contributed reporting.
Special measures were put in place for her comfort, including keeping the length of the service to 45 minutes.
Amid these health concerns, there was nervousness on Tuesday morning among people awaiting confirmation that the Queen would be able to attend, our BBC’s royal correspondent Sean Coughlan says.
The Queen arrived at the service with Prince Andrew
Unlike the funeral in Windsor last April, where the Queen was poignantly pictured sitting alone, she had close family members in all the seats around her.
The Queen and Prince Philip’s two elder children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, were sitting in the same row as her.
Prince William and his wife Catherine were in the row directly behind along with two of the Queen’s great-grandchildren, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
The Queen’s other two sons, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, also had front row seats, across the aisle from the Queen.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte attended the service with their parentsThe Duchess of Cornwall was among those – including the Queen and Princess Royal – choosing to wear dark green for the servicePrincess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie attended with their husbands
Political leaders including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer were among the guests, as were representatives from European royal families, including from the duke’s native Greece.
The service was stamped with the personality of Prince Philip, with many of the elements originally intended for his funeral at St George’s Chapel included.
Those elements included the entry to Westminster Abbey being lined by Duke of Edinburgh gold award winners as mourners arrived.
Duke of Edinburgh gold award winner Doyin Sonibare gave a speech describing the opportunities the award had opened up to her
One winner of the prestigious award, Doyin Sonibare, gave a speech where she explained she originally wasn’t “sold on the idea”, as she had never been camping before and had a fear of climbing steep hills.
The 28-year-old award ambassador from east London said: “I kept thinking I was going to trip up, roll down the mountain, and ‘it’s lights out for Doyin’. Fortunately for me, that didn’t happen.
“I remember thinking to myself, if I could complete this expedition, I can do anything.”
The hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, also intended for the funeral, was sung, and there was music by Beethoven, JS Bach, Wagner, Vaughan Williams, and William Byrd heard during the service.
The Queen is also said to have been closely involved in the planning of the service.
Dean of Windsor David Conner – a long-time friend of Prince Philip who also conducted his funeral – told the congregation at this service that the duke’s life “bore the marks of sacrifice and service”.
“Certainly, he could show great sympathy and kindness. There is no doubt that he had a delightfully engaging, and often self-deprecating, sense of humour.
“It is quite clear that his mind held together both speculation and common sense. Moreover, nobody would ever doubt his loyalty and deep devotion to our Queen and to their family.”
The Queen and Prince Philip, pictured in 2020, were married in November 1947
He told the congregation the duke was “practical” and “devoted his astonishing intellectual and physical energy, his enormous capacity for sheer hard work, to a host of down-to-earth enterprises”.
“These included the equipping of young people to face tomorrow’s challenges, the encouragement of respect and care for the natural order, and his pioneering work in facilitating conversation between representatives of the different world faiths,” he said.
He also pointed out that the duke could be “abrupt” and sometimes “forget just how intimidating he could be”.
“A kind of natural reserve sometimes made him seem a little distant. He could be somewhat sharp in pricking what he thought to be bubbles of pomposity or sycophancy.
“On the other hand, we should not forget that he himself was sometimes wounded by being unfairly criticised or misunderstood.”
No gathering today would look like this one – the good old days of Plymouth
The following release headed as follows really does little more than remove the requirement to apply for ‘permission’ to enter Montserrat. “It’s still so easy to be a COVID-19 criminal…”
THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTSERRAT RELAXES SOME COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS
No restrictions on the number of persons allowed to gather, Border Reopens, No quarantine period for Fully-Vaccinated Persons among other changes
Thursday, March 31, 2022 – The Government of Montserrat has made some significant relaxation adjustments to the COVID-19 suppression regulations since the implementation of these measures in 2020.
As of today Thursday, March 31, 2022, at 5:00 a.m. the Public Health (COVID-19 Suppression) (No.3) Order, (S.R.O 19 of 2022) took effect bringing an end to restrictions on the number of persons allowed to gather in a public place and removing the ‘Allowed to Enter Category’ which previously stipulated who is permitted to enter Montserrat, among other changes.
Persons traveling to Montserrat are no longer required to fill out an online declaration form for permission to enter. The pre-travel online declaration form is only required to be completed and submitted by non-resident technicians who are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated.
As it relates to an individuals’ COVID-19 status, the new regulations maintain the requirements for persons entering Montserrat to present a negative COVID-19 test result. The negative test result document must include all the information previously stipulated regarding the laboratory details; full name, address, and date of birth of the person tested; the date the test was conducted and it must now also include the date the sample was taken.
The pre-entry requirements are as
follows:
A person who intends to enter Montserrat shall take a COVID-19 test no earlier than three days prior to entry into Montserrat.
(2) The following
persons are exempted from this requirement:
(a) a child under
five years of age;
(b) a person entering
Montserrat in circumstances related to a medical evacuation; and
(c) a person who
has been granted permission by the Minister to enter Montserrat for the purpose
of aiding with preparations for a disaster or after a disaster,
The owner of a vessel or aircraft must ensure that persons traveling are in possession of a copy of a negative PCR COVID-19 test or a negative RNA COVID-19 test or else the owner will be committing an offence.
Persons arriving on Montserrat are required to answer all questions asked by the Medical or Health Officer and may be required to undertake health checks and screenings. Individuals who are fully vaccinated must provide the Medical or Health officer with proof of their vaccination status. If this evidence is not provided, then the individual will be regarded and treated as not being fully vaccinated.
A fully vaccinated person is required to be tested for COVID-19 on entry into Montserrat. If the result indicates that the person is not infected with COVID-19 then the individual is not required to self-quarantine or isolate. However, if the test result is indeterminate (unknown/inconclusive) then the fully vaccinated person must go directly home, place of occupancy, designated quarantine facility, or place of isolation and shall remain there to await the results of further COVID-19 tests.
If further testing reveals that the fully vaccinated person is infected then he or she is required to self-quarantine or isolate until:
(a) he/she is not infected with COVID-19; or
(b) he/she leaves
Montserrat.
The regulations for a fully-vaccinated
person will also apply to a fully-vaccinated non-resident technician.
Persons not fully
vaccinated – entry into Montserrat
Individuals who are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated upon arrival after undergoing the necessary COVID-19 screenings are required to go directly to his/her home or place of occupancy, designated quarantine facility, or place of isolation and self-quarantine for 10 days.
Between
eight and ten days after entering Montserrat the individual will be tested for COVID-19
to determine if he/she is negative and can therefore be released from quarantine
on day 10.
If the individual is required to leave Montserrat before the 10 days have elapsed, then he/she
will be allowed to do so.
Not fully vaccinated –
Non-resident technician
The previously established COVID-19 testing requirements for a non-resident technician who is not fully vaccinated to be tested within 24 hours of entry into Montserrat remain in place.
Prior to entering Montserrat, the unvaccinated
or not fully vaccinated non-resident technician is required to apply to the
Minister of Health for approval to enter Montserrat before submitting the
online declaration. To apply for approval, an unvaccinated or not fully
vaccinated non-resident technician should send an email outlining details of
intended travel to Montserrat to mehcsmail@gov.ms.
The non-resident technician who is not
fully vaccinated is not required to self-quarantine but must be guided by the
following:
only be in a public place for the purpose of traveling to and from the place where he is undertaking work as a non-resident technician;
wear a mask at all times while at the place where he is undertaking work as a non-resident technician;
practice social distancing while at the place where he is undertaking work as a non-resident technician; and
remain at his place of occupancy at all times except when traveling to and from the place where he is undertaking work as a non-resident technician.
All persons entering Montserrat are
required to pay the requisite fees for the COVID-19 test(s), where applicable. Additionally, antigen tests have been added
to the list of COVID-19 tests accepted for entry into Montserrat; the other two
are RNA and PCR. However, antibody tests are not accepted.
Persons who enter Montserrat under the current order will not be allowed to switch to the new order S.R.O 19 of 2022.
Protocols for Children
The new SRO also makes amendments to
regulations pertaining to children.
Under the new order, if a child under the age of 18 enters Montserrat,
the child will be treated like the adult who accompanied the child when
entering the island. Additionally, a
child two years and under is not required to take a COVID-19 test.
Protocols-Bus drivers and taxi operators
As it relates to bus drivers and taxi
operators, the new order stipulates that the owner or driver of a bus or taxi
shall place or cause to be placed a hand
hygiene station in a conspicuous (visible) place at the entrance of the bus or
taxi. The owner or driver must also
mandate that passengers use the hand hygiene station before entering the bus or
taxi; ensure regular refilling of containers or regular refilling and
maintenance of the equipment at the hand hygiene station and ensure that a
passenger wears a face covering in a bus or taxi.
Under the new SRO, face-coverings are still mandatory in public places, hand hygiene stations are still mandatory at the entrance of public and private buildings; restrictions on visitations to a patient in the hospital, a residential care facility, and a detainee in prison remain in place, except with permission or prior approval from the Heads of these institutions.
Previously established protocols for the operation of business establishments such as bars, restaurants, religious establishments, hair salons, spas, and other similar businesses, gyms, and sports clubs are no longer in place.
S.R.O 19 of 2022 will expire on Wednesday, August 31, 2022, at 5:00 a.m.
S.R.O 19 of 2022 is available on the
Government website, under the Attorney General’s page. The S.R.O. can be
accessed at the following direct link:
The British overseas territory of Montserrat is joining the trend of island states pushing to attract remote workers to come and stay awhile. (Image credit: obertharding/Alamy) https://www.bbc.co.uk/
The British overseas territory of Montserrat is joining the trend of island states pushing to attract remote workers to come and stay awhile.
Compared with the rest of the world, the Covid-19 pandemic has given Montserrat a pass. A British overseas territory, the volcanic eastern Caribbean island has suffered negligible rates of Covid, with fewer than 200 infections and just two deaths among its population of 5,000 people, known as Montserratians.
Montserrat’s government now wants to turn its containment success into a tourist draw through a year-long digital nomad visa. After a lockdown in 2021, its tourism-dependent economy is joining the trend of island states pushing to attract remote workers to come and stay a while as Covid persists elsewhere.
Launched in April 2021, the programme, called the Montserrat Remote Worker Stamp, offers a “best of both worlds” approach that balances nature and connectivity, said Rosetta West-Gerald, Montserrat’s new director of tourism.
Longer-term, she said, the island hopes the scheme will foster extended relationships – and a deeper economic impact.
“Beyond 2022, it is our hope that some of the remote workers will fall in love with the island and be converted into homeowners or residential visitors,” West-Gerald said.
Why should I go now?
As Covid rates begin to wane globally, the island’s appeal has only grown. At its launch last year, the visa set itself apart by requiring a minimum stay of two months, rather than a maximum duration found in similar schemes. Then in early 2022, the two-month minimum was scrapped. Digital nomads can stay for a year or a week, as they prefer.
That flexibility perhaps stems from a need to boost visits by all possible means. “[During the pandemic] the closure of the island drastically affected the economy,” said Clover Lea, who runs the Gingerbread Hill bed and breakfast in the village of St Peter’s. Her reservations fell by 80%.
Gingerbread Hill does shopping, grocery pick-up and other errands for quarantining guests (Credit: Hemis/Alamy)
Others are more sceptical of the digital nomad scheme so far. “I don’t know if the remote worker thing has really had much of an effect,” said Margaret Wilson, proprietor of Olveston House, a hotel. Yet she recognises the island’s appeal, even if the scheme remains a work in progress.
Apart from pandemic-related changes, Montserrat’s appeal is rooted in history, which may be disappearing as hyper-development and overtourism transform other Caribbean islands. Its best-known qualities include its famous friendliness, an outsized musical tradition and pride in its Irish heritage.
In the 17th and 18th Centuries, thousands of Irish Catholics sought opportunity beyond persecution in Britain and colonial America, betting their futures on Montserrat’s export-focused – and slave-based – economy. Today’s Montserratians express pride in their combined Irish and African family trees. Montserrat is the only location outside Ireland to make St Patrick’s Day a national holiday. The festival, which also marks the anniversary of a 1768 slave rebellion, has become a key touchpoint of Montserratian culture and identity.
At the festival’s heart are culinary standouts like goat water (actually a stew), Montserrat’s national dish. It’s a reflection of the island’s combined African and Irish ancestries: a riff on Irish goat stew with a mix of old-world African spices like Scotch bonnet chilli powder – topped with a decidedly new-world shot of rum. Since the recipe calls for hours of simmering, goat water is usually prepared only for special occasions.
In 1995, blasts from the Soufrière Hills volcano covered Montserrat’s southern half in ash and soot (Credit: MichaelUtech/Getty Images)
The island is in many ways still recovering from a more recent historical shock. Jolted by a series of volcanic eruptions that began in 1995, the blasts from the Soufrière Hills volcano covered the island’s southern half in ash and soot. Thousands of islanders fled to safety, many relocating to the UK. Today, the island’s population is half what it was pre-eruption.
This is the Caribbean like it used to be
But the same reality – the island’s sparse population – makes Montserrat a rare crowds-free Caribbean locale.
“This is the Caribbean like it used to be,” Lea said.
Travel with no trace
For so small an island, Montserrat’s menu for sustainable tourism runs long. In Centre Hills, a forest reserve unscathed by the volcanic blasts, visitors can hike up to achieve cinematic views of the island and surrounding ocean. In February, the British government announced plans for a £35m “climate-resilient” port at Little Bay, on the island’s north-west side.
For families with children, the Montserrat National Trust in October launched the EcoPlay Park, an outdoor space and learning centre within the island’s botanical garden. The site includes playgrounds and an “orchid wall” describing the endemic Monserrat orchid. EcoPlay “expresses who we are and where we live”, according to Yasmin Shariff, an architect involved in the project.
The Oriole Walkway trail is Montserrat’s most popular hike (Credit: Hemis/Alamy)
Kids of all ages might get enthusiastic about Montserrat’s diverse animal life. The Oriole Walkway trail, named after the yellow-breasted national bird, is Montserrat’s most popular hike. Animal watchers can scout for other exotic fauna: the galliwasp, a species of lizard; and the “mountain chicken” – actually a frog, whose name suggests its size (among the world’s largest) and its past use as a food source by Montserrat’s mountain populations.
In the near future, the island will be rolling out a tourist-focused environmental programme that will showcase its highland ecosystems, birdwatching and volcano viewing. The programme will allow visitors to learn about Montserrat’s full breadth of natural diversity, West-Gerald said.
Know before you go
As many pandemic precautions remain in place, the inter-island ferry service for Monserrat, nearby Antigua and Barbuda and other islands is suspended. Travellers can fly via Antigua before an onward 15-minute hop to Montserrat. Private charters can be arranged at FlyMontserrat.com.
Fully vaccinated visitors, while allowed to visit the island, are required to quarantine for five days, with a mandatory test required before being allowed to cease isolation. (Montserrat previously required a quarantine of 10 days.)
Many accommodations are offering reduced rates and added services to assist quarantining guests. Gingerbread Hill has begun to do shopping, grocery pick-up and other errands for their guests. Olveston House – once owned by Beatles record producer George Martin – offers similar services.
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