At the time of writing this, August 22nd, 2020, the positivity rate on COVID-19 tests in the Tri-State area of the US is less than 1% – New York 0.8%, New Jersey 0.9%, Connecticut 0.7%. The positivity rate on COVID-19 tests in Dominica is 1.1%.
The World Health Organization says a positivity rate of less than 5% means the pandemic is under control. But NY, NJ and CT are all under Dominica’s High-Risk blanket because the overall positivity rate in the US is 6.3%. What then is the data worth to entry protocol decision making in Dominica? Absolutely nothing.
So, if you are coming into Dominica from these three areas of the US where the Covid19 positivity rate is as good or better than Dominica, you are classified as a high-risk traveler (even with a Negative PCR test) and subject to a mandatory period in quarantine of no less than 7 days at a cost of $1,850.00.
On the other hand, you can come from a country in the CARICOM bubble-like Antigua where the positivity rate is above 5% and, with a negative rapid test at the airport, go about your business in Dominica without quarantine and zero COVID-19 entry cost.
In quarantine, at an apartment complex previously rented to students of Ross University for 65% less, nationals and non-nationals are required to pay $400.00 for the first day and $225.00 per day for each additional day. The apartments are plain and simple with no special medical or health care facilities. By comparison, the cost of medical accommodation at the national hospital is $20.00 (twenty dollars) per day. This abuse of nationals returning home after the border closures necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic is oppressive and unconscionable.
All of this begs a compelling question: Are our entry protocols about genuinely protecting lives or just mindlessly playing copy cat games?
Opinions expressed in this commentary are not necessarily those of Dominica News Online or its advertisers.
Is this from a concerned no name citizen or from the CCM. Are they/him/it really concerned about the issues affecting Dominica or are the concerns really to be identified as part of political pressure with groups or the opposition forces.
One of the major concerned should be respect. Especially respect of ones faith or religion. During the election of December 2019 this medium carried videos of people insulting and harassing a Cardinal and a Bishop. Recently some very disrespectful comments were posted about a video with children making their holy first communion. Casting disparaging remarks about the Holy Eucharist, Jesus and even God, and those offering the Holly Communion host.
This kind of bad behavior should be condemned totally. This does not sit well for a Civilized Christian Country.
We should pray for forgiveness, and ensure this trend of prosecution will not continue.
WE MUST NEVER INSULT GOD !!!
What a brilliant observation. It is something that I have been asking myself as it regards to these entry protocols. The norm being presented to us, is to settle a question without debate rather than settle the question debating it. What makes it worse, it’s all done in the name of Science, spearheaded by the medical priesthood, with the aid of enforcers, politicians, using a controlled a narrative masquerading as infallible. No one seems to question the accuracy of The PCR test. We must never assume logic is infallible everything must be questioned.
If they(Bill Gates and WHO) succeed, whom are they going to replace us with? Dogs and cats? Pigeons? Who will buy commodities when we are all destroyed? Dogs and cats? Pigeons?
My friend, go and take your meds. You don’t sound well at all.
The internet can be a medium of learning as well as a medium to fill your head with garbage.
Let us have a question and answer session based on what I hearing out there:
1. Is it true that Skerrit owns or has interests in the quarantine center down at Picard? If so would that mean covid 19 is good for Skerrit while very bad for us and the world?
2. I know the Al Jazeera report says Skerrit owns the mansion. But is it true Skerrit really owns the building he has us paying $64 k dollars a month for rent? If that’s the case is it fair to conclude that Skerrit ripping us out on every side? Seems like we were born to take care of Skerrit while he making us poorer? Is that not worse than the days of slavery?
I am really beginning to wonder. After assessing the madness of health screening at the Douglas-Charles Airport and the operations of the government quarantine “facility”, I am of the opinion that this is nothing more than a cover up and a very underhanded way to give Picard property owners money.
You have some good points but others may need revisiting.
To begin, I agree that the costs are a bit peculiar. However, the costs may be aimed more at preventing people from breaking home quarantine than being expensive for expensive sake. I do agree that the costs should reflect the type of accommodation and the fact that they may be prohibitive for returning citizens who may not have the option of quarantining at home for logistical reasons.
I disagree with the comparisons with US states because the authorities here have a better control of the virus due to apparent absence of community spread. Absence of community spread means the authorities can focus on who comes through the borders and surveil possible carriers thus thwarting the spread of the virus locally. In the places you mentioned, people get infected mainly because of community spread and authorities are still trying to get a handle on who is infected. The infection rate may be much higher than reported.
Reading this plus the statements and announcements made by the health department people leaves me confused and wish someone could could simplify this I need to travel to Dominica , I full out the form on the internet get a test 3 days before departure get a negative result pass through sanjuan arrive in Dominica go through all the procedures with flying colours , Ihave my home in wesley where do i go from here? cam someone help?
ADMIN: You can reach the Ministry of Health via email at [email protected] or the COVID hotline at 767 448 2151. You can also try these numbers: 448 2153/448 2156
amalek at work
just finish watching 1984 winston and julia great actors
I will tell you what, its a money making scheme. Remember the lilac buildings belong to skerro in disquise remember that issue thatbhas been buried under the carpet with bublles being the scapegoat..well here it us skerro is making some dollars on allu head. De amount of buildings.mr have eh..its not funny..billionare in de making soon he will be calling his palace another banana shed.
The most likely places travelers from a “plague state”, such as the USA has become, are on public transport, in airports or on aircraft, so even if you are coming from a pocket of low infection, there is a risk of you becoming infected in transit. Dominica has performed far better than the USA in containing the pandemic and we wish to keep it that way.
Im glad someone said it!
Understandably, you want to keep covid out of a country which cannot afford to use the hospital the Chinese demand to put their name on.However, the government cannot expect ANYONE ( whether foreign or local ) to be comfortable paying that amount of money … when they have proven with their double negative tests, that they are COVID free.Thats a brzaen mafioso move at scamming people outof their money .
Notice, The price of ” Quarantine” goes up every time Skerrit adds “insurance, landscaping, the fees to get his pants hemmed, his lunch, the ladder they have to rent to for somebody to clean that big window up on the morne dere).
I certainly REFUSE to pay for skerrit bubble bath gel .awahh
We can pick and choose data all day … If someone comes from the St. Paul’s area of Antigua where the positivity rate is 0% do we treat them differently than if they come from St. Johns’? Do we check daily or hourly for a change in the numbers to make changes in our policy? For simplicity and the reduction of the possibility of error, it is better to treat an entire country with one rule at a point of entry. And we should not be chopping and changing to every deviation of the statistical data. As such, our treatment of the US is correct in my view and should remain so until they nationally are ahead of the virus on a sustained basis.
As to the costs of quarantine, the country is hard pressed to foot the bill for folks coming in from places much better placed to handle it than we are. We could look at the question of affordability on a case by case basis but at the end of the day .. someone has to pay and I as a taxpayer and very reluctant.
You’re on point with these data. The thing has brought the world to its knees, thanks to Trump’s big mouth and racist ego the Chinese got him real good, and we as part of the collateral damage. It’s huge, bigger than we are. I would rather err on the side of caution than open to everyone. Some have been sent home to do just 2 weeks self quarantine and instead went high-5ing everyone they know, some were diligent but others messed up. It’s rough for all of us but I wouldn’t throw caution to the winds.
Another US based Sycophant unhappy about the fact that Skerrit and his team from little Dominica managing the pandemic better than Trump and the mighty US. I would just like to remind the so called “Concerned Citizen” that the only figures that really matter to us is as follows: US, 5.6M infections with 176,000 deaths. Dominica, 19 infections and 0 (zero) deaths. So the answer to your question is pretty straight forward, Dominican lives are being saved big time. I think the US, UK, Brazil and other rich and powerful nations could learn a thing or two from us, don’t you?
Joseph John, I concur with you fully. Well said, well delivered. Professionally scructured and defined. Thanks.
Eagle- Eyed, trap your wings and stop flying high. Dominica is in a state of poverty and begging and no jobs. Our Agriculture is dead due to the Incompetence and Immaturity and vision of Skerrit and his failed questionable incompetent Labour government.
The Red Clinic Bobol was deliberately brought in to gain loyalty and begging from our Poor struggling people and families including our distinguished farmers who has lost their earnings and are now reported to beg at Skerrit’s Devious Red Clinic.
We have questioned the: Red Clinic Bobol, Fertilizer Bobol, passports Bobol etc
This Failed incompetent immnature Skerrit has failed us and reduced our people to begging through the Red Clinic Bobol attitude. We need decency in our policies, politics, democracy and we need decency in our Government that we pay taxes monthly that our government is able to develop our ailing Dominica. Twenty Yrs passed since failed incompetent Skerrit and his failed questionable incompetent Labour must go…
It seems to be a matter of selective compliance, where Caricom member nationals are given a waiver, irregardless of the scientific data. We should all be treated equally, based on the health protocols.
I totally agree with the writer on this. What is the logic in their decision?!?!??!
Kary Mulliss invented the PCR test.
That is the test that is used all over.
Won a Noble prize.
He says the test is not for diagnosis.
It is all a scam.
Covid-19 Price Victimization.
Country classifications make no sense anyway when passengers from difference origins come together in a transit lounge and on the aircraft. Because of this, everyone should be treated exactly the same – high risk. This island that does not have the resources to cope with an outbreak. Especially during the hurricane season.
Could it be that friends in higher places are trying to help landlord friends recoup some of the rents lost from Ross students?
That is absolutely, bat sh!+ crazy. You would swear a group of drunk men make up these rules over a game of dominoes..
Are the infamous Savanne Paille/Rennith Alexis/ Skerrit villas involved in the quarantine arrangements and if so who is collecting the quarantine rent??
DAAS is collecting the rent , just like they did not account for fees and donations. Smithsonian Institute auditors have some questions
Is the person who wrote this serious? Travelling these days should be on a need to basis and DEFINITELY not for pleasure or leisure(even if your naval string bury on island). The Tri-state area, especially NY, until recently was an epicenter, they had to put strict measures in place to get to this current low infection rate. Even today, the Tri-State has active restrictions on a number of States to avoid a resurgence.
All countries have a right to protect themselves against all threats, foreign and DOMESTIC. It should be noted that the only reason we are getting new cases as of August 23, 2020 is because of thoughtless, heartless travellers, who come to our beautiful island and don’t follow the preventive protocols because they figure we are too small to matter!!!
If travelling too expensive “Bondieu Stay where you be”(best Dominican accent)
We should follow the money,,,
Whom are the owners of these facilities where people are being jailed???
This measure is not only unconstitutional but these measures also violate United Nations Human Rights ordinances,,,
Arguably speaking holding anyone in any facility against their will is against Mosaic Law,,,
Where are all these Dominican Attorneys whom claim they are for Human Rights and protection of the people there should be a line at the “Judicial Benc” seeking rulings in opposition of all these oppressive and intimidatory measures
I feel badly for those who must travel to Dominica. I will not be traveling to Dominica until I can walk out of the airport unencumbered (2022?).
” In quarantine, at an apartment complex previously rented to students of Ross University for 65% less…”
It should have been stated that the same apartment complex used for quarantine is the very same building that a former Prime Minister, during the 2014 election campaign, asked PM Skerrit if he has any interest in that building and up to today Skerrit has failed to answer
These people are sick in dominica all i see that is a making money business are you all trying to raise money to pay for skerrit mansion what a shame on dominica poor leadership i guess you all scared of the dictator good redeem God not sleeping
Hmmm Dominica has missed another opportunity again! Poor leadership at its best .
I can’t believe people are believing any news coming from The World Health Organisation (mainly financed by Bill Gates) as they will tell you anything to get people to have their nano-chipped vaccines. Please wake up people!!
I think you know the answer already to the question posed! When is the world (especially black nations) going to wake up to this PLANdemic? These numbers, percentages and fractions etc are to put fear into people, as most people don’t understand numbers and their meanings. Please don’t fall into the devil’s hands. Do your research, connect the dots and realise that we’re all being hoodwinked to destroy humanity. And we’re ALL responsible for letting this happen by sitting back, watching the ‘fake’ news and believing those evil cult people. We were fooled once before and believed them when they forced us onto their ‘cruise’ ship from our original land.
Mindless and playing copy cat. The virus is already on island and is there to stay it’s going nowhere anytime soon. The world needs to get up and carry on as normal. Humans are meant to die just accept that and carry on. The gov needs to start testing ALL the elderly on island and ALL the kids. That will show them how prolific the virus is already on island
a border wall built from cash
poor Israel gettting another beating
amalek soldiers at work
The data is inaccurate so you can’t base anything on it. I think that this further quarantining will dissuade people from going to Dominica. There is no virus to begin with that is life threatening, only fear mongers that wish to control all peoples on the planet through Totalitarianism.
One of the most repeated comments that I have read is “if they dont have money for quarantine..the shouldn’t come”.
This is ridiculous !! Many students lease are done, they are done with school. Their loan more or finances are finished, there are many that the government do not help. How can they afford this ridiculous prices. Dominicans need to have empathy and be realistic.
Yall dont want people to come down, and if they cant come down, yall dont want government to help them stay where they are..SMH
PUT YOURSELF IN THEIR SHOES!! what if it was your child? Can you afford 225$ everyday?
This prices are ridiculous!!!!
Everyone wanted lockdown to finish and the country to open. THIS IS THE RISK OF THAT. All countries that reopened their boarders experienced new cases. IT WAS EXPECTED.
You all so concerned about home quarantine and covid spreading, YET every weekend it has mass gathering. Multiple parties, island tours and gatherings. What about yall mask that isn’t…
Yall mask that isn’t being worn? What about social distancing? This is the reality we live in!!! It’s not about solving it..ita about learning to live with it!!
Wear your mask!!
Sanitize!!
Practice social distancing!!! You dont have to go out every weekend !!!
if only returning Dominicans would have stuck to the guidelines presented comming home be easier sorry those before you dotty de wotah