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COVID-19 pandemic in the Turks and Caicos Islands

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COVID-19 pandemic in the Turks and Caicos Islands
DiseaseCovid 2000
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationTurks and Caicos Islands
First outbreakWuhan, Hubei, China
Arrival date23 March 2020
(4 years, 2 months, 3 weeks and 6 days)
Confirmed cases2,568[1] (2021-08-17)
Active cases54
Recovered2,495
Deaths
23
Government website
gov.tc

The COVID-19 pandemic in the Turks and Caicos Islands is part of the ongoing global viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was confirmed to have reached the British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands on 23 March 2020,[2] and the first death occurred on 5 April.[3] On 12 May, all cases were declared resolved,[4] but on 20 June, new cases had been discovered.[5] On 4 July 2021, all cases resolved again.[6] On 8 July, new cases were discovered.[1]

Background[edit]

On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.[7][8]

The case fatality rate for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[9][10] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[11][9] From 19 March, Public Health England no longer classified COVID-19 as a "High consequence infectious disease".[10]

Timeline[edit]

COVID-19 cases in Turks and Caicos Islands  ()
     Deaths        Recoveries        Active cases
20202021
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAug
Last 15 days
Date
# of cases
# of deaths
2,486(=) 18(=)
2021-08-04
2,499(+0.52%) 18(=)
2021-08-05
2021-08-06
2,514(n.a.) 18(n.a.)
2021-08-07
2021-08-08
2,523(n.a.) 18(n.a.)
2021-08-09
2,523(=) 18(=)
2021-08-10
2,531(+0.32%) 18(=)
2021-08-11
2,546(+0.59%) 19(+5.6%)
2021-08-12
2021-08-13
2,562(n.a.) 19(n.a.)
2021-08-14
2,568(+0.23%) 19(=)
2,568(=) 19(=)
2021-08-17
2,568(=) 19(=)
Note: One case has left the island, and is counted as recovered from 12 May onwards.

Data sourced from TCI COVID-19 dashboard

Cases
Cases
Deaths
Deaths

March 2020[edit]

On 23 March, the first case in the Turks and Caicos Islands was confirmed.[2]

On 27 March, The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force issued a mandatory stay at home order and curfew. Violators of the order were subject to fines, imprisonment and confiscation of vehicles.[12]

April 2020[edit]

On 5 April, the first death due to COVID-19 had been announced. It was a middle-aged man who had recently travelled to the United States.[3]

On 17 April, the United Kingdom send medical supplies to the Turk and Caicos Islands in three batches.[13]

On 18 April, a patient transferred from the Turks and Caicos Islands to Jamaica for advanced critical care tested positive for COVID-19.[14]

On 24 April, it was announced that the Turks and Caicos Islands now have the ability to test for COVID-19 locally and will commence widespread testing. Up to now the samples were forwarded to the Caribbean Public Health Agency.[15]

May 2020[edit]

On 1 May, residents which are struggling to make ends meet will receive $200 food vouchers for a period of three months.[16]

On 12 May, the number of active cases was zero. One person left the country which accounts for the math.[4]

As of 14 May, there were no active cases. However, 54 people were in quarantine or under observation, with five suspected cases.[17]

June 2020[edit]

On 20 June, two new cases had been discovered.[5] One case was a quarantined resident who had returned to the island, the second had been in contact with the aforementioned person.[18]

On 25 June, two cases of community spread had been discovered on the island.[18]

On 29 June, an elderly man with underlying health conditions died from COVID-19.[19]

Preventive measures[edit]

  • All schools have been shut for a month.[20]
  • The Ministry of Health also enacted section 18 of the Emergency Powers (COVID-19) Regulations 2020, making it a criminal offence to spread or disseminate unverified or false information about the virus, whether the direct source of the information or not.[21]
  • Cruise ships have been banned with the only port on the island of Grand Turk shut down until 30 June.[22]
  • All airports, seaports, beaches, schools, restaurants and other businesses are closed until 4 May.[22] This was extended until 22 July.[23]
  • Wearing of face masks is mandatory.[24]
  • Starting on 27 March, the Turks and Caicos Islands will be under full lock down for three weeks.[25] The lock down will end on 4 May and a phased reopening will commence.[24] Curfew had ended on 22 June.[23]

Statistics[edit]

Third wave[edit]

Chronology of the number of active cases

Second wave[edit]

Chronology of the number of active cases

First wave[edit]

Chronology of the number of active cases

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "TCI COVID-19 DASHBOARD 17 August 2021". Government of Turks and Caicos. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE". Visit Turks and Caicos Islands.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "First death from COVID-19 in Turks and Caicos". Barbados Today. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "TCI COVID-19 DASHBOARD MAY 12, 2000". gov.tc. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "TCI COVID-19 DASHBOARD JUNE 20, 2020". The Government of Turks and Caicos Islands. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  6. ^ "TCI COVID-19 DASHBOARD 6 July 2021". Government of Turks and Caicos. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  7. ^ Elsevier. "Novel Coronavirus Information Center". Elsevier Connect. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  8. ^ Reynolds, Matt (4 March 2020). "What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic?". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus". Imperial News. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "High consequence infectious diseases (HCID); Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  11. ^ "World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus". www.wfsahq.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Evening Curfews are going well, despite... - Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force". Facebook. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Critical medical supplies coming for Turk and Caicos Islands". The Turks & Caicos Sun. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  14. ^ "Patient transferred to Jamaica tests positive to Covid-19". Turks and Caicos Weekly News. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  15. ^ "Local Covid-19 testing to begin". Turks and Caicos Weekly News. Archived from the original on 29 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  16. ^ "$200 food vouchers for vulnerable citizens". Turks & Caicos Weekly News. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  17. ^ "COVID-19 Update Turks and Caicos Islands". today.caricom.org. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b "Four active Covid-19 cases". Turks and Caicos Weekly News. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  19. ^ "Ministry of Health COVID-19 update #111". Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  20. ^ "Turks and Caicos Islands, all schools to be closed". Loop. 16 March 2020. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  21. ^ "MINISTRY OF HEALTH'S COVID-19 UPDATE #18b". Gov.tc. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b Broomhall, Elizabeth. "Paradise Lockdown: Will Coronavirus Curfew Be A Boon For The Environment Of The Turks And Caicos?". Forbes. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b "Turks and Caicos coronavirus COVID-19". Visit TCI. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b "Lockdown over on Monday". Turks and Caicos Weekly News. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  25. ^ "TCI under complete lockdown from Saturday". Turks and Caicos Weekly News. Retrieved 28 April 2020.