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Coronavirus restrictions extended by two months

Kim Wilson, the Minister of Health (Photograph by Akil Simmons)

MPs have approved an extension to the island’s Covid-19 regulations until September 27.The legislation included a $25,000 fine and/or six months’ imprisonment for a breach of the requirement for travellers to quarantine as they waited for the result of the mandatory airport Covid-19 test.Kim Wilson, the health minister, told the House of Assembly that the importance of quarantine could not be overemphasised.Ms Wilson revealed on Thursday that an air passenger had gone to work after arrival instead of complying with quarantine regulations, which resulted in a major contact-tracing exercise to ensure no one else had been infected.Patricia Gordon-Pamplin, the shadow health minister, signalled the Opposition’s approval.Ms Gordon-Pamplin said she had been “tremendously concerned and disappointed” by the quarantine breach and said that lack of consideration for others over the pandemic was “to my mind almost the height of treason”.She also criticised a large gathering at Blu Bar & Grill Restaurant in Warwick on July 3 when restrictions designed to limit the spread of the coronavirus were breached at a dinner party, which had a special exemption from the Ministry of National Security to allow more than 50 people to attend.Video recordings of the dinner showed Wayne Caines, the former national security minister, and Zane DeSilva, the former minister of tourism and transport, in breach of the rules.Both ministers were later ordered to quit the Cabinet.Ms Gordon-Pamplin told the House: “I couldn’t imagine anything more irresponsible, especially coming from senior members of government”.She said she wanted to see an investigation into the incident and “a public declaration of results”.