Matthews placed himself under self-quarantine after travelling through the United States, which has surpassed China as the country with the single most confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

“As far as I know, I haven’t got the virus. But my wife and I came back - we had to cut short our vacation last week. We travelled through Mexico and the United States and we listened straight away to the advice of the Ministry of Health,” the commissioner said during a radio interview on Friday, March 27.

Though in quarantine, Matthews said it has not prevented him from carrying out his duties as Police Commissioner.

And while describing his decision to self-quarantine as a ‘sensible move’, Commissioner Matthews appealed to other persons who have travelled recently to be socially responsible.

“If you travelled recently, stay indoors … Get somebody else to go and do [shopping] for you. We have brilliant neighbours here up in the East End who have been delivering shopping and leaving them at the back gate so my wife and I can live a reasonably healthy lifestyle whilst still self-quarantining”.

Just this week, Health Minister Carvin Malone announced that 117 persons are in self-quarantined across the British Virgin Islands.

This includes the two patients who have been confirmed as having the coronavirus. Nine other persons suspected of having the virus in the BVI are awaiting test results from the Caribbean Public Health Agency in Trinidad.