London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

Public Health Act empowers me to pick COVID testing sites - Malone

Public Health Act empowers me to pick COVID testing sites - Malone

Health Minister has responded to complaints that have surfaced from within the local medical community since his ministry’s statement that the Dr D Orlando Smith Hospital is the only facility authorised and recognised to properly conduct PCR and antigen testing in the BVI.
Medicure Laboratory has said the ministry’s statements suggestively puts other established testing facilities such as itself and its sister company, Eureka, in a bad light; further arguing that the ministry has no publicly known mechanism for authorising any lab to conduct any form of tests.

But Health Minister, Carvin Malone, without directly referencing the issue of contention on a radio show this week, said he wanted to address “upfront”, a very important question that has been raised.

“Let us not have any doubt about it,” Malone stated. “The results that you need to travel must come from an official source. The only official source that we have is the British Virgin Islands Health Services Authority (BVIHSA) through the certified lab that we have. That has not changed.”

“The Public Health Act gives the minister, through the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), the right to designate facilities for testing and for giving the test results,” Malone further said.

He continued: “The Quarantine Act gives the particular minister, through the CMO, the right in terms of persons who are positive, how to protect the rest of the particular country.”

According to the Health Minister, persons were discouraged from purchasing machines for conducting PCR testing when requests were made at the beginning of the pandemic.

He suggested they were instead encouraged to swab patients and forward samples to the government’s laboratory, where the results would be produced.

And even as he pointed to its record of administering more than 13,000 COVID-19 tests since the current outbreak in the territory, the minister noted that the government’s lab would continue to build capacity within the BVIHSA.

He said while there may have been hiccups and there might continue to be hiccups, it was a commendable feat when considered.

Notably, Malone, in the same radio appearance, had to apologise to travellers who missed their flights out of the territory because of long waits for COVID-19 test results.

The minister explained that health officials were overwhelmed but are working hard to correct this challenge.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×