Governor Silvestri 2020-04-22

Summary of Facebook Live Chat by Governor Silvestri at 2020-04-22 15:30

Content starts at 03:10

The is a transcript of the English transmission. There is also a Spanish transmission which I do not translate.

Note that it’s been re-ordered and some repetition collapsed.

Donations

Matching Donation:

• Reminder that anything donated to the foundation will be doubled as of Friday. Every donation is needed, no matter how small.

Fundraising

• Current total (excluding the amount pledged for matching): USD 204,335; HNL 5,066,220
  • USD 34,775 still available as matching funds
• Focusing on using the funds to purchase testing equipment

Utila fundraising:

• Over USD 12,500 raised
• If you are on Utila in need of food, Tylenol or Aspirin, please send a message to @SupportUtila on Facebook

In kind donations:

• Received a donation of coveralls, which is very helpful
• In kind donations are generally very welcome
• PPE is very hard to get, so particularly deeply appreciated.

COVID-19

Test results:

• 32 samples taken and negative
• Don’t yet have the result from the person who broke quarantine on Utila

Types of test:

• Antibody tests:
  • Pro: Provide a result very quickly
  • Pro: Cheap
  • Con: Need the virus to be in a persons system for at least 10 days.
  • Con: 40-50% accurate depending on the test
  • Great for places that don’t have easy access to a laboratory
  • Also excellent for telling if someone has ever had COVID-19
    • Can tell us if COVID-19 was here before the lock down
• Lab tests:
  • Pro: Gives a quick result
  • Pro: Very accurate, can give a result even if the person only just got it
  • Con: Expensive, have to buy sample kits and readers
  • Con: Can take
  • PCR tests
  • Need a thermocycler to read the sample
    • Cost around USD 20,000
    • Thermocyclers are difficult to get (current quotes suggest June)
      • Would appreciate any leads on purchasing them and getting them faster
  • Requires extracting a sample using a swab from the nose
  • This is the type of test we have been using so far

It’s important to have both types of tests available so we can tell if it’s been on the island at all and to accurately test people we suspect have it.

Sick at an earlier time:

• If sick at an earlier time, then can use the antibody test to find out if you’ve previously had it.

Plan for testing:

• As soon as we get the tests, will do widespread testing across the islands
• Follow Cayman, they started slow and worked up testing to cover everyone
• Jersey purchased 500,000 kits so they could test their population 5x, this seems like a good model for the Bay Islands
• First step is to get test kits here

Airlines and testing:

• That is dictated at the country level, so mostly a function of the Canadian and US governments.
• Governor would prefer that people are tested before they get on the plane as that’s easiest for everyone

General

If you need food, there’s a lot of groups giving out food right now so please reach out to the governor, your patronado or mayor.

Opening local business:

• Want to, have to wait for approval from central government
• Hoping it’ll be this week

Visa expiry:

• Still working on a plan for people who need to come back after doing a visa run
• If your visa expired during the emergency, immigration will exempt you and there will be no penalty

Working hard to bring people back to the islands. Please fill in the forms if you need to come back and haven’t yet filled it in (or have changed circumstances since you last filled it in).

• Focus will be moving people from the mainland as that is the easiest thing to do
• Hoping to have a plan for this week
• English: https://forms.gle/2hNt4pCJJYssKb666
• Español: https://forms.gle/pd5GtCxTmpqU6e6k8

Boat to Oakridge:

• Left yesterday

Cruise ships:

• There are no cruise ships currently