Beach patrol personnel are next in line to receive training in public health to deal with the new challenges posed with the reopening of the Territory’s beaches during the Novel Coronavirus pandemic.

Chief Environmental Health Officer Mr E. Lionel Michael said the one-day training will be facilitated by the Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC) and the Social Distancing Task Force, targeting 15 persons from the Ministry of Natural Resources and other volunteers. Photo: GIS/File

Chief Environmental Health Officer Mr E. Lionel Michael said the one-day training will be facilitated by the Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC) and the Social Distancing Task Force, targeting 15 persons from the Ministry of Natural Resources and other volunteers.

It will take place at the Ralph T. O’Neal Administration Building at about 3.30 pm today, Monday, May 11, 2020.

“We are conducting a training programme for beach wardens, lifeguards and other officers who will be monitoring the programmes on the beach. We are going to train them in the public health aspect. It will be similar training that the public health officers get for the inspection of businesses,” he said.

“We will give them an overview of COVID-19, the disease itself, what it is, the signs and symptoms, how it is transmitted, the incubation period, how to control it, how to prevent it. Then we are going to talk about social distancing, and how they should be wearing their masks and practice hand hygiene. We are going to talk about how to control crowds, how to monitor mass gatherings at the beach.”

Monitoring of beach establishments

Mr Michael said beachgoers should be mindful to disinfect chairs and other surfaces they come into contact with there.

Another area the training will target is how to monitor the establishments on the beach.

“They will be told about how we inspect them, they will be provided with the list, so they will know what date they will open and what businesses are not allowed to sell on the beach, because even though the government says you must operate, you must be inspected and approved,” he remarked.

All beaches, except the Baths and Devil’s Bay on Virgin Gorda, were reopened on Sunday, May 10, 2020, Minister for Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration, Honourable Vincent O. Wheatley (R9) said in a statement on May 8, 2020.

Persons are allowed to utilise the beaches for therapy and exercise between the hours of 6:00 am to 1:00 pm daily.