The past few weeks have witnessed a marked improvement in the number of positive Covid-19 cases through local transmission thanks to the timely response of the government in tandem with the close collaboration of the public. New cases are promptly being identified through an efficient contact tracing exercise.  It is interesting to note that there has been a 40-fold increase in the contact tracing testing capacity over the past year - from 125 daily tests being effected last year when the first cases were identified on the island to 5,000 daily tests being carried out currently. 

In addition, the delineation of “Red Zones", a term coined for areas with major outbreaks of Covid-19, has successfully helped in containing the spread of the virus.  The Covid-19 vaccination campaign is maintained and the government has set the objective of immunizing at least 60% of the population at the earliest in a bid to achieve herd immunity.

As such, the government will activate the second phase of the de-confinement plan as from 1 May 2021 to 1 June 2021.  As from 1 May 2021, Work Access Permits (WAP) will no longer be required by members of the public wishing to travel to their place of work and there will no longer be alphabetical restrictions on people wishing to go out shopping.  Members of the public will still be required to observe the following sanitary precautions:

- Social distancing
- Wearing of masks
- Use of hand sanitizers
- Good ventilation to be observed wherever possible

Contravention of the above rules will entail fines.

In addition, old-aged persons and minors are highly encouraged to remain indoors.  Civil weddings and funeral ceremonies will only be allowed with the authorization of the police force and with a maximum of 10 attendees.

The following activities will remain closed/ allowed with certain restrictions:

Gyms - closed
Community centers -closed
Beaches -closed
Public parks -closed
Food courts -closed
Cinema halls, Casinos, bars and nightclubs -closed
Concerts / Sports events -closed
Cultural activities -closed
Places of worship -closed
Reception halls -closed
Team sports -not allowed
Horse racing -allowed on TV & no public attendance
Courts of justice -only allowed as per certain guidelines
Private Schools -closed, only online courses allowed
Public Schools -closed, only open for exams
Markets / Fairs -closed
Restaurant / Fast Food chains -closed, only take away allowed

The team at ITL will continue to work from home until further notice.  ITL Management firmly believes that professional success is not reliant on location if there is the proper virtual workplace infrastructure in place. Your contact persons at ITL will remain primarily reachable by e-mail and Zoom.

Our work-from-home facilities have been tried and tested for a number of years already and we wish to highlight these are fully compliant with our data privacy and data security protocols. Therefore, our operations, other than those that fall beyond our control, will remain unaffected.

If you have any concerns or if you would still like to have more information, please write to us on info@intercontinentaltrust.com.

#StayHome #Savelifes