last remaining covid-19 patient has recovered. on 1 september, the st. lucia tourism authority announced the easing of restrictions for visitors. visitors are allowed to stay at up to two of the covid-19 certified hotels and resorts on the island and may enjoy water-based activities. returning nationals and residents will be required to undergo a 14-day quarantine. on 7 september, most primary and secondary schools reopened. october 2020 on 10 october 2020, a minibus driver on the castries to vieux fort route tested positive as st. lucia's 29th confirmed case of covid-19. officials stated concerns about community spread. the royal saint lucian police force (rslpf) announced zero tolerance enforcement of covid-19 protocols starting 12 october. as of 13 october, the ministry of health had reviewed 500 persons in contact with the driver, conducted 283 tests and placed 50 persons into quarantine in relation to this case. on 14 october, face masks became mandatory in all public spaces. previously, they were only mandatory for tourists in "quarantine bubbles" and for workers while in contact with such tourists. children aged five and under were exempt. on 16 october, the ministry of education closed all schools for one week and castries comprehensive secondary school for two weeks, after a student at ccss tested positive for covid-19. later on 16 october, a worker at the secondary school also tested positive. on 22 october, the ministry of health and wellness announced three new confirmed cases of covid-19, bringing total confirmed cases to 42 and active cases to 15. chief medical officer sharon belmar-george stated that new cases found in a variety of communities indicate the presence of community spread. in response, the ministry of education ordered schools to remain closed for an additional two weeks, with reopening scheduled monday, 9 november. on 30 october, the government announced enhanced protocols to contain the spread of covid-19. persons are advised to work from home where possible. mass crowd events are limited 25 persons per venue, reduced from 50. businesses are ordered to cease commercial activity at 9 p.m. unless exempted. on-premises alcohol consumption is prohibited, with grab and go sales permitted. restaurants and bars must close at 9 p.m. the government also announced a voluntary limitation on movement, encouraging persons to stay home from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the prime minister also announced upcoming border control measures to deter illegal entry. november 2020 on 10 november 2020, prime minister chastanet announced the first covid-19 death in saint lucia. the ministry of health confirmed the second death later that day. on 13 november, prime minister chastanet announced new covid-19 protocols that suspend all social gatherings starting 16 november. church services and funerals will be limited to 25 persons. businesses must close at 9 p.m. alcohol sales are limited to grab and go while bars must close at 4 p.m. all sporting events are also suspended. including public gyms. starting on 14 november, the rslpf hired 200 wardens to enforce compliance with covid-19 protocols in communities with the power of arrest. their training commenced on 30 november. december 2020 on 3 december 2020, chief medical officer sharon belmar-george stated that the covid-19 vaccines may be available in st. lucia by the first quarter of 2021, anticipating 3% available by june 2021 and 20% available by december 2021. on 7 december and 8 december, minibus drivers, led by the southern minibus drivers association, waged a strike action on several minibus routes to protest covid-19 limits on passenger capacity. stating that covid-19 restrictions were causing substantial losses, they demanded removal of the current limit of 10 passengers per bus or some other form of compensation. on 9 december, the national emergency management advisory committee (nemac) announced revised covid-19 protocols for the holiday season from 15 december through 11 january. business operating hours will be extended. social gatherings of up to 25 persons will be permitted. schools are to remain closed for in-person instruction with limited exceptions. christmas parties of any kind will be prohibited. at the same time, chief medical officer belmar-george announced that st. lucia has turned down the curve on covid-19 transmission, but she also noted that the christmas season presents a period of high risk. on 18 december, the ministry of education announced that it will reopen schools on 4 january 2021, with students returning to class on 11 january. january 2021 on 31 january 2021, eight inmates and one staff member at the bordelais correctional facility tested positive for covid-19, with one inmate dying on 4 february. inmates began protest actions, citing the prison's covid response among other grievances. the outbreak would result in over 100 cases by the end of february. february 2021 on 5 february, 2021, restrictions on arrivals were tightened. the pre arrival testing window was shortened from seven days to five days. on 17 february 2021, saint lucia began its vaccination programme in phases, the first phase administering the oxford–astrazeneca covid-19 vaccine to health care workers, first responders and other front-line workers. the second phase began in march 2021, vaccinating persons at high risk, including the elderly, with mass vaccinations starting in the second half of that month and continuing into april. march — july 2021 on 1 march 2021, the government of saint lucia received 25,000 doses of the oxford–astrazeneca covid-19 vaccine, donated by the republic of india. on the week of 4 may 2021, the ministry of health began administering vaccine first doses to the general public aged 18 years and older. on 29 june 2021, the cruise ship celebrity millennium arrived with 417 passengers, as the first return in the phased reopening of cruise travel sector. the ministry of health marks 25 july 2021 as the start of the fourth wave of covid-19, which continues as of september 2021. officials blame mass gatherings for the increase in cases. august 2021 on 13 august 2021, the ministry of health reported that it confirmed the presence of the delta variant in saint lucia for the first time, with three persons infected. on 17 august, the government of saint lucia received 52,650 doses of the pfizer–biontech vaccine, donated by the united states. on 23 august, the ministry of health began offering to pfizer vaccine to persons aged 12 years and older. on 27 august, the government announced adjusted covid-19 protocols, effective from 28 august through 7 september, with earlier business closing times, longer curfew hours and an all-day curfew on sunday, 5 september. the ministry of education announced that it will postpone the reopening of school in september and that schools would use the distributed learning approach instead of face-to-face instruction. preventive measures all schools were closed on 16 march 2020. schools reopened for online instruction on 20 april. in-class instruction resumed for grade 6 and form 5 students on 3 june to prepare them for examinations. schools reopened for in-class instruction on 7 september. schools closed again on 16 october. as of december 2020, schools are scheduled to reopen for in-class instruction on 11 january 2021. non-essential businesses were closed from 23 march through 17 may. curfew between 23:00 and 05:00. changed to 19:00 to 05:00 on 5 april and changed to 21:00 to 05:00 on 18 may. bars are closed, and restaurants are limited to take-out and drive-through service only. alcohol sales were prohibited from 29 march until 8 may. air and sea ports were closed from 23 march through 3 june, except for cargo shipments and outgoing flights to repatriate foreign nationals. limited reopening of minimarts and bakeries. home supplies and hardware stores reopened. construction will be allowed under conditions, reopening of fabric stores. vaccination programme the ministry of health and wellness began its vaccination program on 17 february 2021, using oxford–astrazeneca covid-19 vaccine obtained through the covax programme purchases and donations from the republic of india. the programme started in phases. doses in the first phase were given to health care workers, first responders and other front-line workers. in march, the second phase targeted persons at high risk, including the elderly, with mass vaccinations starting in last march and continuing through april. vaccination of the general public begin the week of 3 may. in august 2021, saint lucia received doses of the pfizer–biontech covid-19 vaccine, donated by the united states. the ministry applied the first doses of the pfizer vaccine on 23 august, offering to persons aged 12 and older since august 2021. statistics confirmed new cases per day confirmed deaths per day active cases per day chronology of the number of active cases in saint lucia