An 81 year old man who recently travelled to the UK, is Barbados’ first COVID-19 death. His wife, age 83, has also tested positive for the virus. At a press briefing on Sunday, Health and Wellness Minister Jeffrey Bostic said the patient had underlying medical conditions.

Even as he expressed sadness over the man’s passing, Mr. Bostic was pleased to announce that six other patients have now fully recovered. Barbados now has a total of 56 cases, with four being recorded over the last 24 hours. The youngest patient is seven years old, while the oldest patient is 83.

Minister Bostic pledged to intensify efforts to mitigate further spread of the virus; it’s in this vein that 100 nurses from Cuba will arrive on the island today. Mr. Bostic assured that they will be placed on a mandatory 14-day quarantine before beginning duty.

Barbados is currently under a 24-hour lockdown as of 8.p.m last Friday. It will remain in effect until midnight on April 14th.