6 parishes, 300 people - Contact with coronavirus patients spirals as Jamaica........

Impact of coronavirus… Guyana slowly grinds to a halt

Given the nature and characteristics of the novel coronavirus, a number of public entities in Guyana are implementing precautionary measures as the country slowly grinds to a halt.
A series of advisories disseminated to the media yesterday by several government agencies and privately own businesses provided information on the measures that will be undertaken as the nations strives to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, now known as COVID -19.

The new preventative measures have been listed in what seems to be a sequence of statements.
Follow Public Health guidelines – DoC
In a statement issued yesterday, the Department of Citizenship (DoC) called on members of the public to follow guidelines provided by the Ministry of Public Health, (MoPH) for re infection, prevention and control. Following consultations, the DoC said that it has adjusted a previously issued statement detailing the steps.
According to the new statement, the DoC requests that citizens visiting its offices minimise the risks involved when large numbers of persons are congregated. It also noted that persons will be attended to in smaller groups and will be permitted entry on this basis.
“Members of the public are advised that masks are only required if they are caring for a person suspected of being infected with COVID-19 or if they are coughing or sneezing.
Persons who do not display any symptoms of COVID-19 and who are not caring for anyone suspected to have contracted COVID-19 need not wear masks to access services at the DoC or the General Registrar’s Office.”
These precautions are especially necessary for the DoC since a significant number of persons who utilise its services on a daily basis are foreign nationals, many of whom would have engaged in recent overseas travel and may have been exposed to the COVID-19.

https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/...everal-entities-temporarily-suspend-services/

Trinidad and Tobago’s borders closed to foreigners for next 14 days

(TRINIDAD GUARDIAN) — Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has announced that the country’s borders will be locked down to all outsiders for the next 14 days.

Dr Rowley made the announcement at a news conference at the Diplomatic Centre Monday morning following a Special Cabinet Meeting.

“Cabinet met this morning and has taken the decision that Trinidad and Tobago will cease to encourage and facilitate for the next 14 days, entry into this country except for people who are nationals of Trinidad and Tobago,” Dr Rowley said.

He made it clear that only nationals of this country will be allowed in.

Dr Rowley said that exemptions will be given to health workers who may need to enter the country.

“Other than that we are basically disconnecting ourselves from the international community for the next 14 days,” he said.

He added that this will have significant ramifications for the national airline, Caribbean Airlines.

He said the Government will look at the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund to help sustain the country but added that “the health and safety of the citizens of our country is priority number one.”

“We have to isolate ourselves from the supply, the source of the virus outside of Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.

“We are in a crisis. We are in an emergency. There is no game saying that,” he said.

He said there are currently 75 elderly citizens in the Caribbean who are trying to come home and will be allowed to do so.

Locally, the prime minister added that all bars will be closed within T&T.

He said the government is also advising against that all gatherings beyond 25 persons.

https://www.stlucianewsonline.com/t...orders-closed-to-foreigners-for-next-14-days/

JAMAICA'S novel coronavirus (COVID-19) figure moved to 13 yesterday after five more test results, Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton confirmed at a Jamaica House press conference last evening.

Dr Tufton told reporters that results of the other four tests were negative, but noted that the one tested positive is linked to 'patient one'... from the Bull Bay area.

“It justifies for us why we took the decision to quarantine that Bull Bay Seven to Eight Miles area because so far the numbers are linked. If they were moving about it would certainly create a greater spread, depending on where they had gone and who they came in contact with,” the minister said.

He said that between yesterday and today an additional 11 tests results should be available, and the information will be released as soon as they are.

He said the overall status shows that 413 people have entered Jamaica from a country of interest since January 31. Twenty-seven are quarantined in government facilities, 52 are in home quarantine and 26 are in isolation in government facilities.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, meanwhile, revealed that ministry officials would be meeting with operators of funeral homes today to clarify issues concerning handling of bodies, just in case there are deaths linked to the novel coronavirus.

She said that there was a process for dealing with the Ebola, which did not affect Jamaica, and felt that the funeral home directors wanted to find out if there was a new process in dealing with a coronavirus victim.

“There is no difference in how we treat regular cases of people who have died, and they have to prepare the body. But we are going to have that detailed discussion with them to address their concerns,” she said.

“We would not have any cause to believe that we have any bodies that are presently in the morgue that may have been dead due to COVID-19. We have absolutely no reason to believe that,” she added.

And commenting on the refusal of taxis to carry nurses, Dr Tufton said that having condemned the actions by the taxi drivers, he had held discussions with the Minister of Transport and Mining Robert Montague and the nurses, and will today hand over five new buses that have been purchased for the nurses.

“I know five is not enough for the entire country, but it is certainly a good start. We will also be talking to the management of the hospitals to see what other arrangements can be made.

In the meantime, Dr Tufton said there are guidelines for hotels.

“These persons can go to the pool, they can go to the beach. What we are emphasising, however, is that we, as best as possible, have to maintain the social distancing that we have been promoting to minimise the risk of spread,” he explained.

However, he said that if guests have symptoms of the virus they would have to be confined to their rooms by the health authorities, and can return to their country of origin at any time during the 14 days of quarantine.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news...-to-13-nurses-get-5-buses_189930?profile=1373

The Bahamas now has three cases of COVID-19.

Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis announced Wednesday that two additional people have tested positive in New Providence.

Dr. Minnis told the House of Assembly that the cases were identified through contact tracing.

Dr. Minnis said investigations revealed that household members of the first confirmed case travelled to Canada, Trinidad and Dubai which have community transmission of the virus.

He said those persons have been quarantined.

A state of emergency has been declared in the Bahamas.

http://rjrnewsonline.com/local/bahamas-covid-19-cases-rises-to-3

All Jamaican airports and seaports will be closed to incoming passenger traffic effective today, at 11:59 p.m., as the Government increases its efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Incoming and outgoing cargo as well as outgoing passengers will be allowed.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who made the announcement in a press conference last evening, said the new measures would run for an initial 14 days.

Three more patients have been confirmed with the virus bringing the total to 19.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton said based on assessments, it was fundamental for movement to be paused.

“All the countries of the world are imposing restrictions and our attempt at trying to manage the potential crisis that we face has to include reduction in the movement of persons,” Tufton said.

The newly confirmed patients are a 38-year-old male, who is a US citizen with a travel history from Boston, and a 30-year-old female, who travelled from New York. They arrived in Jamaica on March 14 and March 17, respectively.

The third patient is a 60-year-old female who is a retired resident of Portland – she is still under investigation.

Tufton made an appeal for passengers on three recently landed JetBlue flights to make contact with the health ministry.

“These flights are flights that had persons who eventually tested positive,” Tufton said.

The prime minister noted that a quarantine centre would be established at The University of the West Indies, Mona, and final-year medical students would be utilised to support the clinical and surveillance activities of the health ministry.

Meanwhile, Minister of Justice Delroy Chuck said consistent with the measures the Government has taken, court operations would be scaled down for the period March 23 to April 20.

“This means that all trials in that period will be postponed and new dates will be put on the website or can be obtained by calling certain numbers ... . Persons who are on bail, the bail will be stayed until the next court day,” Chuck explained.

The courts will remain open to deal with maintenance payments, matters affecting children and matters arising out of the Quarantine Act, among other things.

judana.murphy@gleanerjm.com

Persons who were passengers on the following flights are being asked to make contact with the health ministry:



JetBlue Flight 659

Arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport on Tuesday, March 17, at 1:00 a.m.



JetBlue Flight 2959

Arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport on Thursday, March 12, at midnight.



JetBlue Flight B2893

Arrived at the Sangster International Airport on Saturday, March 14, at 2:14 p.m.

LOCAL COVID-19 UPDATE:



- One death



- Three more cases of COVID-19 confirmed



- A total of 19 cases confirmed



- Ten more test results being awaited



- Eighty-nine cases have been tested at the National Influenza Centre



- Seventy tests have returned negative



- Forty-six people are in isolation in government facilities



http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/...assengers-barred-under-new-measures-announced