Temporary quarantine ‘ready to operate’

The temporary quarantine centre set up to receive people arriving from China and other regions affected by the COVID-19 virus is up and ready to be operational at a moment’s notice, the Ministry of Health said today.

The ministry’s Emergency Operations Centre has been activated to monitor the status of the disease worldwide and its potential impact on Barbados.

Senior Medical Officer with responsibility for surveillance and epidemiology, Dr. Leslie Rollock, said the centre would receive any arriving passengers, screen them and determined whether they have been at high risk of exposure, even though they show no signs of illness.

Other “asymptomatic” arrivals who considered at low risk, will continue to be self-quarantined at home for 14 days, while anyone arriving with symptoms will be sent directly to the Isolation Unit at Enmore, the ministry said.

Staffing, materials and equipment had all been identified for the mandatory quarantine centre, while volunteer staff was available to work immediately and others began training on Thursday, it said.

A permanent quarantine facility is now being prepared at the St. Lucy District Hospital.

Preparations include the transfer of the residents of the hospital to the Geriatric Hospital, and the residents of the Elayne Scantlebury Centre, which is also on the River Bay, St. Lucy compound, to the Psychiatric Hospital.

So far, the number of people in quarantine at home remained at 13. They are visited once a day by public health nurses, who take their temperatures and are followed up later in the day by gelephone.

So far, all but one, have remained asymptomatic. That individual who came down with a high fever last Wednesday tested negative for the virus and has since recovered.