Grenadian health officials have quarantined a third person.
The traveller who was a person of interest to the Ministry of Health, had arrived in Grenada on Wednesday afternoon, and was screened by port-health and airport authorities. During the process, medical experts conducted a probing interview, temperature checks and with the assistance of Immigration officials reviewed travel documents that revealed a specific travel history, corroborating information that was already in the possession of Port-health authorities.
The execution of the quarantine order on this (3rd person) occurred less than 76 hours after health officials had placed a student who had returned to the island from mainland China, under quarantine on (Monday, February 3, 2020).
GIS can confirm, that the individual in question was a Grenadian national traveling to the Philippines and was denied entry in Hong Kong and sent back to Grenada.
The Philippines and Hong Kong have each seen one death from the coronavirus, and both countries have enforced strict TRAVEL BANS. In Mainland China, the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus rose above 24,000 by the end of Tuesday.
The Japanese Government on Wednesday reported that 10 people on a cruise ship with about 3,700 passengers and crew aboard tested positive for the virus, and that everyone were likely to be kept on the ship for two weeks.
Meanwhile acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Francis Martin on Thursday told the GIS, that although, the illness itself is mild, it is a serious issue that can have an increased burden of health to our nation.
โWe will do what we have to do and we will make sure that as public health professionals we are able to protect our nation and protect our peopleโ, explained the CMO.
The MOH reiterates that all first response personnel will continue to observed the necessary safety protocols to ensure personal safety and reassures the general public that there is still no need for panic but at the same time remember to always practice proper hand, cough and sneeze hygiene.
