Permanent Secretary of Health, Mr. Foster Rogers, said that because there is not a quick spread of Covid infections, like the first rapidly growing cluster experienced in April, he is very heartened as a consequence. Speaking at the weekly Government press confer ence on Monday, August 23rd, the PS expressed much gratitude when comparing the current Covid cluster with the first.
He said that it was three weeks since this recent breakout was detected, and in comparison to the first cluster — where, in the first week, there were already double-digit positives — fortunately, the current cluster shows single-digit weekly figures. Notwithstanding, he said: “We still want to ensure that members of the public come in, or call us, when they have symptoms so that arrangements can be made for their testing. This is quite critical.”
He insisted: “Our strategy still depends on early detection, isolation and treatment. The earlier we can identify positive cases, it is, of course, the better. So if you are feeling sick please don’t go out to work, but come in and be tested.”
Mr. Rogers said that in some cases, the symptoms were so mild that persons figured “it was just an attack of the common cold.” He noted that all of this was due to the effective impact of the vaccine, where infected vaccinated persons are not susceptible to the full brunt of the Covid infection.
The PS also spoke about the importance of the wearing of masks, stating: “We want to remind persons in Anguilla that the regulations for the wearing of masks are still in place. If you are indoors and it is difficult to social distance, it is the law of the land, nowadays, that you must wear a mask. Besides, if you are in the multigenerational household [where grandparents, parents and children co-habitat and mingle together] it is critical that you wear masks in the house in order to protect each other. We do not want this message to get lost or be ignored. As long as persons are indoors, especially in poorly ventilated close quarters, it is necessary to wear a mask.”
The PS went on to address the matter of quarantine, stressing: “We want people who are tested and are quarantined, to please stay in quarantine until the clearance is given. This too is very critical. Even if you have tested negative, as long as you are placed in quarantine, please keep away from others and stay in quarantine.”
He insisted that people should not breach quarantine just because they have a negative test or because they are “feeling good”. “There are protocols that we are working with,” he noted, “and it is mandatory that you stay quarantined until you are cleared by the Health Authority.”
