Thursday, January 30, 2020
After the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak a global emergency on Thursday, Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands said anyone who has travelled to China in the last 20 days will be quarantined in the Bahamas.
At a Ministry of Health press conference, Dr Sands said all people who have travelled to China will be interviewed at the border.
Anyone who has been there within the last 20 days will be quarantined for 14 days, otherwise they will be turned away.
The minister added that two people are currently quarantined in the Bahamas.
China first informed WHO about cases of the new virus in late December. To date, China has reported more than 7,800 cases including 170 deaths. Eighteen other countries have since reported cases, as scientists race to understand how exactly the virus is spreading and how severe it is.
Comments
TalRussell says...
Measures such as mandatory quarantined and screening are necessary precautionary, proactive containment steps colony's comrade health services decision makers undertake at least in the uncertainty periods of such high health risks.Important that this message is forthwith issued to all air and sea carriers transporting passengers to colony - and prominently posted colony's government website.
Posted 30 January 2020, 9:05 p.m. Suggest removal
joeblow says...
Chinese tourists have checked into Bahamian hotels in the past three days? Are they considered quarantined too?
We simply cannot trust Bahamian government officials to tell us the truth and look out for our best interest!!
Posted 30 January 2020, 9:27 p.m. Suggest removal
Cobalt says...
LOL...... say “quarantine”. Boy Sands don’t make me laugh. That ole rag tag hospital doesn’t have the technological mechanism nor financial resources to initiate and sustain a quarantine. So just stop your foolishness. Lol. Talkin bout quarantine. The PMH doesn’t even have a computerized charting system in place for crying out loud. They are still using paper and pen.
At best, all PMH can do is attempt to keep certain patients on what is called “isolation precautions”. But this would require each patient to have a private room which is adequately sealed. And given the fact that the disease appears to be a respiratory pathogen, each patient would also need to be on what’s called “droplet precautions”.
It’s a very expensive and tedious process which I’m sure PMH is I’ll equipped and ignorant to carry out. So just stop talking nonsense Mr. Sands. Lol. I don’t know who you think you’re talking to. Not all Bahamians are stupid.
Posted 30 January 2020, 11:34 p.m. Suggest removal
Cobalt says...
Mr. Sands.
Having a patient on Isolation Precautions and Droplet precautions is not considered a quarantine. It’s actually considered a Tier 2 precaution. Lol.
Did this man fall asleep during his medical studies and Epidemiology lectures??? And these are the people we have running our country??? God help us.
Posted 30 January 2020, 11:52 p.m. Suggest removal
observer2 says...
China is our largest foreign investor including the iconic Baha Mar, replete with thousands of Chinese workers and tourist moving freely between our countries.
That’s about as much as I feel comfortable saying.
Posted 31 January 2020, 12:46 a.m. Suggest removal
Cobalt says...
True
Posted 31 January 2020, 12:47 a.m. Suggest removal
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