The Dominica government has extended a curfew to August 17 as the island recorded more cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the last few days.
“The existing order comes to an end on Tuesday, the 10th, we are extending the emergency period from Tuesday the 10th to the 17th of August, so there will be a one-week extension,” Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said on the state-owned DBS Radio.
“Remember when I addressed the nation I said we would be looking at seven days in the first instance and if we find the situation concerning we will extend it, the situation is concerning and therefore we are extending it to the 17th,” Skerrit added.
He said that only certain categories of workers will be exempted from the curfew hours, including essential workers.
The curfew runs from 6.00 pm to 5..00 am (local time) daily but on the weekends will begin on Friday even at 6.00 pm until 5.00 am on Monday morning.
Health Minister Dr. Irvine McIntyre said the total number of active COVID-19 cases here is 179 and that contact tracing is continuing with health authorities boosting the testing capabilities “in order to contain the spread of the virus.
“The strategy of increased Antigen testing islandwide has resulted in us identifying the possible cases. This way we can remove these individuals from the community, preventing interaction and further transmission of the virus”.
Dominica had registered several clusters of the virus following two activities held on the outskirts of the capital late last month.
Dr. McIntye confirmed that five staff members at the Dominica China Friendship Hospital had tested positive for the Antigen tests and that one of them further tested PCR positive and is symptomatic and has been placed in the isolation unit.
The other four are in government quarantine facilities.
He said 245 members of the hospital staff had been tested over the weekend and all were found to be negative.
“This represents close to 50 percent of the total hospital staff. We are assured that the situation at the hospital is under control and will be monitored closely,” the Health Minister said, reminding the public that the hospital is out of bounds to the public for visiting during the new health regulations.
CMC
