(Ministry of Health and Wellness)- On Wednesday, October 7, 2020 Saint Lucia recorded a new case of COVID-19. The individual is a 29 year old female national who arrived in Saint Lucia on Sunday, September 27, 2020 from the United States. She was placed in government quarantine on arrival. As per national protocol, she was re-tested on the 7th day in government quarantine and upon receipt of her test results was transferred to the Respiratory Hospital for care. The Ministry of Health and Wellness has commenced the contact tracing and testing will be done of all who may have been in contact with the case.
Quarantine continues to be an important component for the containment and overall management of Saint Lucia’s COVID-19 response. Quarantine is necessary for people who may have been exposed to an infection. It restricts their movement as they are at risk for possibly developing related symptoms. Quarantine requires people to stay in a designated location for a specific period of time. Active monitoring in quarantine includes temperature checks and checking for respiratory symptoms.
From March 2020, quarantine centres were set up in Saint Lucia using various hotels to facilitate the large numbers of returning nationals and any non-nationals that may arrive of concern. Quarantine services have been provided free of charge to the public.
Effective October 15, 2020 quarantine daily fees will be applied as follows:
– For single occupancy USD $95.00
– Double occupancy USD $165.00
– Triple occupancy USD $240.00
Double and triple occupancy applies to families within the same unit. Home quarantine will apply to minors, persons with health conditions and those with specific conditions to allow home quarantine.
As we continue to open the various sectors, the public is advised to take personal responsibility to protect themselves, family and colleagues by ensuring responsible behavior at all times and in all locations. We continue to increase surveillance to reduce risks such as illegal entry at borders, breaches to home quarantine, and non-adherence to protocols. We advise on safe mass crowd gatherings by adhering to the established guidelines. The public is advised that new sectors open with all protocols in place. These also include the use of face masks in public and maintaining safe physical distance from others.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness will continue providing regular updates on COVID-19. For more information please contact the Office of the Chief Medical Officer or the Epidemiology Unit, at 468-5309/468-5317 respectively
