BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — The general public has been advised to adhere to all COVID-19 health and safety protocols and to stay on guard as each person is ultimately responsible for his or her safety and protection from the deadly virus, by Superintendent of the St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, Cromwell Henry.
The call for strict adherence and a greater personal responsibility was made in light of what Superintendent Henry described as an “uncomfortable situation” that recently occurred with a person in quarantine.
“This particular lapse resulted in a positive COVID-19 case being discharged from quarantine into the community via public transportation,” explained Supt. Henry. “As a result, as soon as the incident came to our attention, the COVID-19 Task Force activated its response mechanism immediately. The positive case was identified and quickly placed in isolation.
“The quick response by the authorities activated the country’s aggressive contact tracing mechanism by the COVID-19 National Task Force, resulted in 20 persons being placed in quarantine,” said Supt. Henry. “A vigorous contact tracing exercise ensued. All identified contacts were immediately quarantined, including the public service driver who was not observing the basic COVID-19 prevention protocols. Contact tracing, in this case, is still ongoing along with a police investigation to determine whether or not criminal charges will be filed.
“The protocols at the quarantine site were immediately reviewed and “remedial action” was taken “to prevent” a repeat of the incident,” explained Supt. Henry. “The incident in question among others, drives home the point that we should always observe the protocols and the provisions of the law which are intended to prevent the spread of the virus.”
Supt. Henry solicited the cooperation of the public and encouraged people to always remember to wear masks, maintain physical and social distancing, and sanitize frequently.
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