5th September 2021

Adherence to Quarantine and Isolation Protocols

By Ministry of Health

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The Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs continues to note significant increases in reported COVID-19 cases.

The Delta variant has been proven to be more contagious and severe than previous strains and its presence in country means that COVID-19 cases as well as deaths will continue to soar. This combined with a low vaccination uptake (15% of the total population) means that our population remains at a very high risk.

As we continue with community transmission we have noted that all sectors of our society are being affected in some form or another.

While the need to maintain businesses operational is fully acknowledged, the Ministry of Health remains very concerned over the increasing number of breeches in national protocols. There is a growing tendency of business places to ignore the workplace guidelines and test workers at their discretion. This practice is to be discontinued as testing contacts prematurely and instructing them to return to work may be creating an unsafe workplace whereby employees have a false sense of security originating from a false negative test result.

The need for testing and quarantine is based on the ‘level of exposure’ and clinical status of a contact. A decision is then made on whether contacts should be isolated, quarantined or made to self-monitor. In the latter two, the period of monitoring for the development of signs and symptoms for COVID-19 is 14 days from the last day of contact with the infected individual; this is the maximum incubation period of the disease. A negative test does not shorten the quarantine period.

Earlier this year, Saint Lucia adjusted the discharge from isolation criteria in accordance with guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO). A negative PCR result is no longer considered a requirement for discharge from isolation. In addition to a sick leave form, the Ministry of Health also issues a letter of discharge from quarantine and isolation to all persons who have been placed in either quarantine or isolation. I reiterate, a negative PCR result is no longer considered a requirement for discharge from isolation and employees should not be mandated to produce a negative PCR result in order to return to work, especially as a PCR test may remain positive for months after a person has recovered from COVID-19.

This new request for a negative PCR result is now creating a strain on staff at the testing sites and laboratory, as well as encouraging COVID-19 cases to leave their homes against protocols in order to get tested.

The Ministry of Health reminds persons in the same household as a confirmed case of COVID-19 that they should not leave the home to go to school or work. Instead, they should get tested to determine their COVID-19 status.

Once tested, the individual should remain at home until the result of their test is communicated to them and further guidance is given by a healthcare worker. If you have not received a call informing you of your results, a call can be made to the testing site to enquire about the results. Persons who have been placed in quarantine are asked to adhere to the quarantine measures as explained by their healthcare workers.

The Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs asks the public to continue practicing the standard recommendations to prevent the spread of infection. These include: - regular hand washing with soap and water - use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water is unavailable - proper use of face masks - cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces - maintaining physical distance.

The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Elderly Affairs continues to work with the various sectors to manage the current COVID-19 situation on island.

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