Ministry warns against becoming complacent as no new COVID-19 case reported

For the fifth consecutive day, the Ministry of Public Health reported that there have been no new cases of the coronavirus disease, COVID-19.

Thirty-two new persons were tested in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests to 2,528.

While the positive cases remain at 153 and the number of recoveries at 77, the number of persons in institutional quarantine has decreased from 25 to 14.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Karen Gordon-Boyle in the Ministry’s daily update warned persons against becoming complacent as the positive cases remain stagnant.

“I wish to remind you that even though there has been no new case over the past five days, we cannot become complacent. If we keep this up, following all guidelines, we will be on our way to limiting transmission and flattening the curve making the return to normalcy sooner than later,” she noted.

She lauded the frontline workers who are working with the Ministry’s rapid response, mobile unit & surveillance Teams and the Staff at the National Reference Laboratory while urging persons to continue adhering to physical distancing and other guidelines.

With an upsurge of cases in neighbouring Venezuela, the Ministry is also urging citizens in Region Seven to report any migrant entering communities or showing signs and symptoms of COVID-19.

Toshaos are also being encouraged to ensure that residents do not cross borders and that persons from those other countries are not entering the communities.

Additionally, the Ministry is pleading with the residents of Regions 6, 8 and 9 to remain on high alert recognizing that Brazil and Suriname are reporting new cases.

In the last 24 hours, Brazil recorded 28,936 new cases and 1,043 deaths; Suriname now has fifty-four positive cases with one new case in the last 24 hours and in neighbouring Venezuela, there are 157 new cases with one new death.