A primary school teacher has tested positive for COVID-19 in Santa Rosa, Moruca Region One. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in Region One to 10.
The patient is among the two new cases recorded on June 09, 2020, Ministry of Public Health Public Relations Officer, Terrence Esseboom confirmed.
The News Room understands that the teacher is related to one of the positive cases in isolation in Moruca; she teaches at the Santa Rosa Primary School.
Vincent Torres, 59, died on May 25 and became the country’s 11th death from COVID-19 and the first death from Region One. There are seven persons in institutional isolation in Region One.
Residents are now even more concerned for their safety and that of their children given the fact that students who are sitting the NGSA, CAPE and CSEC exams are expected to return to school on June 15.
“Our concern now is the teachers have to go out and clean and sanitize so the Department of Education have been calling them out and said they have to go out or they will face consequences,” one resident, who prefers to remain anonymous told the News Room.
The resident said the teacher who tested positive returned to school on Monday.
After the first set of positive cases in Moruca, the Village Council locked down the village for two weeks until June 16 and sanitized the roads, public spaces and buildings in the community in an effort to curb the spread of the disease.
However, the Village Toshao, Wuanita Phillips told the News Room that the lockdown has not been going very well. The Toshao said despite warnings residents are not cooperating.
“People are not adhering and they still continue to go about their business and boats still continue to go out, they not listening to the rules of the village,” Phillips said.
Regional Health Officer, Dr Steve Cheefon had stated that everyone who enters the region at the airstrips and seaports will be screened.
A 52-year-old businesswoman – Lolita Wong of Mabaruma – was the first person to have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the region but she has since recovered.
