Cop, Doctor, Medex among 63 tested positive for COVID-19 in Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa in the Moruca sub-district of Region One has become the hotspot for COVID-19 cases; as of Saturday, the community confirmed 63 cases inclusive of one Police Officer, one Doctor and a Medex.

Four other police officers are in quarantine.

Over a dozen teachers were also tested positive for the disease.

Santa Rosa –the most populated indigenous community in the country –reported its first case on May 25 posthumously. Fifty-nine-year-old Vincent Torres had visited Georgetown shortly before his death where he is believed to have contracted the disease.

Subsequently, a number of family members and friends were placed into quarantine and some later tested positive.

Last week, the community’s village leader, Waunita Phillips was taken into a quarantine facility after her daughter tested positive.

Phillips had previously told the News Room that residents in the region have not been adhering to COVID-19 restrictions.

Following the confirmation of 18 positive cases in one day on June 22, the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) implemented stricter measures including cease work orders for specific areas in the mining sector, screening, wider testing, checkpoints and others to curb the spread of the disease.

With limited isolation facilities, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) installed a number of COVID-19 isolation tents at the Sheba Ground in Moruca.

Isolation facilities were previously set up at the Amerindian Hostel, the Regional Education Officer’s residence and the Acquero Guesthouse.

To assist persons in the community in adhering to the ‘stay at home’ orders and those in isolation, a group was formed on Facebook where persons are encouraged to donate items to families in the sub-district.

According to the Santa Rosa Village Council, five of the women tested positive and are in isolation, have babies who are at home with family members.

The group ‘Santa Rosa friends and family’ launched in partnership with the Village Council has been calling for food items, sanitizers and donations to transport the items to the region.

“We need basically all non-perishable food items. The first set of items that have gone in will cater mainly for the families of those in quarantine and others the Santa Rosa Village Council may deem high risk,” the Councilors said in a post.

For more information and to contribute you may contact Stephanie Fraser, Nadia De Abreu, Graham Atkinson, Murphy Desouza and Miranda La Rose who are all on Facebook.