Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has confirmed that contact tracing has detected an additional COVID-19 case in Dominica.
He made that revelation on his “one on one programme Anou Parly with the Prime Minister” on DBS radio on August 22, 2020.
“I want to say to us that we now have two active COVID-19 cases in Dominica and obviously this will place an added pressure on the health system. But we are prepared, we have never stopped reviewing our plans…we have always said that once we reopen our borders as has been the case in every other country you will see one or two cases coming in,” Skerrit said.
“This is not a time for us to be in any panic mood…we need to just follow the guidelines given to us by the Ministry of Health. Clearly, some of us have been going about in a state of abandonment and not giving any regards to the guidelines. We have to take personal responsibilities for our safety and each other so that we can minimize the risk.”
He continued, “When you come to Dominica you have to stick to the protocol and do the necessary PCR test and be more responsible. I don’t see the need to close the borders; the ministry of health has done a fantastic job. We need the co-operation of each other, when you come to the airport you have to wait but it’s to protect the citizens. Avoid large crowds and gathering and wear masked. No need to panic, tests are being done and we are doing all and expect the patients to recover.”
He called on citizens to be vigilant and stop the stigmatization of people and the community. “We should have no negative stigma and also be vigilant and don’t stigmatized any community, so no need to panic, we have the protocols and guidelines in place let’s just follow it,” Skerrit stated.
Just two days ago health authorities revealed that a Dominican born British national had tested positive for the virus and was quarantined.
This brings the total number of active cases on island to two and the total number of cases to 20.