-in wake of resurgence at Region Six
Eighteen persons attached to the GuySuCo Training Centre-Port Mourant (GTC-PM) recently tested positive for the coronavirus, causing authorities there to close the dormitory for one week while officers from the health ministry sanitised the facility.
Training resumed as normal from last Monday and there are no COVID-19 cases at the facility presently, Manager of the centre Jainarine Sookpaul told Kiskadee Watch yesterday. “We closed for the apprentices, but staff were still operating. We had our evening programmes still going on. It’s just that we closed the dormitory for one week and sent home all of the students,” he shared.
During that period, he said the health authorities visited and conducted sanitary works. “They were there 24 hours; they were very supportive I must say.”
There were also reported cases at the Port Mourant Primary School but the headmistress, who declined to provide her name, said that based on the Ministry of Education’s policy, head teachers are not permitted to speak to media houses. She referred this publication to Regional Education Officer for Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) Pamela Mootoo, but calls to her went unanswered.
On June 8, an announcement was made on the school’s Facebook page that there was going to be no school the following day for Grades One to Six.
“Due to confirmed COVID-19 cases within our school community, there will be no school tomorrow as a precautionary measure.
The school will undergo sanitization, and further updates will be provided as necessary.
Please continue to practice good hygiene, wear masks when needed, and monitor your child’s health,” the notice said.
Meanwhile, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister Kwame Mc Coy posted an interview of Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony who shared that about a week and a half ago, there were 25 cases at the Port Mourant Training School. “Having discovered that a few students were tested positive for COVID, we then tested all of the students who were in that section of the building. Most of them were asymptomatic, so if there was no test done, we would not have known they had COVID,” the minister shared, adding that the individuals were asked to home isolate for a period and are all fine now.
He said there were also a couple of cases at Port Mourant Primary School where precautionary measures are being implemented. According to him, the number of cases remains low, with only a few individuals exhibiting symptoms.
He noted that COVID-19 never really disappeared and that health authorities have continued to record cases and monitor the situation. While a few cases are reported each month, he said many people have become less concerned about the disease and may mistake symptoms for the flu.
Anthony urged anyone experiencing signs and symptoms to visit a health facility and get tested, stressing that what appears to be influenza could in fact be COVID-19. He added that the healthcare system has the capacity to treat infected persons; has ventilators for those who require this level of care, and vaccines which are still available.
The minister said there was no need for panic, as the current increase in cases represent the highest seen in more than a year.
Discussion