The Ministry of Health wishes to provide the general public with an update on the increase in cases which have been reported over the past two weeks.
The TCI has now recorded a total of 874 cases of Covid-19 with 6 deaths. There are currently 104 active cases with 85 active cases in Providenciales and 19 active cases in Grand Turk. One person is currently hospitalized in Grand Turk and one person is hospitalized in Providenciales. Contact tracing and quarantine activities are ongoing by the Public Health Team.
The recent active cases represent several clusters which include clusters associated with the accommodation sector and Her Majesty’s Prison as well as cases from the community.
Public Health Teams are continuing their activities including the implementation of the relevant control measures in each setting. The general public is being reminded that anyone experiencing symptoms of Covid-19 which include; fever, cough, shortness of breath, diarrhea, loss of sense of taste or smell, should remain at home and contact the Health Hotlines on 333-0911 or 232-9444.
If you have been in contact with a confirmed case, please contact the hotlines for screening.
All persons who have tested positive are reminded that they are legally required to comply with quarantine orders issued by the Public Health Team. They are also required to cooperate fully with contact tracing in order to assist the Team in identifying any other persons who may have been exposed in order to ensure that they are quarantined.
Turks and Caicos Islands Public and Environmental Health (COVID-19 Pandemic) Regulations 2020 (as amended) to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the islands -
Every person is required to wear a face mask or face covering, covering his nose and mouth, when in a public place – a public place is any place outside of a person’s person residence – including any place on a hotel property outside of a person’s hotel room (reg. 4);
A business cannot admit any person into the business premises if the person is not wearing a face mask (reg. 4);
Every person in any public place (including any business) must distance themselves from other persons at a minimum of six feet (6ft.) from any other person - a person may be charged or ticketed as well as a business (reg. 5 and 6);
A public health officer or a police officer may order the immediate closure of a business or part of the business for failure of the business to comply with the physical distancing protocol (reg. 6);
Any person who, in the opinion of the Chief Medical Officer or a health officer, has been exposed to the risk of infection by COVID-19, may, at the discretion of the Chief Medical Officer or health officer, be required to remain at home or such other place of quarantine (reg. 8);
Every person is required to provide the Chief Medical Officer with such information as the Chief Medical Officer considers necessary to assess what precautions should be taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the Islands – this includes providing contact information (reg. 10);
No person can obstruct the Chief Medical Officer, any health officer, public officer, police officer, any other law enforcement officer, or any prison officer, acting in the course of his duty – failing to provide the names of contact persons or truthful information on the places visited to aid in contact tracing is obstruction (reg. 15).
The purpose of these and other Regulations is to prevent further spread of Covid-19 within the communities. On the spot tickets may be issued for some of these offences and penalties apply up to $5,000. All communities throughout the TCI should remain vigilant in practicing the public health measures at all times in order to prevent the spread of TCI. Absence of confirmed cases on any given island does not mean that that community can relax their compliance with the measures.
With the upcoming New Year and any planned gatherings or celebrations, persons are reminded to comply with the law as it relates to restrictions on the sizes of public gatherings, the wearing of face coverings as well as social distancing. Avoid any mass gatherings which do not comply with the Public and Environmental Health Covi-19 Control Measures Regulations. Businesses are also reminded to comply with Covid19 measures in order to avoid being closed and or fined.
Preventing the spread of Covid-19 in the TCI is everyone’s business as we all have the tools to keep ourselves, our loved ones and our communities safe by adhering to the guidance which has been provided by the MOH.
More information can be found on the Ministry of Health’s website or Facebook page (www.gov.tc/moh/coronavirus/ or www.facebook.com/tcihealthpromotions/).
