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Medical officers spray Indonesian nationals with antiseptic before quarantining them as they arrive in Batam from Wuhan, China, on Sunday. Photo Credit: ANTARA FOTO/ REUTERS
ST. LUCIA — Health officials in St. Lucia have quarantined four St. Lucian nationals returning from China.
The quarantine — in line with St. Lucia protocols put in place to address the new coronavirus — was revealed by St. Lucia Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sharon Belmar-George during a press briefing Tuesday.
As of Wednesday morning, there were more than 500 coronavirus deaths worldwide, the bulk of them being in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak and the place where it is believed to have originated. The new figures from China’s Health Commission on Wednesday showed that 65 people died on Tuesday and that 3,887 more people had been infected for a total of 24,324 infections.
The four St. Lucia nationals showed no signs of the virus, according to Dr. Belmar-George. “First of all, anyone who has returned is completely asymptomatic (showing or producing no symptoms),” she explained, according to St. Lucia News Online. “We have twice daily monitoring. We have no symptomatic case coming from China. According to our protocol if anybody coming from China was symptomatic they would be quarantined at a hospital and not at home.”
Dr. Belma-George added, "“So far we are not concerned. Everybody has been managed according to the guidelines and we are following the protocol to ensure the safety of everybody.
“There’s a level of stigma and discrimination at this point given to oriental persons,” the Chief Medical Officer remarked. “We have been given false alerts that persons who look oriental are being seen as Chinese. What is important is the travel history. You can be of any other nationality and have been in China within 14 days you’d not be allowed in except for if you’re St Lucian.”
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