The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) on Saturday morning confirmed two new cases of COVID-19 on the island.
One case is an imported case. This individual arrived on island from Canada on January 26, 2021 and subsequently developed symptoms while in quarantine. The other case is locally transmitted and is linked to the imported case. Both individuals are currently isolated at their homes.
Since the Ministry has confirmed a case of local transmission, the public is advised to be vigilant and practice the recommended COVID-19 social distancing and precautionary measures.
The Ministry of Health is also strongly urging members of the public to comply with quarantine rules given these latest developments. Persons observed breaching quarantine rules should be reported to the Police.
The Ministry is continuing to conduct contact tracing, and further updates on this will be provided.
As there are new variants of COVID-19 in other countries, the Ministry of Health will also be conducting further tests on the two positive samples to determine whether or not they are positive for any of the new strains. Further testing for the new COVID-19 variants will be done at CARPHA in Trinidad in collaboration with the University of the West Indies. These results are therefore expected within 3 to 5 days.
The Cabinet is meeting today to discuss these new developments and the Government of Montserrat will provide a further update this afternoon (Saturday February 6, 2021) on actions to be taken.
The confirmation of two active cases brings the overall number of confirmed cases on Montserrat since March 2020 to 15.
If you are experiencing symptoms such as cough fever or difficulty breathing contact the Casualty Department at 491-2802/2836/2552
