Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 21, 2020 (SKNIS): Scores of public and private sector agencies across St. Kitts and Nevis began limited operations on Monday, April 20, 2020, as hundreds of residents returned to work or left their homes to conduct essential business.
The relatively low cases of COVID-19 in the federation, which currently stands at 15, as well as the robust quarantine, testing and contact tracing protocols, allowed health experts to recommend to the government that additional lock-down restrictions can be eased this week.
At Monday’s National Emergency Operations Centre Daily Briefing, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hazel Laws, said residents must pay attention to their health and stay at home if they are feeling unwell.
“The most common symptoms manifested by our local COVID-19 cases include fever, sore throat, dry cough, runny nose and headache. The other patients complained of fatigue or malaise, or a general feeling of weakness or diarrhoea,” CMO Laws stated. She added that other symptoms of the novel coronavirus include loss of taste and smell, and difficulty breathing.
“If you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned above you need to stay at home, do not go to work, and we recommend you call your regular healthcare provider or call 311 for advice as to what to do,” Dr. Laws said.
Advice was also shared to employers who will be conducting operations this week.
“It is your responsibility to make sure that your employees are not experiencing any of the symptoms of COVID-19 while on the job. Remember your actions count,” the CMO stated.
Dr. Laws strongly encouraged employers to ensure that the highest standards of hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, social and physical distancing, cleaning objects and surfaces, are followed.
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