But Dr Forbes notes situation remains fluid
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Health officials are not suggesting a need for lockdown or more restrictive protocols as the country sees a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, according to Director of the National HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme Dr Nikkiah Forbes.
In an interview with Eyewitness News, Forbes said: “That is not something that we would be in a place to recommend at this time, given that hospitalizations and death are remaining fairly consistent.
“But, again, this situation has been very, very fluid and we continue to watch these increases in cases.”
The Bahamas recorded 85 coronavirus cases on Monday, according to the Ministry of Health. The vast majority of these infections — 81— were on New Providence. The total number of cases was up to 24,045 with 1,383 active as of Monday.
However, there were a record number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in a single day over the weekend, with 330 cases confirmed on Christmas Day.
Last week, the government announced new precautions to mitigate COVID-19 that will see stricter measures at the borders and on social gatherings.
According to the latest rules, indoor gatherings must be limited to no more than 20 people, while outdoor gatherings may have up to 30. These restrictions, however, do not apply to gatherings at hotels.
To enter The Bahamas, a visitor must present a travel health visa and must either be fully vaccinated and present a negative COVID-19 test or health clearance letter, or, if not fully vaccinated, present a negative RT-PCR test or health clearance letter.
Heath Minister Dr Michael Darville advised that the government will announce details for the rollout of free COVID-19 testing on New Providence and will also provide details regarding the distribution of free medical-grade masks.
Forbes noted yesterday that with the increase in infections believed to be caused by the omicron variant, health officials must also review the most recent recommendation from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) before it can make any policy change.
It is acknowledged that the mask-wearing has to be adhered to for the last five days because there is still a rhetorical risk that COVID can be transmitted.
– Director of the National HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme Dr Nikkiah Forbes
In a statement released on Monday, the CDC advised that given the present information about COVID-19 and the omicron variant, it has shortened its recommended isolation and quarantine period for the general population.
The recommended time for isolation will shorten from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to five days, if asymptomatic, followed by five days of wearing a mask when around others.
CDC officials said the change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of COVID-19 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the one to two days prior to onset of symptoms and the two to three days after.
Forbes noted: “It is acknowledged that the mask-wearing has to be adhered to for the last five days because there is still a rhetorical risk that COVID can be transmitted.
“It is one guideline recommendation and that’s the basis of it and there are other recommendations. We will have to weigh all of that in our data and things like adherence to universal mask-wearing before we make any policy decisions on that.”
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