Several employees at state broadcaster ABS Television were told to self-isolate after a member of staff tested positive for COVID-19.
This was revealed to staff members via a memo from General Manager Erna-Mae Brathwaite.
“We regrettably advise that a member of the Evening shift has tested positive for COVID19”, the memo read adding, “We wish our Colleague a speedy recovery”.
“ALL crew on the evening shift will remain off duty tonight while we conduct internal contact investigations. Members of the News Department who might have come into contact will remain at home or leave immediately as applicable until our initial contact investigations are complete”, Brathwaite advised.
She also said “arrangements have been made for the entire premises to be sanitized prior to the Evening News and again tomorrow”, adding “non-critical personnel will be contacted directly as to their hours of work tomorrow.”
“As you are aware we have been diligent in ensuring that staff members adhere to the prescribed COVID-19 Protocols and Procedures. We have also ensured that the building has been cleaned twice daily to ensure the safety of all staff”, the General Manager said.
“As a consequence of our ongoing efforts, we are confident that risk to our general staff body is well mitigated. We once again request that staff adhere implicitly to guidelines of the Ministry of Health and our COVID-19 internal Bulletins”, she added.
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At some point there would be too many cases to hide.
I think we’re at that point since now we’re bring given more specifics about parties, gyms, and now this.
Rest assured there are many more than 4 cases about.
Maybe not such a great idea to let in thousands of tourists and neither quarantine nor test them.
@ As Predicted, you seem to be quite excited about the outcome of this startling news.. That’s sad! Anyway, I do hope that you are one of the responsible ones who is adhering to the health protocols to prevent the transmission of this deadly virus to your friends & families and to educate them to do likewise….. If you are doing so, I tip my hat to you… Remember, the fight against this invisible enemy, needs to be a united effort and not one to rejoice when we hear that another person has contracted the virus
Disgusted by how the pandemic has been handled here.
Just pretending that you don’t have deaths or cases (so you can keep the tourist $$$ flowing) is not an adequate way to protect your own citizens.
This island could truly be COVID free (or without community spread) if they kept the borders closed or opened them in a sensible way and tested and quarantined EVERYONE who arrived.
What do you sugfest oh wise one. Stay closed forever. Coronavirus aint going anywhere. Get use to it!
There are some real countries that have sought to protect their citizens by not allowing any and every possible disease vector to enter without testing or quarantining.
I guess if you’re a white tourist there’s no way you could spread the disease on the island since they only bother to hassle and quarantine black and brown citizens and visitors (see “Spanish girl”).
You have no idea how long the novel coronavirus will be around, whether a vaccination program will eliminate it, or if it will naturally regress like other viruses have. No one knows these things because it’s a new pathogen.
But governments are supposed to protect their people, and this one has not. You should be angry about that too.
New’s flash white people are also being put in quarantine if they have a A&B passport i know this because I am one of them.
@As predicted
Hope that you are giving thanks to God that you are not yet among the unfortunate statistics. Do not rejoice at the misery of others.
I am trying to figure out why staff received this letter TWO days after it was written and why only today the organization was sprayed down. Management is asleep on this one.
Wasnt this tge same place that had a young staff member transfered becsuse he voiced his concern about practices at the station? Karma is really a female dog.
Nonetheless, I wish a speedy recovery to whoever it is and hope there is no more spread there.
The spread of COVID is inevitable because we are not testing arrivals like Barbados is doing.
Guy Barbados has basically the same protocol we have for persons visiting our shores:
BDS:
Persons travelling to Barbados from High and Medium-Risk countries must have a negativeCOVID-19 test result in order to enter the country. These tests must be taken at an accredited or certified facility/laboratory within 72 hours prior to arrival.
ANU
As of August 9, 2020 the Government of Antigua and Barbuda updated its travel advisory. All passengers arriving by air MUST have a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR (real time polymerase chain reaction) test result, taken within seven (7) days of their flight.
ANU like BDS once said persons present a negative cert and all other lights are green (eg they show no symptoms), they can proceed to their hotel
Within 72 hours is a lot different than 7 days.
“Persons from High-Risk countries with a valid negative COVID-19 PCR test result will be quarantined at a designated holding hotel or approved villa at their own expense, or free of charge at a government facility, and will be monitored daily for the onset of symptoms.”
The US is considered high risk and Barbados is quarantining those folks. Antigua is letting those folks roam freely about the island.
So no, the requirements are not virtually the same.
“Are U.S. citizens required to quarantine? Yes
Persons from High-Risk countries with a valid negative COVID-19 PCR test result will be quarantined at a designated holding hotel or approved villa at their own expense, or free of charge at a government facility, and will be monitored daily for the onset of symptoms. These persons will be quarantined for a period of 14 days with an option to take a second COVID-19 PCR test between 5-7 days after the last test accepted by the Ministry of Health and Wellness. Persons will typically be released once the test result is negative.”
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