“Confirm Spread Of The Virus Within The Facility”
“Unfortunately, these results confirm spread of the virus within the facility,” Minister of Health Kim Wilson said yesterday [April 12] after she confirmed that two residents and two staff members at the Matilda Smith Williams Seniors Residence have tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus.
Minister Wilson said, “Regrettably, I must inform the public of some disappointing news which I learned of this afternoon. Today the Ministry of Health Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit [ESU] received laboratory confirmation of Covid-19 in two residents and two staff members at the Matilda Smith Williams Seniors Residence. Unfortunately, these results confirm spread of the virus within the facility. As a result, all residents and staff will undergo testing for Covid-19.
“The outbreak is being managed by strategies put in place prior to the cases being confirmed and these will continue and include: no visitors to the facility, emphasis on infection prevention and control hygiene practices, enhanced daily monitoring of staff and residents’ health, isolation of any symptomatic individuals, and exclusion from work of any staff with symptoms consistent with Covid-19. Enhanced cleaning and disinfection is taking place. The investigation is ongoing.
“This news today underscores the importance of our decision to amend Bermuda’s Residential Care and Nursing Homes Regulations to prevent employees from working at more than one site where there is a risk of communicable disease spread, which I announced yesterday. We hope this will safeguard our residents from Covid-19 by eliminating any potential transfer of the disease among the different long-term care homes by unknowing staff members.”
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The fact that Govt had to amend regulations to stop staff working at more than one rest home is an admission that this practice was ongoing.
In which case, with two staff infected with COVID-19, what is happening at other homes to test to see if residents and staff have contracted the virus?
The Minister said she announced the amended regulations ‘yesterday’ which means, what, Saturday or Friday?
As a person can show no signs of illness for days, that means these two staff could have worked elsewhere.
Is this the case?
Will these be recorded as community transmission or stuck in the “under investigation” indefinitely with the rest of the community transmission cases? At some point the govt has to admit that community transmission is here! Only then will people take this seriously.
I think that how the rest home clients got it is straightforward . The question is , where did the staff members get it ?
“The outbreak is being managed by strategies put in place prior to the cases being confirmed…”
Put in place PRIOR to?
Well it’s quite clear those strategies AREN’T working.
It’s not working because members of the public feel rules don’t apply to them. Look on Facebook at the number of people driving around taking pictures to post on their Facebook page, going over friends & family houses for Easter dinners, having house parties, etc. You’re supposed to be allowed out for exercise for one hour a day yet you see people casually walking around talking to neighbors all day long (then want to get cross with you when you call them out for it, telling you to mind your business. Well, it is my business if your selfish acts are potentially affecting the whole island) There’s a curfew in place yet you can still hear traffic driving by well after curfew and about time you contact authorities the traffic is long gone. Then you have the fools spreading false information stating this is all a grand conspiracy to sell the public a cellular service & strip them of their rights under the cover of a false disease. Thus getting people to start to ignore the rules laid in place because they’ve been lead to believe there is nothing to fear & this is all a case of “The Man” exerting mind control over the masses. This situation is going to be dragged on far longer than it has to because of these selfish acts of entitlement & stupidity.
Are all establishments open to the public using a thermometer on employees?