Covid-19: 26 contacts of positive case in Manadhoo, home-quarantined

26 individuals have been quarantined following contact tracing in Manadhoo island of Noonu atoll.

Speaking on RaajjeTV’s live Covid-19 coverage, the island’s Atoll Hospital Manager Ismail Shafeeq revealed that authorities have completed the contact tracing procedure on the island following which 26 individuals were placed in home quarantine.

He cited the island council having confirmed this as well.

Shafeeq further stated that there are a few contacts identified as high-risk, mostly elders.

Following the discovery of a Covid-19 case on the island, the Atoll Hospital has been continuously providing instructions and will cooperate with the island council and police stationed on the island to conduct the necessary investigations should a home-quarantined contact violate quarantine guidelines.

In addition, the hospital manager noted that the patient was not home when they went to find the patient and that they had been informed that the patient was out swimming with a group of others.

Shafeeq assured the people that they will look into any issue that is their responsibility to probe.

The hospital manager further stressed that they have been facing numerous hindrances and difficulties due to the monitoring measures placed on the island, particularly in conducting scans for patients and transferring patients to nearby islands where health facilities are accessible.

Shafeeq stressed that they have also been receiving a number of complaints regarding those in home quarantine such as violating the quarantine orders and stepping outside which is prohibited.

In this regard, the hospital manager urged those in home quarantine to adhere to quarantine guidelines and remain isolated until their 14-day period is over and until their test results come back negative. He appealed on the atoll residents to adhere to the guidelines and instructions provided by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) to slow the spread of the coronavirus infection, effectively.

Monitoring measures were placed in Manadhoo island on Friday, after an individual in home quarantine tested positive for the global pandemic. Entry and exit from the island has been prohibited, as ordered by the Director General of Public Health, Maimoona Aboobakuru.

The island council confirmed that an individual in home quarantine had tested positive for the infection upon the expiration of the 14-day period. Nine Covid-19 cases were confirmed from the island previously as well.