St Vincent, Guyana record first covid19 cases

The first case of covid19 has been recorded in St Vincent and the Grenadines, becoming the third English-speaking Caribbean country to have recorded the disease.

The report was confirmed by St Vincent's Minister of Health, Wellness and the Environment, Luke Browne, at a press conference on Wednesday evening in which he said test results had come back positive for a Vincentian female who returned home from the United Kingdom on March 7.

Browne said the woman voluntarily reported her symptoms to health personnel on March 10 and has since been in voluntary isolation at home. He also said his ministry received confirmation of the female’s covid19 status from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).

Earlier on Wednesday, a Guyanese woman was confirmed to be that country's first case and its first death after returning from the US last week. The woman was diagnosed with uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension, but more tests on Wednesday afternoon, after she died, confirmed she had coronavirus, Guyana President David Granger said in an address to the nation.

As part of measures to control the number of covid19 cases, US President Donald Trump, announced he would be sharply restricting travel to the US from more than two dozen European countries for the next 30 days. The ban will apply only to foreign nationals and not to American citizens who had been screened before entering the country. In light of falling stocks, Trump also announced the ban would apply to people and not goods.