Dr Hinds: Rowley contacts, two weeks before he got covid19, safe

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley at the PNM Spiritual Shouter Baptist Liberation Day, Government Campus, Port of Spain on March 27. Rowley tested positive for covid19 on April 6. Photo by Vidya Thurab -
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley at the PNM Spiritual Shouter Baptist Liberation Day, Government Campus, Port of Spain on March 27. Rowley tested positive for covid19 on April 6. Photo by Vidya Thurab -

Epidemiologist Dr Avery Hinds on Saturday said anyone who was in contact with the Prime Minister two weeks before he got covid19 were safe from getting the virus.

He assured there should not be any alarm over infections related to the Prime Minister’s case.

The matter of contact tracing has been raised extensively in the public domain after Dr Rowley tested positive on April 6. He has since been quarantined at the PM's official residence in Blenheim, Tobago, but has been working via online meetings and conference calls.

“The people who would have been in contact with him (Rowley) at the press conference on March 27, or in Parliament, would fall long before the onset of symptoms," Hinds said at the Ministry of Health virtual media conference.

"The queries that have come about for contact tracing around that period really doesn’t apply. Contact tracing is done two days back from the date the person was tested positive for the virus," he said.

“Contract tracing has been carried out and all relevant individuals who would have been in relevant contact would have been placed into quarantine and testing would have been done.”

Hinds said the method of contact tracing was done in keeping with the World Health Organization’s guidelines, which was last updated on February 21.

On Friday, Opposition MPs boycotted the sitting of the House of Representatives over fears of a spread of the covid19 virus within the Parliament.

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said government broke its own laws as stated in section 12 of the coronavirus regulation No 7, which empowered the Health Minister to take necessary action when someone has been exposed or infected by the covid19 virus.

She added that people who were in contact with Rowley, including Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh and Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram, should be in isolation.

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"Dr Hinds: Rowley contacts, two weeks before he got covid19, safe"

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