The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Health Minister Dr Duane Sands said the potential exposure of dozens of government officials to a House of Assembly staffer who tested positive for COVID-19 warrants a full investigation by public health officials.

“This ‘event’ warrants a full case investigation by public health, contact tracing and individual recommendations,” he said yesterday.

A parliament employee who tested positive interacted with elected officials last week.

However, parliamentarians are not going into quarantine and it is unclear how many of them will be tested. House Speaker Halson Moultrie has said he and parliamentary clerk David Forbes both tested negative for COVID-19 this week.

In a statement on Tuesday, Cabinet Office said: “Persons who interacted with the employee, without following the preventative measures of wearing a mask, maintaining physical distance and limiting the time spent with the employee to less than 15 minutes will be required to quarantine.”

Some have questioned whether the elected officials have taken adequate measures following the incident.

Dr Sands said yesterday: “I believe that every parliamentarian and staff member should be assessed to determine risk and extent of exposure. Each should then comply with the public health strategy appropriate to the risk. One solution will not fit all. All should be assessed however. I would recommend that everyone be counselled and a frank assessment of risk be made. I have been tested this week. I was in the House wearing a properly fitting N95 mask. I take care of COVID positive patients every day and have done so for the last month. For me, this is a new reality, and my test was negative.”

Picewell Forbes, leader of opposition business in the House, said this week opposition members did not attend Wednesday’s brief sitting as a precaution. Only a handful of members, a little more than a quorum, were at Wednesday’s sitting.

Parliament has since been adjourned to September 23.