CLARENDON: Sandy Bay under quarantine – Rising COVID cases, breaches by church among issues
August 6, 2020The Ministry of Health and Wellness this morning announced that the Sandy Bay area of Clarendon is under a 14-day quarantine in an effort to slow the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The quarantine, which runs from 6AM today (August 6) to 6AM on August 20, restricts the movement of people within the specified area.
The health ministry said the increase in cases in the Sandy Bay area appears to be linked to breaches of protocols, which were established to minimize the spread of the highly contagious and potentially deadly virus.
It explained: “Two positive cases of COVID-19 are admitted at the May Pen Hospital [in Clarendon]. Case investigations and contact tracing have been carried out that have yielded six positive contacts of these two hospitalized cases – including an imported case.
“A community surveillance was carried out in Sandy Bay and neighbouring communities, where there is significant cause for concern because of lack of adherence to infection prevention and control measures. Crowd gathering was noted without use of face masks in one church where several persons with respiratory illnesses were noted. Members of the church have been found to be positive,” the health ministry further said.
It added that another 13 persons have been found with COVID-19 symptoms and have been sampled.
There are also two confirmed cases and a suspected case from Rosewell – a community that neighbours the Sandy Bay area and from which several persons attend the same church.
The health ministry continued: “Due to the number of positive cases and the number of persons with symptoms in the community, the health authorities have concluded that there is considerable risk of further transmission and infection in this community.”
It explained that exposed persons in the Sandy Bay area may develop infection and cause spread to other members in the communities, resulting in a rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.
“This is due to the high movement of persons within the affected households within the community; the high population density of the area identified; and the high vulnerability of persons within the community to severe illness due to age, comorbidities and other socio-economic factors,” the health ministry further said.
It added that the quarantine will facilitate the following:
- Further testing of members of the community
- Close monitoring of members of the community for development of symptoms
- Early containment of newly detected cases
- Prevention of new exposures and transmission of disease
- Education of members of the communities of Infection Prevention and Control measures
The boundaries for the quarantine are:
EAST – The boundary will run from its start point, which is the intersection of Montgomery Boulevard and Sabal Drive, and will continue in a southerly direction to its intersection with the Rose Hall to Sandy Bay Road, and then south-westerly to the Green Park to Freetown Road, and then south-easterly along this road to the intersection with Pacific Avenue.
SOUTH – The boundary will continue easterly from the intersection of the Green Park to Freetown Road, and Pacific Avenue to the river.
WEST – The boundary will then continue in a northerly direction from the river in the vicinity of Pacific Avenue, to its intersection with the Green Park to Freetown Road.
NORTH – The boundary will continue in a north-easterly direction from the intersection of the river and the Green Park to Freetown Road, onto an unnamed road, and then to its intersection with the Sandy Bay to Roswell Road, then moving southerly along the Sandy Bay to Roswell Road to its intersection with Sabal Drive and then easterly along this road to the intersection with Montgomery Boulevard.
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