Noting that there “have been many queries around whether parents of quarantined, asymptomatic school-aged children should also be in quarantine,” the Government issued a statement from the Chief Medical Officer.
The Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ayoola Oyinloye explains: “The Ministry of Health’s Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit [ESU] will contact you if you are identified as having a risk of exposure. If you are identified as a close contact and asked to quarantine, you will be advised by the Ministry of Health’s Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit.
“You will be told when and how to quarantine and the testing protocol to follow. Your tests will be different from that of the traveller testing guidance because the risks are different. Please only follow the quarantine and testing advice given to you by the ESU.”
“When it comes to households with multiple siblings, if you are able to quarantine the affected sibling away from the other sibling[s] and parent, the non-affected sibling may still attend school, and the other parent can go to work. If you are not able to keep the household members apart, then both siblings should quarantine, and the parents should not attend work.”
“Please note that just because persons have been quarantined – this doesn’t mean they are carrying the virus. The person may have had a potential exposure to someone who is confirmed as having tested positive for the virus that causes COVID disease. They may or may not go on to test positive themselves. This is a very important distinction.”
“Members of the public can find guidance on how and when to quarantine on the following documents, which are located on coronavirus.gov.bm. Please visit gov.bm/coronavirus for all the latest reliable updates and guidance on the coronavirus.”
