PLP Covid 19 Protection
From Eyewitness News
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Progressive Liberal Party’s COVID-19 task force is calling on the government to partner with local telecommunications providers to develop a cell phone app that would track individuals in quarantine or isolation at home.
The task force said it believes many people in self-quarantine were not following the protocols and still interacting with the public.
It called for the mandatory government isolation of all positive COVID-19 patients, and outlined recommendations to boost contact tracing efforts in a report released today.
Among those recommendations are plans for telecommunication providers Aliv and BTC to provide technology and infrastructure to assist monitoring.
“The government must work with BTC and Aliv to develop a cellular screening app to monitor persons in self-quarantine, to trace their whereabouts and if the phone is turned off, that could mean a breach in the agreement forcing that person into a government quarantine facility,” it stated.
“We are also advocating for the government to establish stricter protocols for individuals to be able to self-quarantine. For example, attention should be paid to the home environment, house size, water and electricity, the overall hygiene and number of occupants in the home.
“We are still not sure of the testing protocols for those in quarantine but recommend that all be tested at some point during the possible incubation period. Those who have tested positive should be immediately referred to the contact tracing team, and the algorithm continued.”
The task force suggested the government utilize a “hotel-like a facility with a cafeteria and adequate toilet facility”, adding the state must also be prepared to house and feed them for up to a month.
Testing
The party’s task force also renewed demands for officials to aggressively increase random testing as part of strategic initiatives to manage the crisis.
To this end, it suggested the government partner with private laboratories in Grand Bahama to decentralize testing for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
“To date, just under 500 people have been tested,” the report stated.