03 February 2021
COVID-19 Public Update
KEMH TESTING
• Total number of swab tests taken and processed to date: 6,878
• Total number of swabs taken but not yet tested: 0
• Total number of positive test results since 3 April 2020: 45
• Number of current positive test results within the Islands: 9
There are currently nine individuals who have tested positive for Covid-19, all are in quarantine or self-isolation. One person has been admitted to KEMH for medical support. Following this admission, KEMH has reviewed its clinical processes and practices in order to ensure that as many precautions are in place as possible; these are as follows:
• KEMH has separate teams working in the hot and cold areas of the hospital to try and avoid crossover between these areas
• Hot staff are being lateral flow tested every three days and are socially distancing
• All staff are now wearing masks for the time being, no matter where they work in KEMH
• Some clinics may be cancelled or moved due to changes in weighting clinical staff and ensuring there is enough cover for the hot and cold areas of the hospital
These measures have been put in place as a precaution and there is no cause for alarm. This hospital is aiming to ensure that it can operate as safely as possible and the delivery of the vaccination programme next week should not be impacted by these changes.
ILLNESS REMINDER
As a timely reminder that we should all continue to be vigilant in terms of illness, KEMH has asked that we all should pay attention to the symptoms of Covid-19, which are:
• A new or worsening cough
• A high temperature
• Shortness of breath
• Sore throat
• Sneezing and runny nose
• Temporary loss of taste or smell
If you are unwell with a viral-type illness, KEMH asks you to call them on 28000 but DO NOT go to the hospital as staff will provide advice on the phone. People are also reminded to continue to exercise good hygiene practices including washing your hands often and, if you sneeze or cough, do so into the crook of your arm or into a tissue that you then dispose of.
QUARANTINE REQUIREMENTS
As a reminder, our quarantine measures are reviewed every 42 days, in line with the requirements of the Infectious Diseases Control Regulations 2020. We have recently been undergoing our fifth review of which involves detailed analysis of local policies, the global situation, our links with affected countries, and the latest public health evidence and data.
ExCo has today approved a new set of quarantine regulations, which will come into force on 8 February, meaning they will apply to people arriving into the Falkland Islands from 15 February 2021 onwards. The mandatory requirement to undertake quarantine for 14 days is still in place, however, the updated legislation will now prohibit people from sharing the same accommodation with anyone else during their quarantine period, unless everyone else in that place of quarantine undertakes quarantine at the same time. Previously people were able to undertake quarantine in shared accommodation, provided they remained separate.
New guidance will soon be available on the FIG website, so please visit: https://fig.gov.fk/covid-19/quarantine
NON-ESSENTIAL VISITORS POLICY
ExCo has also agreed a change has also been made to the non-essential visitors policy, with conservation and environmental specialists having been removed as a separate category. This change was made to ensure that only specialists with a genuine business need can enter the Islands and to prevent any misunderstanding of the category. The policy is due to remain in place until at least 31 March 2021. These changes seek to further tighten requirements in order to protect public health, particularly in light of new strains of coronavirus circulating within the UK.
INTERNATIONAL AIRLINKS UPDATE
As announced on 1 February 2021, commercial airlinks with both Chile and Brazil will remain suspended for a further three months until 29 June 2021. This follows a robust review of the current complexities surrounding the worldwide pandemic, in particular travel restrictions, global border controls and the emergence of new variants of the coronavirus. The situation will be kept under review and any further developments will be communicated to the public in due course.
ACCESS TO MPC
Further to the two recent announcements concerning restricted access to MPC following the news that two clinicians had tested positive for Covid-19, further contact tracing and testing has taken place. Since then a third and fourth medical officer, who are already in isolation, have also tested positive. Tracking and testing for contacts of the two new cases is now complete and has identified a contact who is resident in Stanley, but works at MPC. This resident and their household has tested negative for Covid-19 but, as a precautionary measure, they are also now in isolation.
This means that travel to and from MPC should not be undertaken unless absolutely essential. People should not put themselves at risk and should speak to their employers in order to limit their movements on and off MPC as much as possible. This includes Mount Pleasant Airfield, Mount Pleasant Head Quarters, RADCON, East Cove Military Ports (Mare Harbour Port) and mountain sites.
FISHERIES UPDATE
Finally, it will not have escaped people’s notice that vessels have started to arrive in Stanley Harbour in advance of the 2021 fishing season. It’s important to reiterate that, prior
to entering Falkland Island territorial waters, each vessel is required to make a formal medical declaration that they are ‘clean’.
The definition of a ‘clean’ vessel means that they must meet the following conditions:
• Spent a minimum of two weeks quarantining at sea
• Do not have any crew members demonstrating symptoms
• Do not have any active cases of Covid-19 on board
This means that all vessels which are currently in the harbour, or which will be arriving in the coming weeks will only have ‘clean’ crew aboard. Any member of crew coming ashore, which will generally be for the purposes of safety training, will also be conveyed directly from their vessel to the Town Hall and then back again. They will also be temperature tested prior to departing the vessel and will all wear masks throughout the entire process.
Additionally, license briefings and vessel inspections will take place in the normal manner but, where requested, briefings will be delivered remotely.
The next monthly Covid-19 update for the Falkland Islands will be on 3 March 2021.