PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten has a new case of coronavirus COVID-19, announced Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA Richard Panneflek during the live virtual Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday morning. This brings the country’s total number of confirmed cases to 79.
Panneflek said the person was referred to the Health Ministry’s Collective Protective Services (CPS) for coronavirus testing by a general practitioner because the person displayed flu-like symptoms. CPS tested the person on Tuesday and after being tested the person was ordered to isolate at home, said Panneflek.
He did not disclose the person’s age or whether the new case is a man or a woman.
It is unclear how the new case contracted the disease. The person has not recently travelled and has had no contact with other confirmed cases, said Panneflek.
He said CPS has begun contact tracing for this case and will quarantine all everyone the person has come in contact with.
Panneflek urges persons to adhere to public health measures aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19, such as social distancing, wash hands as often as possible, and wearing masks in public.
