SMMC staff members at pre-screening station at SMMC’s main entrance
~ No suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case on St. Maarten ~
CAY HILL--The St. Maarten Medical Center’s (SMMC) Outbreak Management Team (OMT) has enacted new precautionary measures to limit the possible exposure to COVID-19 (coronavirus).
SMMC said as of immediately all patients and visitors will be subject to a pre-screening based on a questionnaire that requests some health questions relating to COVID-19 symptoms, travel history and so forth.
These measures are taken with the objective to continue to ensure the safety of SMMC’s patients, staff and visitors alike, which include a pre-screening at SMMC’s main entrance and at the entrance of SMMC’s Care Complex, said SMMC in a press release on Monday.
Patient visiting hours have also been scaled down to twice a day at 11:30am to 12:00pm and 6:00pm to 7:00pm and limited to 1 visitor per patient per visit with children not being allowed to visit until further notice.
SMMC further discourages anyone visiting the hospital that does not have an appointment or is visiting a patient. In addition, travel of SMMC’s medical specialists has been postponed for the coming 4 weeks.
“While we like to reiterate that there are no suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 on St. Maarten (Dutch side) at present, SMMC would like to again highlight the steps to take if you or a family member shows any of the signs of COVID-19 which include fever, cough, and shortness of breath,” said Dr. Felix Holiday SMMC’s Medical Director and Chairman of the Outbreak Management Team (OMT).
“In case you develop these symptoms, it is of utmost importance that you first call your family doctor instead of going there or coming to SMMC in person. A healthcare worker from Collective Prevention Services (CPS) will come to you for testing in case of suspected COVID-19 infection. It is very important that, in case you develop the symptoms, you should home isolate and follow the instructions from your family doctor and CPS. You should also call your family doctor if you have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 or if you have travelled from an area with widespread or ongoing community spread of COVID-19”, Dr. Holiday concluded.
In the interest of public health and in an effort to be proactive in minimizing the transmission of the virus, SMMC requests visitors of patients currently admitted to SMMC to refrain from visiting the hospital if they are experiencing any symptoms which include fever, cough, and shortness of breath, according to the release.
SMMC also urges the public to call the Collective Prevention Services (CPS) hotline 914 (or 542-1122, 542-1222), if they have any questions or require additional information regarding COVID-19.
