Let’s all make our holiday safer
The Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) through its National Health Emergency Operation Centre (NHEOC) would like to encourage everyone to work together to ensure a safe Christmas and New Year holiday season.
“Holidays are important but your health and that of your family, friends and relatives should also come first especially in this period”.
NHEOC Incidence Controller (Ag) Dr. Gregory Jilini made this statement in light of the country entering the Christmas and New Year’s festivities.
He explains that while the virus is still contained we must continue to practice COVID-safe behaviors and make it a habit as part of our ongoing preparedness for all possible scenarios including community transmission or outbreak.
“This festive season presents us with an opportunity to further strengthen our preparedness to protect ourselves and our loved ones by undertaking certain measures”, explained Dr. Jilini.
These measures include that any person having COVID-19 like symptoms such as coughing, flu, fever and shortness of breath must avoid unnecessary travelling, wear a mask and self-isolate, refrain from social gathering and contact or send message to nearest clinic or nurse to assist.
As much as possible try and spend the festive season with only a few people and avoid gatherings involving several communities. If these cannot be avoided then ensure that that you attend but practice social distancing of at least a meter at all times, wear face masks, frequently wash hands with soap and water and hand sanitizer and always cough into bent elbows or into a piece of cloth.
Parents are encouraged to maintain good ventilation at homes by keeping windows, louvres open with curtain folded and if you need to visit or gather with people outside your homes, ensure that precautions highlighted above are also undertaken.
If you have slightest doubt as to whether or not a gathering is safe or not, take the safer option to stay at home and where possible, connect via online communication platforms.
Last but not the least, if someone in your family or neighborhood has recently returned from abroad and has COVID-19 symptoms as them to contact 115, 25256 or 21068 to seek medical care.
ENDS///