Nadine Wilson- Harris, Staff Reporter
A leading public health expert from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned that preliminary tests of travelers entering countries in the region are not an infallible measure to reduce COVID-19.
Addressing the decision made by some countries to resume non-essential travel, Dr. Sylvain Aldighieri, PAHO’s Assistant Director of Emergency Management, stated that the measure is a complex mechanism that includes economic and diplomatic factors.
“The pre-trip tests could create a false sense of security. As an example, a traveler from a place with widespread transmission could become infected between the time the sample was taken and when the person boards the flight, and a negative test could also occur in the early stages of infection, “he said yesterday during a PAHO virtual press conference.
Jamaica has established pre-test requirements for people traveling to the island from Florida, New York, Texas and Arizona.
People traveling to Jamaica generally undergo testing, risk assessment, and screening.
But health officials are currently trying to erase a sample of 10,000 pending orders, complicating the contact tracking process.
Despite the risks posed by reopening the borders to international travel, stakeholders in the tourism sector have argued that it is a necessity.
Other countries, such as the Bahamas, for example, have announced bans or have imposed restrictions on international flights, especially from the US.
Bahamas Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis indicated that his country’s COVID-19 state had deteriorated at an exponential rate since the reopening of its borders on July 1 when he announced new restriction measures, including a ban on US travelers Starting Wednesday.
Aldighieri said countries should ensure that a series of procedures exist to minimize the risk of COVID-19 importation after resumption of spurious travel.
It also urged officials to establish mechanisms at the national level to locate incoming international travelers.
“Information should be available to these international travelers regarding the symptoms of COVID-19. Contact locating procedures must be established and contact locating teams must be ready to intervene, ”he said.
“I would say that the most important thing is the strengthening of the primary health care system. This is the core of the preparation and response to this type of situation, “he concluded.
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