John Culatto
STRICTER measures are being put in place to fight Coronavirus after it emerged ten people recently arrived from Asia are in ‘self-isolation’ on the Rock.
The virus has now been renamed COVID-19 by the World Health Organisation who called it ‘a very grave threat’ to the world.
The virus originating in China has already killed 1,000 people around the world, with nearly 50,000 people being infected.
In Gibraltar, the government issued a set of new rules requiring people to report to the authorities when they arrive from East Asia where the virus hit hardest.
The Civil Contingencies Act comes after close contact with Public Health England with the virus spreading quickly in the UK.
“These regulations allow for the screening and imposition of restrictions and requirements on persons who meet certain conditions,” said the Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA).
“These include there being reasonable grounds to suspect the person may be infected or contaminated, or has left a country listed in the schedule to the regulations within 14 days of their arrival in Gibraltar.”
Anyone arriving a list of countries including China, Hong Kong, Japan and Malaysia from now on must report to a Borders and Coastguard Officer or Port officer.
If they have arrived in the last 14 days, they must self-isolate for 14 days and phone the GHA on 111 to declare recent travel.
Failure to comply with these measures could lead to them being ‘imposed by regulation’, said the government.
The health service is in close coordination with employers and other government departments to increase ‘front-line’ awareness.
Civil service heads have advised employees on ‘frequent, effective hand-washing and the catch it, kill it, bin it technique to prevent the spread of viruses and other infections’.
Despite recent terror attacks and the spread of the COVID-19 virus the Civil Contingencies Committee did not changed the threat level in Gibraltar at its last meeting this week.
The departing governor Ed Davis chaired the committee for the last time, that decided that while the a terrorist attack remained ‘likely’ there was ‘no direct threat to Gibraltar’.
