(Trinidad Express) While Covid-19 cases continue to increase in the Americas, a package of measures has been used to mount an effective fight against the virus in Trinidad and Tobago.

Concerning the borders she said, “In the case of Trinidad, bringing back persons in such a way that they know the health system would not be overwhelmed, has been something that has also protected us … In our case, we are an island state so we do have the capacity to determine who comes into the country and very early on there was a determination that certain countries it was not safe to have persons coming in, so we did eventually also closed our borders.”

Wheeler was responding to the question of what this country has been doing right and the lessons that can be learnt while Covid-19 cases rise in other countries in the Americas.

She said that there has been continued testing when a person has been identified as having Covid-19 and the ensuring of extensive vigorous and rigorous contact tracing and testing of these individuals “It is an issue of detecting, tracing, treating, isolating, quarantining, all of those things together … What we’ve also been doing is instituting all of the public health measures that WHO and PAHO have suggested which we keep repeating but it is necessary because it’s not common for people to do but observing the physical distancing, the cough etiquette, the hygiene, ensuring also too that there is a system whereby you can house people who’ve been identified as suspected cases but also having the capacity in the health system to treat those who have been identified as having Covid-19.”

She added, “You have to have your health system that’s prepared and equipped and your health workers who are competent enough to treat those who have been diagnosed and who are in hospital and then you also have to have facilities where you can observe people who have been identified as being in contact with someone who contracted Covid-19.”