The entire western division of the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) is now on high alert after a civilian employee at the division’s headquarters at Gouyave tested positive for the virus from a COVID-19 Rapid test.
The individual, a clerical officer within the Immigration division at Gouyave Police Station began feeling unwell and a Rapid test was administered by health officers in the district.
Head of Police Community Relations of the police force, Superintendent Vannie Curwen confirmed this development late Thursday and said the person was sent home and is now in self-isolation while the result of a PCR test is pending and expected by Friday.
Curwen said at this stage they cannot say definitively that the RGPF has its first case of COVID-19 because the Rapid test is not conclusive and since this is not the first time that someone connected to the force had tested positive in a Rapid test and negative in a laboratory PCR test.
As a result of the situation involving the Immigration worker, Supt Curwen said “the entire western division is on lockdown”.
He stated that while the four main stations within the district are not closed to serving the public all precautions and protocols that are required under the circumstances have been deployed.
Supt Curwen said that while the individual works at the Gouyave station it was necessary to lockdown the whole division and conduct mass testing among officers because Gouyave is the headquarters of the division and there is constant contact among the stations.
“Transportation and correspondence go from one station to another,” he explained.
Supt Curwen said that at this time they cannot say whom the individual came in contact with and because the situation involves the police force they will ask the Ministry of Health to expedite the PCR test.
He said that once the results are available, negative or positive, a statement will be released.
Earlier this week Acting Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Shawn Charles and Minister for Health Nickolas Steele announced that Grenada is in the midst of COVID-19 outbreak, which they sought to link to illegal carnival activities just over a week ago.
In the last two weeks, there has been a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases on the island, 26 in the last three weeks bringing Grenada 16-month total to 196.
One person is now hospitalised.
In recent days, Gouyave has emerged as one of the hotbed areas in the country that has seen a few cases of Covid-19.
An employee at one of the leading hotels on the island is now in quarantine after he tested positive for the virus.
A female employee at the same hotel who travelled in a vehicle with her male counterpart was tested today for the virus and is awaiting her results.