Three more seafarers working on Spanish tuna vessels in Seychelles have tested positive for COVID-19, while travelers from France are no longer allowed in the island nation because of rising virus cases there.
The Public Health Commissioner, Jude Gedeon, told a weekly press conference on Tuesday that the new confirmations bring the total number of active cases to nine.
Gedeon said that the infected seafarers are being kept in isolation at sea onboard their vessel. “And their colleague seafarers who had had contact with them are also in quarantine but on a separate ship for the next 14 days from the date they were tested,” Gedeon explained.
The three new positives bring the total COVID cases on the island nation to 136 out of which 127 have recovered. In all 59 people are in quarantine including those at the main quarantine facility at Berjaya Hotel on the main island of Mahe.
The authority also said that it has revised the list of countries from which visitors are permitted to travel to Seychelles – 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean. As of this week, 28 countries are on the list compared to 31 countries last week. Since last week, France – one of the main tourism markets for Seychelles in Europe – are not on the revised list.
Gedeon added that the list will be continued to be reviewed taking into account the latest COVID-19 developments in the world. The Public Health Commissioner explained that criteria used to assess these countries include “trends in an outbreak in the country, the potential for travellers to be infected, testing pattern and policy and the ratio of recent cases.”
It was also revealed at the conference that since the re-opening of the Seychelles International Airport for commercial flights on August 1, 2,476 visitors arrived in Seychelles. Amongst which the majority are from the United Arabs Emirates.
Gedeon reiterated that all precautions must be taken to contain the spread of COVID-19 and reiterated the need for hand sanitization, and physical distancing, adding that mass gatherings, music shows – whether in restaurants, hotels and other venues – are still not permitted
Source: Seychelles News Agency
