by Dominique Lescott
St. Kitts Nevis (WINN): As of October 6, 2021, the Health Ministry for Antigua and Barbuda has updated its criteria for asymptomatic contacts to be released from quarantine without taking a COVID-19 test.
The Chief Medical Officer Dr. Rhonda Sealey-Thomas in the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment said contacts of COVID-19 cases from quarantine are in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations.
In order to minimize the risk of spreading the virus, the WHO recommends quarantine of contacted persons with confirmed or probable infection for 14 days from the last interaction.
The new changes are based on the WHO recommendation that persons who develop any symptoms at any time during the 14 day quarantine period should be treated as a suspected COVID case. However, if the person in quarantine, remains asymptomatic, they do not need to have a COVID-19 test as a requirement to end their quarantine after the 14 day period.