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Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 13, 2020 (SKNIS): Aggressive contact tracing by the COVID-19 National Task Force has been a critical strategy to contain the spread of the Novel Coronavirus in St. Kitts and Nevis, to date.

In the context of public health, contact tracing involves identifying persons who may have come into close contact with someone infected with a virus.

Health experts around the world have hailed the value of contact tracing.

Medical Chief of Staff of the Joseph N. France General Hospital, Dr. Cameron Wilkinson, said that local authorities pay attention to this important measure whenever confirmed cases are discovered.

“… For the 12 cases that we’ve had here we have had extensive contact tracing, to the point now where we have persons who are quarantined because they were found to be a contact,” he said at the (April 13, 2020) National Emergency Operations Centre COVID-19 Daily Briefing,

Dr. Wilkinson stated that the task force is “ahead of the game” considering that “the first case was diagnosed on the 25^th of [March] and we are now more than one and a half of the incubation period into the disease being in St. Kitts.”

“If things were out of control, we would have a significant number of cases presenting to the hospital with symptoms,” he added.

The medical chief of staff commended the health workers on the frontlines across the twin-island federation. He encouraged them “to keep up the good work” as they labour to keep the country safe.