Students studying abroad should be responsible for protecting themselves from Covid-19.
During the PM’s announcement following the first Covid-19 case, members of the public have questioned whether or not Philippine Authorities have lived up to their assurances.
The country was assured that our students would undergo three tests before leaving for Honiara.
The three tests were made possible through the support of the Philippines Red Cross.
In reference to the doubt about the three tests; the Philippines Red Cross instead told this paper in an online interview that students are responsible to protect themselves from the virus.
This means the fight against COVID-19 is not a fight that should be left for authority to deal with, but also students.
“Being swabbed and getting tested for the virus is one thing, but we still have the responsibility to practice safety precautions such as wearing of masks, physical distancing and most importantly, frequently washing of hands in order to be safe from the virus.”
Support the statement, Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr. Jimmie Rodgers during the Media Conference this week said that we all have a role to play to keep our community safe.
Dr Rogers urged the public to continue with frequent hand washing with soap or hand sanitizer, cough or sneeze into bent elbows or sleeve, maintain social distancing of at least 1.5 meter and avoid large gatherings.
“Let’s, all play our part in this fight against COVID-19 so we can come out of it triumphantly,” he said.
Dr Rogers said that perhaps, our student was tested positive on arrival because of the incubation period of the virus.
“That has to do with the incubation period of the virus, so just because we have three negatives do not mean the virus may have exceeded the fourteen days incubation as some can go beyond the fourteen days.
“Any infection caught five days before the flight cannot be picked up during the last test in the Philippines and hence the purpose for the forty-eight hours test we did here following our students’ arrival.
Whatever we missed in the last test, we’ll be able to pick up during the test over here,” he said.
However, he said the good thing is that we pick it up here, and it’s in the quarantine zone here, and because it is in the quarantine zone we keep it there and eliminate it from there.
By FOLLET JOHN
Newsroom, Honiara
