Approximately 250 residents of Cornpiece settlement in Hayes, Clarendon, were yesterday placed under quarantine following the death of a 79-year-old man from the community who tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The disclosure was made by Prime Minister Andrew Holness last evening shortly after his budget presentation in the Parliament, where he also informed the House that the country had confirmed another case of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 16.

Holness said the decision to quarantine a section of the rural community was taken after the family members of the deceased refused to cooperate with Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) officials, having been in contact with several residents in the area since their arrival in the island on March 12.

He noted that on Wednesday a public health team visited Cornpiece, where family members were generally uncooperative and refused to be quarantined without documented proof that the deceased had tested positive for COVID-19.

The MOHW said that this is the first confirmed COVID-19-related death in the island.

“The police were informed and dispatched to the community to allow the public health team to enforce the Home Quarantine Order. Signs and symptoms detection log was conducted and contact elicitation was facilitated. Based on the preliminary assessment of the household contacts, there are no family members and friends who are febrile (showing the symptoms of a fever) and symptomatic of the COVID-19 virus infection.

“Based on the above report, there are several contacts for the deceased in the Cornpiece settlement area.

“These persons would have been exposed to a symptomatic person and have a high risk for infection. The signs and symptoms detection log that was conducted shows that they are all without symptoms presently. The persons so exposed may be incubating the virus. It is critical that they are monitored closely within the next 14 days,” Holness told legislators.

He stressed that early detection of symptoms will allow for early isolation and prevention of transmission of the virus.

“At this time, we are unsure of the number persons in the community that have been so exposed, and require that the community and the family comply with the quarantine order to conduct the necessary contact tracing and investigations. The uncooperativeness of the family members, and reluctance to adhere to quarantine orders, signal the need for escalation to enforcement of the order by security forces,” he said.

Holness added that, in collaboration with the health authorities, the director general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management has given directions to regulate the movement of people, animals and vehicles into, out of, and within Cornpiece, effectively placing the community under quarantine for the next 14 days to allow for the public health investigations to continue.

The deceased arrived in the island from New York on JetBlue flight No 2959. He was accompanied by his wife, son and a grandson.

Holness said the man reportedly stayed at home from his arrival until his visit to the hospital on Monday.

“During his time at home [he] had several visitors from several homes within the community, a time when he would have been most infectious. This included family members from two other households within the same community. He was taken to Lionel Town Hospital after he started experiencing shortness of breath and fever. Based on his deteriorating condition he was transferred to Mandeville Regional Hospital for continued management,” said Holness.

In the meantime, the prime minister said the latest confirmed patient, who also has a travel history from New York on March 10, 2020, has been isolated at St Ann’s Bay Hospital since Tuesday.

He added that there are 39 people currently in isolation at hospitals across the island, 25 in Government quarantine facilities, and 99 under in-home quarantine. Of the 16 confirmed cases, 11 are imported, and five are contacts of the first patient (patient 1). Of the 11 imported cases, six are Jamaicans.

He said contact tracing and monitoring are under way for the confirmed cases and 577 contacts are being followed.

Holness said that since the advent of the first case, the MOHW has conducted 80 tests with a positive yield of 20 per cent.