‘Truthful and accurate’ contact details vital to tackle virus

The Gibraltar Government said it was vital that anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 supplies “truthful and accurate” details of their contacts as a key step to avoiding another lockdown.

No.6 Convent Place made the appeal as it called on the community to unite "in a supreme effort" to defeat Covid-19.

The plea came after the second meeting of Platinum Command in as many days against the backdrop of rising cases.

The meeting was convened to consider the views of the Director of Public Health, Dr Sohail Bhatti, on the evolution of the pandemic here and in other countries that have direct contact with Gibraltar, including the UK, Spain and Morocco.

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo will provide more details on the government’s response to the pandemic at a press conference scheduled for 4pm Thursday.

“The fight against COVID-19 is one that must involve the whole of Gibraltar working as one and united in a supreme effort to defeat the virus,” No.6 said in a statement.

“One of the most important weapons that Gibraltar has deployed in this battle is an aggressive testing and contact tracing campaign.”

Gibraltar’s record of testing per population was described as “one of the best in the world”, with the Government also highlighting the essential nature of contact tracing in the fight to suppress the infection and control the spread.

So far, any individual who has tested positive for the virus has been contacted by the Contact Tracing Bureau and asked to disclose the names of people they have been in close proximity to for a given period of time.

The Government reiterated the need for people to continue self-isolating when requested to in an attempt to keep the virus away from the rest of the populace.

Moreover, the Government stressed the importance of confirmed cases of Covid-19 providing truthful and accurate details of their close contacts so that the virus does not “get away”.

“The objective of the Government and of Public Health Gibraltar is to avoid another lock-down,” the statement added.

“The measures put in place like the wearing of face-masks, testing and contract tracing are designed to prevent it.”

“We are all in this together.”