COVID-19 Cases In Grenada Move Past 70 Amid Sandals Cluster

By News Americas Staff Writer

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Thurs. Dec. 17, 2020: Health authorities in Grenada are now fighting to contain an outbreak of COVID-19 there as the confirmed cases past 70 on Wednesday and authorities instituted a partial lock-down.

Twenty-six people tested positive for the virus at the Sandals all-inclusive resort in Grenada, pushing the case load to 71 to date. However, no deaths have been reported.

The cluster event has seen resort guests, staff and their contacts testing positive, with Grenada’s acting chief medical officer, Dr Shawn Charles, warning that the number of confirmed cases “is likely to increase significantly” once more test results are processed.

The cluster was discovered during routine employee testing on Friday and Saturday, Grenada’s Ministry of Health said in a statement.  A Sandals resort spokesperson told The Washington Post that the resort remains open to current guests but is not allowing new visitors to check in at this time.

The government had previously reported no more than six new coronavirus cases in a single day, according to data from the World Health Organization.

“The magnitude of this new cluster of cases means it is not business as usual during this holiday season,” Grenada Prime Minister Keith Mitchell said in a public address.

Thirteen of Grenada’s new COVID-19 cases live in the same household as a staff member, Mitchell said. And several households linked to the resort are under quarantine, the Ministry of Health reported.

The government now requires non-essential businesses and public transportation to close at 10 p.m. and have restricted restaurants and bars to takeout and delivery only. It is also urging people to limit gatherings to 10 people.

Grenada already requires visitors to test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of their travel to the country.