Ambassador Liz Thompson is in Barbados and has tested positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
A media statement from the Prime Minister’s Office today said Thompson has no symptoms of the disease and is feeling well.
According to the statement, Thompson travelled to Barbados yesterday afternoon from New York, which is the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States.
“Thompson arrived on a private jet and was tested at Paragon immediately after her arrival. This morning we received information that her test was positive. There was one other passenger on the plane on which the Ambassador travelled. That passenger was also tested; that test is negative.
“Thompson came to Barbados to be at the bedside of her 95-year-old mother who became gravely ill with a heart condition (non-COVID related condition) on the weekend. Given the gravity of her mother’s condition, she was allowed to go to her mother’s bedside. The senior Mrs Thompson is being kept comfortable at her home,” the statement said.
“Since going to her mother’s residence, the Ambassador has had no contact with the members of that household other than her mother. Ms Thompson was wearing a mask from the moment she got off the plane and has been practising physical distancing. She will, from today, go into isolation at Harrison’s Point.
“Despite not having contact with members of the household, the Ministry of Health and Wellness is taking the usual precaution of testing family members. All precautionary measures and protocols are being observed.
“The Ministry of Health and Wellness will continue to deal with this situation as it has all other cases in Barbados,” the statement noted.
Thompson and her family are cooperating fully with the Ministry, but she is appealing to the public not to contact the family given her mother’s very grave and deteriorating condition. (PMO)
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