30,000 people in two new key areas, NAT required
Health authorities established yesterday two key areas located around Areia Preta district in which all people living, working, or undergoing any activities for over 30 minutes in those areas since July 22, are required to undergo a mandatory nucleic acid test (NAT).
The information was aired during yesterday’s daily briefing of the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center by the local coordinator of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Leong Iek Hou, which said the measure would affect around 30,000 people.
Leong explained that the basis for such a decision is “the number of cases found within the area,” although according to the reports from the center, no community cases have been found, and the four cases reported for the 24 hours of July 24 to be related to people in red zones of confinement in medical observation hotels.
Still, the official insisted on the need for all people in these areas to undergo one extra NAT which needs to be taken either today (July 26) or tomorrow (July 27), otherwise, the resident’s health code will turn yellow.
The order includes even those groups that have been recently exempted from the citywide mass testing, such as children aged under 3 years old, seniors over 80 years old, and those with disabilities causing them severe mobility issues.
The areas include Areia Preta Urban Park, as well as the areas limited by the Estrada Marginal do Hipódromo and the Avenida de Venceslau de Morais.
Leong justified the decision saying that although in the last two days there were no records of cases in the community, “the situation is not yet ideal. It is too soon to tell if we can reach our goal [of eliminating all the transmission links].”
The same official has called once more on the population to continue to persist in the prevention and control measures, namely by undergoing Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) daily.
She said that on Sunday, the Center recorded some 27,000 people who failed to upload their RAT results to the online platforms, urging them to do so daily to avoid further complications and hassles.
Questioned on the different criteria used this time, only requested of people in these new key areas, to undergo one NAT, she said that this classification in key areas is different from the red or yellow zones as the “background is different.”
“There are cases for which we can’t find the source yet so we need to increase the frequency of NAT. This is to prevent another outbreak as the buildings [in these areas] have stopped being classified as confinement areas but we are still concerned that there might exist some concealed cases,” Leong concluded.
Gov’t to review requirementfor KN95 masks
During the same press briefing the medical director of the Conde de São Januário Hospital Center, Lei Wai Seng, said that the government is considering if it is still necessary to use the N95/KN95 facemasks.
In response to a media inquiry, Lei said that so far, the public hospital has not recorded any cases of people affected by heatstroke after activities outdoors, recommending that those who need to work in the sun drink more water.
The same official also noted that, for the time being, and during the so-called consolidation period, KN95 masks will still be compulsory to help to prevent contagion.
