DILI, 21 April 2020 (TATOLI) – A second Portuguese teacher from the town of Liquiça has tested postive for Covid-19, bringing the country’s total to 23 – with one recovered.
Spokesman for the Integrated Crisis Management Centre (CIGC), Sergio Lobo, said fortunately it appears the virus has not spread among the teachers.
“We are doing strict monitoring of the cases in Liquiça district. But today, the epidemiology vigilance team confirmed there is no local transmission, even though there are two positive patients confirmed in Liquiça district,” he said.
On April 6, a Portuguese teacher who had returned to Lisbon from Liquiça tested positive for the virus. The second teacher had been kept in isolation as a “suspected” case, Mr Lobo said, because his test results were inconclusive. However, the Royal Darwin Hospital Laboratory conformed the positive result today.
And he added the result shows Timor-Leste’s own Nation Laboratory in Dili is improving the veracity of its virus testing.
“The test that we sent to Darwin for confirmation was 100% [verified]. That’s why we trust our friends who are working in the National Laboratory, they put so much effort. If we compare with last week we have made great advancement, currently our laboratory is able to compare with [those of] developed countries,” Mr Lobo said.
As of this morning, 23 patients have tested postive, 254 negative, with a further 80 awaiting results. Four patients are being treated as “probable” carriers the virus, and are in isolation.
Mr Lobo said 518 people remain in quarantine, a substantial reduction from the more than 1,000 earlier in April. However, despite the closure of Timor’s borders last week, the sites have not emptied out.
“The number of participants in quarantines continues to increase….there are 20 people [arrived by] ship, another one illegally arrived, and he is now in Tibar; of our National Police (PNTL) officers is also quarantine because he had contact with the [Covid-19] positive passengers while bringing them from the border to Dili,” he said.
Patients have bow tested postive from six quarantine sites: the Lecidere Hotel, Hotel Katua’s, Fortuna Hotel, Timing Hotel, the Novo Horizonte Hotel, as well as the group of Portuguese teachers in Liquiça.
Defence Minister calls for backup on border
Timor-Leste’s Defense Minister, Filomeno Paixão de Jesus, had asked all authorities from administrative posts and villages – especially those near the Indonesian frontier – to help the Border Patrol Unit (UPF) and the Defense force of Timor-Leste to identify Timorese who are arriving illegally, and bring them to mandatory quarantine.
“The Timorese who are coming illegally we should accept them, we can’t prevent them to come to our country…they are our citizens, when we detain them or accept them, we should bring them to mandatory quarantine,” Minister Paixão said, following a meeting with President Francisco Guterres Lu Olo, in Dili.
He added the local authorities were cooperating to stop the virus spreading.
“All of us should contribute to the safety and security of the land borders,” he said.
Journalists: Hortencio Sanchez, Cipriano Colo
Editors: Robert Baird, Agapito dos Santos, Cancio Ximenes
Translation: Nelia Borges
