(Seychelles News Agency) - The Seychelles Health Authority said on Thursday that it is maintaining the extension of the prohibition of outdoor movement until May 4, four days longer than the April 30 date previously announced.

Public Health Commissioner Jude Gedeon said during a weekly press conference that the additional days will ensure more time for active surveillance and monitoring.

“In Seychelles since our last case on April 6, we have not registered any new case. Monday this week marked 14 days after the confirmation of the last infection and it also completed the first incubation period. After very prolonged and extensive discussions with health experts, it was strongly felt that another 14 days of the incubation period is required to make sure that if any community transmission happens, the chance of capturing the case will be increased. This is why we are moving the outdoor movement restriction to May 4, which is the date which will mark the end of these 14 more days,” explained Gedeon.

According to Gedeon, there will be an amended order to include the extra four days to make sure the extra days are included in the legal provision. The restriction of movement also applies to Praslin and La Digue – the second and third most populated islands, even though no cases of COVID-19 were detected on these islands.

“Come Monday, May 4, it does not mean that Seychelles has won over COVID-19. We do not want to use that word because the threat and risk of the reintroduction of COVID-19 in Seychelles remain real because we do not know if cases are showing no symptoms and in circulation,” warned the health commissioner.

Life is expected to return to some sort of normality after this date, with restrictions being lifted in phases and with some measures still being maintained. These will include stringent hygiene measures in schools, on constructions sites and other areas, especially where there are long queues, such as in shops.

On the issue of when the island nation will open its borders to the outside world and how the visitors will be handled, the health authority said that this will be done with a lot of precautions as there will be pressures with returning Seychellois as well as with GOP holders returning for work.

On the issue of tourism, Seychelles -115 islands in the western Indian Ocean - will continue active surveillance, with rapid tests at the airport, and in the event of new cases, timely action will be taken to prevent transmissions. The authority will also decide which commercial airline will be allowed to come to the islands and Seychelles will still close its border to countries with active cases of COVID-19.

Apart from the good news that there is no new confirmation from the last positive case more than two weeks ago, another positive development in the COVID-19 situation is that all people who were in quarantine have been discharged.

“At Berjaya Beauvallon Bay there are only the six patients who had recovered and are continuing with their rehabilitation. At the Coast Guard, we have admitted three patients who are undergoing testing. We do not have anyone at the Maison de Foot,” Danny Louange, chief executive of the Health Care Agency told the press.  

Danny Louange added that only five patients are at the isolation centre at the Family Hospital at Perseverance amongst whom one has tested negative for COVID-19.