COVID-19 pretesting before travel not foolproof, says PAHO official

Nadine Wilson- Harris, Staff Reporter

A top public health expert at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has warned that the pretesting of incoming travellers to countries in the region is not a foolproof measure to curtail COVID-19.

In addressing the decision made by some countries to resume non-essential travel, Dr Sylvain Aldighieri, deputy director of emergency management at PAHO, stated that the move is a complex mechanism which includes economical and diplomatic factors.

“The pre-travel testing could create a false sense of security. As an example, a traveller from a location with widespread transmission could be infected between the time the sample was taken and when the person boards the flight, and a negative test could also occur in the early stages of the infection,” he said yesterday during a PAHO virtual press briefing.

Jamaica has established pretesting requirements for persons travelling to the island from Florida, New York, Texas and Arizona.

Persons travelling to Jamaica are generally subjected to testing, risk assessment and screening. 

But health officials are currently trying to clear a 10,000 sample backlog, thereby complicating the process of contact tracing.

Despite the risks posed by reopening borders to international travel, stakeholders in the tourism sector have argued that it is a necessity.

Other countries, such as The Bahamas, for example, have announced bans or placed restrictions on international flights, especially from the US.

Bahamas Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis indicated that his country’s COVID-19 status had deteriorated at an exponential rate since reopening its borders on July 1 when he announced new restriction measures, including banning travellers from the US starting Wednesday.

Aldighieri said countries should ensure that a series of procedures are in place to minimise the risk of importation of COVID-19 following the resumption of non-essential travel.

He also urged officials to put mechanisms in place at the national level to locate incoming international travellers.

“Information should be available for these international travellers regarding the symptoms of COVID-19. Contact tracing procedures must be established and contact tracing teams must be ready to intervene,” he said.

“I would say that the most important is the strengthening of the primary healthcare system. This is the core of the preparedness and response to this kind of situation,” he concluded.

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