THE BOTTOM- Saba authorities over the weekend decided to eliminate the strict home quarantine for persons who have been in close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19. The measure, which goes into effect per Tuesday, March 29, will be replaced by a close contact monitoring system.

“To allow our society to function effectively, we have decided to remove strict home quarantine and replace it with a close contact monitoring system. The Public Health Department will assist positive cases in identifying close contacts,” stated Island Governor Jonathan Johnson in an audio message on Sunday. 

Saba has a very high vaccination rate which reduces the risk of severe disease from COVID-19 and the overburdening of the healthcare system. Also, the current dominant Omicron strain, although highly transmissible, causes less severe illness and reduced hospitalizations than previous COVID-19 variants.