–In the month of March 2022, the Surinamese Ministry of Health started phasing out Covid-19 on the basis of the epidemiological developments with regard to Covid-19 and the measures have also been gradually phased out. However, the risk of an increase in infections will always be present once the normalization of society’s activities is accomplished. In the past period, a slight increase has been seen in the number of hospital admissions due to Covid-19 infections.
The ministry is closely monitoring these developments and has instructed hospitals to enter an alert phase in order to be able to scale up if more admissions due to Covid-19 arise.
The ministry now wants to emphasize that for the time being only people with a hospital indication will be tested for Covid-19.
Anyone with Covid-19-related complaints can, in accordance with the previous protocol of testing and diagnosis, contact their GP by telephone for advice. People who show mild complaints and are able to work can work with a surgical mouth-nose mask. People who are unable to work can spend several days at home sick.
The ministry emphasizes that people who have not been vaccinated run a greater risk of serious illness and death and therefore recommends that this group still be vaccinated.
Given the mild course of most of the vaccinees, the ministry does not consider it necessary for the time being to take extra precautions. Society is being called upon to take preventive action as much as possible to prevent a Covid-19 infection. This means that it is still strongly advised to put on a face mask in the presence of a large crowd and poorly ventilated areas. The use of sanitizer is still highly recommended.
There is communication with general practitioners, whereby doctors who want to test their patients themselves can qualify for the necessary test material. The tests will be made available to doctors free of charge.
