This afternoon, a story travelling at the speed of social media morphed from rumour to real news within minutes. It was reported by other media - as CONFIRMED - that the Director of Health Services Dr. Marvin Manzanero had resigned in a huff.
And the huff was supposedly over a new Statutory Instrument, number 134 of 2020 - which took effect yesterday. It compels the Director of Health Services to release the names of all COVID-19 positive patients to the Minister of National Security - which is plainly a violation of patient confidentiality.
It seemed plausible to some newsrooms - and multiple media houses put the story out - forcing the government to counter with a press release which says, quote, "The National Oversight Committee… hereby clarifies that Dr. Marvin Manzanero…has not tendered his resignation. The information currently being circulated by various news outlets is false. The NOC did have a discussion with Dr. Manzanero regarding the most recent statutory instrument. It was agreed to recommend to Cabinet an alternative way of dealing with the issue of COVID-19 positive persons who break quarantine and the law." End quote.
As we understand it, the reason for the provision in the Statutory Instrument is because police want to ensure that none of the positive patients break their mandatory quarantine or self-isolation and spread the virus through irresponsible behavior.
