WILLEMSTAD - Curaçao epidemiologist Izzy Gestenbluth says there is a counterproductive effect when employers have their staff tested for Covid-19 on their own initiative. He said this on Sunday during a press briefing in connection with the latest corona developments in Curaçao.
According to Gerstenbluth, it has become increasingly common for employers to ask their employees to be tested.
Last week, Covid-19 was found among eight employees of the Building Depot department store. The management tracked down the infections after a number of sickness reports. To be on the safe side, the management immediately decided to have all employees undergo a test.
Gerstenbluth says he understands the concerns that employers may have, but according to the epidemiologist, just having staff tested does not reveal the correct information. Moreover, blind testing of personnel leads to the waste of expensive tests. According to him, this affects the health care system. "The policy that is being pursued gets confused without achieving the desired result," says Gerstenbluth.
The epidemiologist further explains: "When tests are carried out and the result is negative, the employer automatically concludes that everything is okay, but it is not at all okay if a test is negative. Employers want a negative test. before an employee is allowed to return to work, while someone who is already cured can test positive for months without being ill.
Testing for these reasons must be done for valid medical reasons and can only be determined by a physician. Furthermore, tests are carried out when there has been close contact with someone who is infected."