More than 100 public health professionals were deployed yesterday to Tivoli Gardens in west Kingston to conduct community surveillance following the positive testing of five residents for COVID-19.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, who visited the community, said that his main concern was that the family might be stigmatised by other residents.

The minister said that he visited the area so that residents could have an appreciation of the work being conducted and limit stigmatisation.

“As you know, this is a densely populated community, and part of the challenge with communities that have these characteristics ... is that people move around and interact with each other more and by extension (there could be) community spread,” Tufton said.

Dr Kimberly Myers, medical officer from the Kingston and St Andrew Health Department who headed the surveillance operation in the community, disclosed that the original case of COVID-19 was imported from the United States and the other positive results were from those who had come in close contact.