KINGSTON, Jamaica — Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health, Dr Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie, says there is no need to quarantine people who may have come into contact with a St Mary man, Kemar Bailey, who was recaptured this morning after he escaped from quarantine last evening.

Dr Bisasor McKenzie explained that quarantine would only have been necessary if the man had shown symptoms of COVID-19, which would make him contagious.

Her comments came during this morning’s Ministry of Health media breakfast on COVID-19 preparations.

She added that under the ministry’s Quarantine Act, people can face penalties for breaking quarantine, but there was no need in this case.

Bailey arrived in the island on Saturday, March 7 and was placed at the quarantine centre in Kingston. 

He asked, and was allowed to retrieve a bag with personal items from someone at the gate of the facility, and whilst doing so, he jumped into a white Nissan Tiida motor car which sped off with him.

Friends and relatives were advised that he was still within the high-risk period and they should not accommodate him if he turned up.

He was picked up by police and a team from the Ministry of Health about 2:00 am today, after officers received information that he was at a location in the Waltham Park area.

The police said he was held in the company of a woman.