Government confirms third death in Gibraltar related to COVID-19

The Government must regrettably confirm the death of a third resident of Gibraltar related to COVID-19.


The deceased was a resident of the John Macintosh Wing, aged between 95 and 100 years old. The resident was a woman who tested positive for COVID-19 on the 20th October and developed pneumonia as a result. The resident died suddenly yesterday due to pneumonitis secondary to COVID-19.

The death will be reported in today’s statistics as a death from COVID-19.
The Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo, said: ‘It is extremely difficult for us to confirm that a third resident of Elderly Residential Services has died within a week as a result of COVID-19. Our deepest sympathies go to the family and friends of the deceased.

‘All three members of our community who we have sadly lost to COVID-19 were of the generation who lived through the hardships of the Evacuation and endured the long years of a closed frontier, all the while keeping up the unshakable Gibraltarian spirit. We should all remember their sacrifices now as we make vitally important changes to the way we go about our daily lives in order to protect the most vulnerable but most cherished generation of Gibraltarians.

‘We do not want to keep visitors out of ERS and we will work to reintroduce visits as soon as possible, but we have to understand that doing so without a new protocol that draws on new testing techniques etc creates risks of death like the further one we are unfortunately reporting today. For that reason, everything we do is designed to protect the most vulnerable. From masks in our town centre and other areas, masks in schools and other unwanted restrictions, each is undertaken with a heavy heart and only on the basis of the medical advice available to us. Together, united and pulling in the same direction we will be strongest in dealing with the final stretch against the virus’.

 

19-11-2020 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR