Balearics ask for military tracers to help search for Covid-19 cases

THE Balearic government has put in a request to the Spanish Health Ministry for 100 military personnel to collaborate on tracing Covid-19 cases on the islands.
Regional Health and Consumer Minister Patricia Gomez has written to her national counterpart explaining the Balearics have 190 professionals dedicated to tracking down cases of the virus and a further 30 are in training.
However the recent increase in the number of new cases registered on the islands has made it necessary to boost resources for detecting cases, particularly people who are asymptomatic, the communication says.
With an extra 100 military personnel the Balearics would have 1.2 tracers for every 5,000 inhabitants, a higher rate than recommended by the World Health Organisation.
Gomez described the task of tracing as “essential” for stopping chains of transmission and the spread of Covid-19.