National health control in ports and airports of the Balearic Islands

Sars-CoV-2 containment (march-june 2020)

Abstract

During the state of alert declared in the national territory in March 2020 due to the health crisis caused by SARS-CoV-2, the free movement of the population was restricted in order to prevent the spread of the virus. In the Balearic Islands, access by air and sea was limited and, in addition, health controls were established at the entry points of the islands aimed to detect people with COVID-19.

The health check is understood as a Public Health surveillance procedure through which all persons authorised to travel at that time were tested. This procedure, together with the security measures to prevent the spread of the virus, had never before been implemented in the Balearic Islands and required the collaboration of various organizations in order to organise and execute it. This paper shares the experience and analysis of the health control measures implemented in these circumstances. To do so, it describes the procedure carried out, the devices that were developed, the main results and the assessment of the project as a whole. Finally, the positive aspects and possible improvements are considered. The most of people screened upon arrival in Balearics Islands did not register or show clinical symptoms of COVID-19.