Prime Minister’s Monthly Health Walk Resumes To Encourage Greater Physical Activity
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, November 6, 2021 (MMS-SKN) — The hugely popular Prime Minister’s Monthly Health Walk resumed on Saturday, November 6, after a break that had been occasioned by Covid-19 spikes and community spread in the country, drawing a large turnout that included scores of new participants.
“We had taken a decision to lead by example and to defer any activity that by and large could result in super-spreading,” explained Prime Minister, Dr the Hon Timothy Harris, at the end of the walk. “We have resumed it after several months of holding in abeyance, but we have noticed too that other activities of this nature have been taking place, the cancer walk for example last week on Saturday, October 30.”
The health walk which takes health-conscious participants from the bus stop in Bellevue Village to the hardcourts in Ottley’s Village was last held on Saturday, July 31 this year when as usual a large turnout was the order of the day.
“We now think it is fine to resume, as part of the wellness is really for our people to engage in greater physical activity,” said Dr. Harris. “And so we want to continue this activity. It is a very popular activity.”
Resuming the health walk is meant to encourage people to engage in greater physical activity that is in keeping with the strategy being implemented by the SKN Moves, which is about getting people back again to care for themselves – to think about their health, and to think about how physical activity adds to their wellness.
“Today was very good,” reported the Prime Minister. “I was impressed by the large number of persons who came out – the diversity we have always had, but today we had an extremely large group of persons from the Spanish community, and we had basically all of the constituencies represented at different levels, but we had numbers for all representing our presence in all of these communities.”
Among those participating in the walk for the first time were officials of the St. Peter’s Bus Association who were led by their President, Mr. Andrew ‘Talbo’ Bass. Others were Vice President Mr. Devon ‘Smooth’ Caines, Treasurer Mr. Orville ‘Sailor’ Thompson, and PRO Mr. Delroy ‘Pabo’ Carey.
In the past, bus operator Mama Child of Phillips had been participating in almost all of the health walks and Prime Minister Harris noted that he was quite pleased to have another bus association represented at the walk and he thanked President ‘Talbo’ Bass for coming and bringing along the other members of the executive. He hoped that they would return, for the health walk to become a regular part of their regime.
“Thanks to all who came out – there were lots of new persons, and I want to thank them especially for coming to their first walk,” said the Honourable Prime Minister. “Those who have been veterans in this activity, of course, a special thank you.”
The health walk was coordinated by the National Chairman of the Peoples Labour Party (PLP), Mr. Warren Thompson. Among the participants included the Minister of Health, the Hon Akilah Byron-Nisbett, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Delores Stapleton-Harris, National HIV/AIDS Programme Coordinator and Health Educator, Dr. Mathias Afortu-Ofre, and Administrative and Communication Officer at the Permanent Secretary’s office in the Ministry of Health, Ms. Marcia Bassue.
Other regulars were led by Resident Ambassador of the Republic of China on Taiwan, His Excellency Michael Lin, and a contingent from the Taiwanese Technical Mission, and Deputy Speaker Senator the Hon Dr. Bernicia Nisbett. Others included Director of St. Christopher and Nevis Social Security Board, Mr Antonio Maynard, Advisor in the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Howard Richardson, and Medical Practitioner Dr. Dail Crawford.