BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, November 04, 2020 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Guided by the latest statistics on the COVID-19 situation in the region, local health experts are standing behind the Government’s decision to withdraw St. Kitts and Nevis’ participation in the CARICOM Travel Bubble arrangement.
Medical Chief of Staff at the Joseph N. France (JNF) General Hospital, Dr. Cameron Wilkinson, while appearing on Tuesday (November 03) night’s edition of Leadership Matters, indicated that there has been a recent increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases across the region.
“Since the last reported CARPHA situation report, an additional 7,019 cases were confirmed in 27 countries within the Caribbean, bringing the region’s total confirmed cases to 277,170. This total represents a three percent increase in the number of confirmed cases which is significant, and a total of 4,564 deaths as of November 02. A number of countries in the ‘bubble’ which the prime minister referred to are experiencing an increase in their cases with possible community spread. These are Barbados, Antigua, Dominica, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” said Dr. Wilkinson, who is also a member of the National COVID-19 Task Force.
Moreover, the medical expert shared the concern expressed by Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris in that some countries that are a part of the bubble arrangement have more relaxed entry protocols and requirements.
He said, “Once we continue to have different entry requirements across CARICOM countries, we will have different levels of risk and exposure to the virus. Our low risk status that we currently hold will be jeopardized by any country with a less stringent protocol for entry than we have. The negative PCR test prior to arrival and a 14-day quarantine and ‘vacation-in-place’ are what have kept us safe thus far and made us a preferred destination on the tourism map.”
“Once we keep the health and safety of the nation as our primary focus then every decision thereafter is made much easier. That is why after reevaluating the situation with regards to the increased spread of the virus in some of the countries in the regional CARICOM Bubble, we came to the decision in the best interest of the nation to exit the bubble,” Dr. Wilkinson added.
As it now stands, all travellers from within the CARICOM region will have to undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine requirement, in addition to submitting a negative PCR test 72 hours prior to arrival.
]]>BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, November 04, 2020 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Citing a number of health concerns to its citizens and residents, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has announced its withdrawal from the CARICOM Travel Bubble arrangement, which was introduced as a mechanism to facilitate low risk intra-regional travel during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris made the announcement during on Tuesday (November 03) evening’s edition of Leadership Matters, saying, “Having discussed this matter at length [Monday, November 02] with the Cabinet and our National COVID-19 Task Force and arrived at a consensus, I have today advised the Secretary General of the CARICOM Secretariat, Ambassador Irwin Larocque that St Kitts and Nevis has, in our national interest, albeit for health reasons withdrawn from the bubble effective immediately. I have also requested our Chief Medical Officer to advise CARPHA of our decision.”
The honourable prime minister presented a number of reasons behind the St. Kitts and Nevis Government’s decision, noting that such arrangements with countries with higher risk assessments would expose citizens and residents to elevated health risks.
“Since the announcement of the formation of the CARICOM Bubble, we have seen a change in the risk level of a number of countries within the bubble with Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia and Barbados experiencing a resurgence of new cases. We have taken note of reports about actual or potential community spread in some member states,” Dr. Harris stated.
The prime minister further noted that the Government is concerned that the travel entry requirements are also not uniformed, as requested by the Caribbean Public Health Agency, with a number of member countries having less stringent requirements than those implemented in St. Kitts and Nevis.
“We cannot therefore as a nation with a very low risk category assessment enter a common space or ‘Bubble’ with countries at a higher risk level because we would be exposing our people to elevated health risks. Similarly it will be unwise given our low risk status to participate in a bubble with others with community spread,” Prime Minister Harris added.
As a result, all travelers from CARICOM countries now have to undergo the 14-day mandatory quarantine requirement and present a negative PCR test 72 hours prior to arrival in St. Kitts and Nevis.
“The 14-day quarantine is an international best practice taking into account the incubation period of the novel coronavirus. It is the best and safest standard and clearly is in sync with our strategy to open up while keeping risks to our population at a very low level. In other words, the entry requirements for CARICOM nationals will be the same as those for international travellers,” the prime minister said.
Prime Minister Harris said the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis will continue to monitor the regional situation and look for ways in which it can best facilitate CARICOM nationals.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 3rd, 2020 (Press Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister):
The St. Kitts-Nevis Government’s widely watched Leadership Matters virtual forum series will air today, Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020, with Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris headlining its 27th installment on ZIZ TV (Channel 5 or https://zizonline.com/tv/channel-5/) from 8:00pm to 10:00pm.
In continuing the discussion about the Saturday, October 31st reopening of the Federation’s border crossings, the Honourable Prime Minister will be joined on the panel tonight by Chief Financial Officer/Officer-in-Charge of the St. Christopher Air & Sea Ports Authority, Ms. Tuffida Stewart. A senior health expert who works closely with the COVID-19 Task Force will also be on the panel.
Tonight, Prime Minister Harris is expected to make a definitive statement in relation to St. Kitts and Nevis’ participation in the CARICOM Travel Bubble.
The call-in numbers for Leadership Matters are 1(869) 466-2666, 662-8674, 767-4765 and 1(239) 645-4500. Questions can also be sent via WhatsApp to (869) 661-5683.
The wildly popular Leadership Matters virtual forum simulcasts on ZIZ Radio (95.9, 96.1, 96.3, 96.9 FM or https://zizonline.com/radio/live/), Freedom (106.5) FM, Sugar City (90.3) FM, VON Radio (860 AM or 93.7 FM) and WINN (98.9) FM, and is also streamed live on social media platforms including the Facebook and YouTube pages of the St. Kitts and Nevis Information Service (SKNIS).
In addition to ZIZ TV, ZIZ Radio and www.zizonline.com, ZIZ’s audience can access Leadership Matters – which is a runaway success on social media – on ZIZ’s Facebook and YouTube pages, ZIZ’s Amazon Fire Stick App and the ZIZ News App (available online at the Apple App Store and Google Play Store).
Leadership Matters focuses on the big stories and issues in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis with the intention of explaining the programmes and policies that inform them. Leadership Matters also shows how leadership in practice is helping to transform the nation and people’s lives
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