BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, November 12, 2020 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Shortly after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis acted quickly by rolling out a careful plan of action – which entailed the closing of the country’s borders, enacting lockdowns and enforcing other non-pharmaceutical measures – that has led to the outstanding success in managing and containing the spread of the disease in the Federation.
And while the pandemic has been devastating on the Government’s reserves, and economic activity across the Federation, the St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce is appreciative of the Government’s all-of-society approach in the handling of COVID-19 and for its mandate of putting lives before livelihoods in its all-of-society approach.
“The CIC maintains that a nation’s economic health is dependent on a healthy nation and a healthy workforce. We would like to commend the actions taken by the Government and the Ministry of Health in ensuring that health was its number one priority since the onset of COVID-19. We simply cannot make any headway in the recovery process or an attempt at economic recovery if our people are not healthy, both mentally and physically,” said Chamber President, Mrs. Giselle Matthews.
Mrs. Matthews also expressed appreciation for the tireless work carried out by the members of the National COVID-19 Task Force that has led to the gradual and safe reopening of the Federation’s economy.
The Chamber president further noted that, “It is incumbent on every one of us to be responsible right now. I think the guidelines and protocols are clear. The Chamber, we’ve developed our own public service announcements to invest in the health of our people, so follow the protocols and the guidelines please. It is your responsibility to protect your own family and your friends, and I’m asking all businesses and employers to ensure that all of their employees are following the safety protocols to protect their customers and their employees.”
The early and effective response from the Government and local health experts is why St. Kitts and Nevis, at this time, has the lowest number of COVID-19 cases of all sovereign states in the Hemisphere at 19, and all of which have fully recovered. It is also why the Federation is now rated by the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a very low risk destination in its recent travel advisory.
]]>BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, October 31, 2020 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, was today (October 31) featured on the Peter Greenberg Worldwide ‘Eye on Travel’ radio programme with internationally acclaimed travel journalist, Mr. Peter Greenberg.
Mr. Greenberg is an Emmy-winning investigative reporter and producer, known in the travel industry as “The Travel Detective”. He is the Travel Editor for CBS News, appearing on CBS This Morning.
During the 20-minute interview, Prime Minister Harris shared with Mr. Greenberg and his thousands of listeners, the details on how the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis has managed and contained the spread of COVID-19.
Prime Minister Harris stated that early planning and implementation by local health experts, as well as a comprehensive education programme, was critical in minimizing the risks to the population of St. Kitts and Nevis.
“Very early on, our Chief Medical Officer had seen what was evolving then around the world and in China, (which) had potential for us in the region and so she put a small team together under what we call the Health Emergency Operations Center. That core team was doing the monitoring and developing protocols very early in the event that COVID was to arrive in St. Kitts and Nevis. When in fact it did then, we were ahead in terms of our knowledge and ahead in terms of our structure, so immediately we expanded what was then a health response to a broader national response, which we call the all of society approach,” Prime Minister Harris remarked.
The prime minister added, “Very quickly, when some countries were vacillating about whether or not to close borders, we closed our borders, and we engaged in a number of actions to prevent and contain the spread such as locking down the country for a time. All these things that we did were hurtful in the beginning, but it also shocked the country very early in realizing the danger [of this disease].”
Mr. Greenberg also referred to the St. Kitts and Nevis Government’s success in being able to make the distinction between life and livelihood very early on and make the necessary tough decisions such as closing the Federation’s borders to commercial travel.
“Our strategy from day one had been that it had to be life first. Some other countries were talking about livelihoods and the economy. For us, if there are not people who are healthy then the economy could not grow, so we looked beyond the short term to see that [closing the borders] was necessary if we were to preserve life, and we saw that as the most critical mandate of the Government – life before livelihood,” Prime Minister Harris said.
Those critical early decisions led to St. Kitts and Nevis now being considered by the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a very low risk destination.
The full episode with Prime Minister Harris will be accessible on the website, petergreenberg.com, from Monday November 02, under the section ‘Eye on Travel’.
Earlier this year, Mr. Greenberg visited St. Kitts and Nevis where he recorded an episode of his popular show, ‘Eye on Travel’.
]]>Charlestown, Nevis, October 13, 2020… The Nevis Tourism Authority (NTA) in collaboration with the Nevis Ministry of Health (MOH) announces the launch of an island wide “Health Campaign” on October 13th, 2020. The comprehensive campaign harnesses the creativity and resources of both governmental bodies to educate and train citizens, residents and stakeholders on health and safety protocols that curb the transmission of COVID – 19 and prevent community spread, while instilling confidence in potential visitors as the island prepares for reopening. The campaign components include training, Public Service Announcements (PSA’s), billboards, jingles and intense promotion across all social platforms.
To promote the “Health Campaign”, six PSA videos were recorded by Hon. Mark Brantley, the Premier of Nevis and Hon. Hazel Brandy-Williams, the Junior Minister of Health, along with prominent business professionals, encouraging everyone to observe the protocols. These videos will be shared across all social media platforms and local television. Additionally, a separate catchy jingle was created for radio broadcast. Specially branded Nevis Naturally facemasks created by the NTA, will be available at the ports on island.
Another component of the campaign is the strategic placement of nine billboards in high traffic locations, stickers and banners at the airport and seaports with the messages – “Responsible Travel Creates Healthy Destinations!” and “A Safe Nevis Depends On You!”. The billboards, stickers and banners reiterate the three central messages of the campaign:
These three messages are visually represented by distinct graphic icons. The campaign will be heavily promoted on all social media platforms using the hashtag #Today4Tomorrow.
The NTA and MOH have also successfully conducted certification training sessions for all sectors of the tourism industry starting with the Phase 1 “Sensitization Training” that was held for 1,300 participants. Subsequently, the Phase 2 “Training the Trainers” workshop was conducted for 294 lead personnel at individual establishments, who can then instruct new hires when they are onboarded. The establishments and operators that participated in the sessions will receive the “Travel Approved Seal” which identifies them as having undergone the mandatory training to meet the minimum health and safety COVID-19 standards.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assessed the risk for COVID-19 transmission to be very low and designated the Federation as a destination with “No Travel Health Notice” required for travel. Nevis itself only recorded 6 confirmed cases with no deaths. As the island reopens its borders to international visitors on October 31st, the “Health Campaign” serves as a reminder to both residents and visitors that their health and safety remain the island’s top priority.
For travel and tourism information on Nevis please visit the Nevis Tourism Authority website at www.nevisisland.com; and follow us on Instagram (@nevisnaturally), Facebook (@nevisnaturally), YouTube (nevisnaturally) and Twitter (@Nevisnaturally).
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 07, 2020 (SKNIS): As St. Kitts and Nevis prepares to reopen its borders to international commercial flights and travelers from October 31, 2020, the general public is strongly encouraged to continue to adhere to all COVID-19 health and safety protocols that were implemented to keep citizens and residents safe from the spread of the Coronavirus.
“In preparation for the imminent opening of our borders, we have insisted that our citizens and residents comply with all health protocols especially the wearing of masks in public, frequent hand washing, physical and social distancing and we encourage our citizens and residents to avoid crowds and areas of heavy congestion,” said Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris on October 06 edition of ‘Leadership Matters’, a virtual forum on ZIZ TV.
Prime Minister Harris said that the Federation has come “a long way in its successful management of COVID-19 cases” and as a nation designated by the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a very low-risk destination, citizens and residents should continue to ensure that all protocols are followed as such practices will redound to the benefit of everyone.
“These practices have to become second nature to us as we work to protect ourselves, our families, our friends and loved ones. Given that all our cases of COVID-19 to date are travel-related or imported, strict compliance with the health protocols is the only way to contain the spread of the virus thereby minimizing any strain on our small health system and loss of employment and productivity due to quarantine, isolation or hospitalization,” Dr. Harris added.
Practicing proper hygiene and caring for one’s health have always been emphasized by health officials and other key stakeholders. Citizens and residents have always been encouraged to follow several hygienic precautionary practices such as frequently washing hands, avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth and practising respiratory hygiene such as covering one’s mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when one coughs or sneezes. The used tissue should then be disposed of immediately in a waste bin.
Very early on the government implemented measures to ensure the safety of citizens and residents. On March 25, 2020, the government closed the borders to all commercial airline flights to continue protecting citizens and residents against COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus). However, flights for medical emergencies and International Air cargo and cargo by seafaring vessels were exempted to maintain connectivity and enable the Federation to import much-needed commodities such as food, fuel, medical supplies and equipment. To this day, the government and key stakeholders continue to play their part to ensure that every citizen and resident is protected against the spread of the virus.
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