The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis wishes to again remind citizens and residents to restrict travel to China until the World Health Organisation (WHO) gives the all clear in relation to the Novel Coronavirus now being referred to as COVID-19. Citizens and residents were first notified of this travel advisory on February 1, 2020, following the WHO declaration on January 30th, 2020 that the outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. A second notification of the maintenance of the travel advisory was issued on February 20, 2020.
The novel corona virus has, as at 16:17 GMT on March 9, 2020 caused a total of 3,893 deaths and 111,817 infections, with most of these still occurring in mainland China, the country where the outbreak of the illness occurred. Over the past week, the infection has spread considerably to a number of other countries – including several Caribbean territories. However, Italy has become Europe’s epicenter by recording the highest rates of infections and deaths throughout the continent.
In light of the global spread of COVID-19, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis – on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 – amended its travel advisory to include the following countries: China, Italy, Iran, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Japan. This advisory was widely published by the St. Kitts Tourism Authority/ Ministry of Tourism on March 5, 2020.