Slow opening - no air or sea arrivals

[CILCIANRQTS]

The latest from St. Kitts -

 

ST. KITTS & NEVIS
PHASED APPROACH TO RESUME SOCIAL
& ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

Effective Friday, June 12, 2020, the Prime Minister of St. Kitts & Nevis Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris announced that, under the new SR&O No. 25 of 2020, Government will be introducing new regulations. Effective Saturday, June 13, 2020 through Saturday, June 27, 2020, the new regulations are part of the process of gradually relaxing restrictions and reintroducing the Federation to more economic and social activity. The Prime Minister announced:

• Saturdays through Sundays, nightly curfews will be in effect from 12:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. The shorter nightly curfews will facilitate nightly religious services with the same protocols already established for daytime services.
• Beaches will now be open from 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily for the purpose of exercise.
• The suspension of retail liquor licenses has been removed and bars can open in compliance with physical distancing measures.
• Restaurants can open for in-dining in compliance with physical distancing measures, maximum per table allocations and appropriate sanitization programs.
• Restaurant patrons are required to wear masks on arrival except when eating and drinking.

The borders of St. Kitts & Nevis remain closed to commercial traffic by air and sea to prevent and/or delay the possibility of importing new cases of COVID-19 to the Federation. A coordinated effort is being made with regional and international partners to determine the opportune time at which to open the borders.

The continuing relaxation of restrictions is being implemented at the recommendations of the Chief Medical Officer, the Medical Chief of Staff and medical experts. Based on their advice, the Federation has successfully flattened the curve.

On May 18, it was announced that all 15 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in the Federation have successfully recovered and there have been 0 deaths to date. As of Wednesday, June 10, a total of 417 persons have been sampled and tested for COVID-19, 15 of whom tested positive with 402 persons tested negative and 0 test results pending. 13 persons are currently quarantined in a government facility while 0 persons are quarantined at home and 0 persons are in isolation. A total of 829 persons have been released from quarantine.

St. Kitts & Nevis has one of the highest testing rates in CARICOM and the Eastern Caribbean and uses only the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test which is the gold standard of testing. The Federation was the last country in the Americas to confirm a case of the virus and among the first to report all cases having recovered with no deaths.

Click here to read the Emergency Powers (COVID-19) Regulations as part of the Government's response to contain and control the spread of COVID-19. The Government continues to act under the counsel of its medical experts, who advised that St. Kitts & Nevis has met the 6 criteria established by the World Health Organization (WHO) for doing so and that all persons who need to be tested have been tested at this time.

At this time we hope everyone, and their families remain safe and healthy.