BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Friday 14th August 2020) – After being closed since 25th March 2020 due to measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic, the government is hoping to open the borders in St.Kitts-Nevis months later in October.
Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris indicated at his monthly press conference on Tuesday 11th August that his administration is hoping to open the borders in the last quarter of 2020 should things go as predicted.
“Based on discussions with stakeholders in the tourism sector it is expected that should things go as predicted we shall be ready to open our borders by October 2020. An expansive training programme is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Ministries of Health and Civil Aviation. It aims to train 5,000 persons in the industry at no cost to participants.”
Dr. Harris continued: “I am advised that this type of training carries a cost of $100.00 per participant. Given the need to ensure all will benefit and can be certified by the Tourism Authority, the training is being offered free of charge. The good news is that our major hotels are committed to St. Kitts and Nevis, and airlines are showing high interest in bringing their passengers to our shores.”
Additionally, he shared details as it relates to the hotel industry in St.Kitts-Nevis, making mention of six resorts.
“Marriott is still committed to St. Kitts and Nevis. A new General Manager has arrived on island recently and will guide the operations at this time. KOI has advised that it has been in touch with Hilton and will reopen in the last quarter of 2020. Park Hyatt is expected to open fully in October 2020, providing work to its 180 employees. However, I am pleased to learn that its Fisherman’s Village Restaurant is already open for business. The Royal St. Kitts Hotel is functioning, albeit in a reduced capacity. Tomorrow, I will meet with the management of Four Seasons and will report on this at a later date.”
Notably, that meeting did take place on Wednesday 12th August which included the attendance of new Minister of Labour Wendy Phipps and Labour Commissioner Shernel James.
Front Page Spokesman Snap: Prime Minister Harris greets officials and pilots of Sun Country Airlines (737-700) at the Kayanjet Lounge following an inaugural flight service from Minneapolis to St Kitts at the RLB International Airport in December 2018
No Active COVID-19 Cases In SKN
By: Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 14th August 2020)- Chief Medical Officer Dr. Hazel Laws has revealed that there are no active cases in the Federation as far as local authorities know.
“We are all aware that we’ve only had 17 positive cases to date and the good news is that they have all recovered so at present there are no active cases within the Federation so we continue to test suspected cases and their contacts and we continue to nationals who would have returned from hotspots and so to date we’ve tested over 1300 so far, “she said during a presentation at the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) COVID-19 Daily Briefing on Wednesday 12th August 2020.
The number of positive cases has seen 13 in St.Kitts and 4 in Nevis.
As informed by Dr. Laws, 53 persons are currently quarantined in a government facility as it relates to returning nationals with 24 from St.Kitts and 29 from Nevis.
According to Dr. Laws: “So far since we’ve been accepting nationals since the closure of our borders that’s between April the 24th to present, the total number of nationals who have returned to the Federation so far stands at 163.”
The local CMO pointed to a report by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) dated August 10 that the total number of confirmed cases in the region stands at over 129,000 whilst noting “but then the good news is that we continue to fare quite well in the Caribbean. The total number of recoveries is almost 63,000 and the death toll continues to be relatively low…just about 2,000. However the Caribbean Public Health Agency situation report continues to state that the risk of further cases occurring within the Caribbean region remains very high as we continue to accept our nationals from overseas from hotspots.”