BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 10^th April 2020)- Community health workers in St.Kitts-Nevis remain in coronavirus detectives mode as efforts continue to track down persons who would have been in contact with confirmed COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) patients.

An individual who was in quarantine for the past 17 days- a 21-year-old male of Indian descent- on Thursday 9^th April 2020 became the 12^th positive case who reportedly got the illness from one of such patients.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Hazel Laws says this case is an “imported” as the individual is a “contact of an individual who would have come into the country with this virus.”

At the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) daily media briefing held on Friday 10^th April, Junior Minister of Health Senator Wendy Phipps publicly told that the latest coronavirus patient “had been placed in quarantine since 29th of March when he was first named a contact of a previous case and subsequently he would have been sampled and tested and of course this was able to be done because of the aggressive contact tracing that we have put in place. So it now means that this was individual would now be in mandatory isolation which is now more stringent than the previous situation that the individual would have been in.”

She said “the community health workers are still in the process of contact tracing and monitoring individuals who would have had contact with confirmed cases.”

“…this is done in an effort to reduce the possibility of community spread or community transmission so that we take these persons out of the general population as soon as possible; put them under quarantine, and then in the event that they become a positive case at least you would have already removed them from the general population. So that is the type of aggressive approach is what has contributed to the relatively low numbers that we have had this far,” she added.

In her opening remarks, Phipps had disclosed that “just last night we would have received 23 results in total in which 22 were negative…”

To date, 29 individuals are in quarantine in government facilities with 159 persons quarantined at home while 470 individuals have been released from quarantine.

For the government’s extended period for the State of Emergency ‘Stay at home’ arrangements, St.Kitts-Nevis has entered a third portion of 24-hour lockdown from effect from 7:01PM Thursday 9^th April and is expected to be enforced for seven days, ending on Thursday 16^th April at 6:00AM.

Thereafter will see two back-to-back partial curfew days on Friday 17^th and Saturday 18^th April, whereby persons are allowed to leave their home for essential services-including buying food and medicine- between the hours of 6:00AM and 7:00PM.

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Wednesday 8^th April 2020) – With a population of 53,000 where there is 11 COVID-19 patients, 334 individuals released from quarantine, 115 negative test results and 60 test results awaiting, St.Kitts-Nevis is set to enter a third 24-hour lockdown in an attempt to control the spread of the illness under the present state of emergency now scheduled to end on day 21 according to new rules by the government.

The fresh total ‘Stay at home’ restrictions are slated to come into effect from 7:01PM on Thursday 9^th April and is expected to be enforced for seven days, ending on Thursday 16^th April at 6:00AM.

“These new Regulations, SR&O No. 12 of 2020, will come into effect on Thursday, 9^th April at 7:01PM and continue to Saturday, 18^th April. Most importantly, there will be a total 24-hour curfew or lockdown from Thursday, 9^th April at 7:01PM to Thursday, April 16^th at 6:00AM. This means that from Thursday night this week, and continuing over the Easter weekend including Good Friday, Saturday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, until Thursday morning, no one should be away from their residence unless he or she has a special exemption as an essential worker or has a pass or permission from the Commissioner of Police,” Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris said in an address to the nation on the night of Tuesday 7^th April 2020.

“Please stay at Home! Stay at Home! Stay at Home so that we can halt the spread of the virus,” he appealed.

Dr. Harris informed that on the advice of Cabinet he has asked the Governor General, Sir S.W. Tapley Seaton, to extend the State of Emergency currently in place, to Saturday, 18^th April and to extend regulations made under the Emergency Powers Act.

He pointed out that the St. Kitts and Nevis Constitution provides that a declaration of emergency shall lapse at the expiration of twenty-one (21) days beginning with the date of publication of the declaration. 

“Saturday 18^th April will be 21 days since the State of Emergency was proclaimed on the 28^th of March.”

He said further regulations would also be published in the Official Gazette and would come into force after the current regulations expire on Thursday 9^th April at 7:00 PM.

The National Security Minister said there will be two partial curfews come Thursday 16^th and 17^th April.

“There will then be two more days, on Thursday and Friday next week, when there will be a partial curfew, or limited restrictions, to allow persons to go to supermarkets or shops in their villages, to restock their food supply. Or you may want to get medicine or other essentials. Like the partial curfews that you have experienced so far, they will be interspersed with a night curfew from 7:00PM to 6:00AM the following morning.”

On Saturday 28^th March, with two confirmed COVID-19 patients, a state of emergency was declared effective 7:00PM set with a curfew between the hours of 7:00 PM and 5:00 AM for 14 days. 

Next, four days of a 24-hour curfew from 7:00PM Tuesday 31^st March to 6:00AM Friday 3^rd April in the first instance. A curfew remained in place from 7:00PM Friday 3^rd April night to 6:00AM Saturday 4^th April. Then on that Saturday at 7:00PM, a full 24-hour curfew was reintroduced from Sunday 5^th April to Wednesday 8^th April at 6:00 AM.

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Wednesday 8^th April 2020)-  In light of the coronavirus (COVID-19), a window of six hours over a two-day period has been decided upon by government to allow the movement of shoppers per four community zones in St.Kitts and Nevis altogether ahead of a seven-day total lockdown scheduled for Thursday 9^th April 2020 at 7:00PM.

The grouped neighbourhoods and the shopping days are Wednesday 8^th April Zones One (East Side in St.Kitts) and Three (Nevis) then on Thursday 9^th April for Zones Two (West Side in St.Kitts) and Four (in Nevis) from 7:00AM to 3:00PM daily.

The specific areas per zone on the islands are as follows:

Zone One-all areas east of a line through the center of Fort Street, Basseterre continuing north through Victoria Road and extending  to the Roundabout on the FT Williams Highway at the RLB International Airport just west of Taylor’s Housing Development. Other parts continue east along the FT Williams Highway to the Island Main Road, the East Basseterre Constituency then in a northeasterly direction along the Island Main Road from Conaree and Needsmust and extending all the way to Saddlers and Lavington.

Zone Two- all other areas on the island of St. Kitts, from Parsons travelling via Sandy Point to Basseterre and including all other areas in the Basseterre Valley such as St. Peters, Central and West Basseterre but excluding East Basseterre.

Zone Three- the parishes of St. Pauls, St. Thomas and St. James.

Zone Four- the parishes of St. John and St. George.

Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Dr. Timothy in an address to the nation on the night of Tuesday 7^th April said beginning Wednesday 8^th April and Thursday, 9^th April, the police will introduce and enforce a zoning plan for those shoppers who must leave their homes.

“On Wednesday, during the hours of 7:00am to 3:00pm, the partial curfew will be lifted for those persons in Zone One to purchase essential goods at supermarkets, pharmacies and food retail shops while exercising, of course, the strictest social distancing rules. During Wednesday, there should be no movement to Basseterre except by persons in Zone One. Zone Two will be allowed to travel on Thursday during the hours of 7:00am to 3:00pm while there will be a restriction of movement of Zone One.”

According to him:“On Wednesday, during the hours of 7:00am to 3:00pm, the partial curfew will be lifted for those persons in Zone One to purchase essential goods at supermarkets, pharmacies and food retail shops while exercising, of course, the strictest social distancing rules. During Wednesday, there should be no movement to Basseterre except by persons in Zone One. Zone Two will be allowed to travel on Thursday during the hours of 7:00am to 3:00pm while there will be a restriction of movement of Zone One.”

Dr. Harris is urging all residents of villages and settlements in the rural areas to utilise those establishments and village shops in their area and so reduce the congestion in Basseterre and Charlestown.

“Many of these village shops have the identical items that you are travelling to Basseterre and Charlestown to purchase. This travel is not essential and you are likely exposing yourself and your loved ones to the virus.”

Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 06, 2020 (SKNIS): The Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has thrown its support behind St. Kitts and Nevis in the fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic by donating several medical supplies and offering technical assistance.
 
“I am very pleased to take this opportunity to announce that based on the… relations with St. Kitts and Nevis our government will donate 40, 000 masks, six (6) thermal detectors and a batch of thermometer guns. The shipment will leave Taiwan shortly and will arrive in St. Kitts and Nevis sometime next week,” said His Excellency Tom Lee, Resident Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to St. Kitts and Nevis on Monday’s (April 06) edition of  The National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) COVID-19 Daily Briefing. “In addition, our embassy will also provide an additional 6000 masks and other medical supplies to show our support.”
 
Ambassador Lee used the occasion to reassure the Government and people of St. Kitts and Nevis of his country’s continued commitment “to help and work closely with St. Kitts and Nevis in this fight against COVID-19.” He added that Taiwan “is always a good friend St. Kitts and Nevis can rely on, especially in this difficult time,” noting that “together we will succeed in the fight against this virus.”
 
His Excellency Tom Lee gave an update on the state of Taiwan to date, as well as the well-being of the Federation’s students who are there.
 
“I also want to inform our friends in St. Kitts-Nevis that all the students from St. Kitts and Nevis are safe and sound in Taiwan,” he said. “To date, Taiwan is one of the few countries where schools are still open and the people still go to their offices to work. We are containing the pandemic pretty well and that is why in terms of technical support, we are willing to share our experience with our friends in St. Kitts and Nevis…”
 
On Monday, March 30, 2020, a video conference on COVID-19 between Chi Mei Medical Center in Taiwan and Joseph Nathaniel France (JNF) General Hospital in St. Kitts and Nevis took place at the Ministry of Health in Basseterre. The five-party video conference was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to share COVID-19 prevention measures with Taiwan’s four Caribbean diplomatic allies, including St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Belize.

Important topics on fighting against COVID-19 were discussed in the conference, ranging from protective measures and equipment for medical personnel, emergency intubation, to infection control measures. Participants from St. Kitts and Nevis included Taiwan’s Resident Ambassador Tom Lee and Embassy staffers, Dr. Cameron Wilkinson, Medical Chief of Staff of Joseph Nathaniel France (JNF) General Hospital, and the Hospital’s medical staff.

Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 06, 2020 (SKNIS): An emergency meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) was held on April 06, 2020, to discuss matters pertaining to COVID-19 including the global test kit shortage.

“We are now facing a dilemma where on the one hand the WHO and other premiere world agencies are telling you to test, which is what we need to do, but at the same time there is the reality dawning that tests supply would be an issue,” said Minister of State with responsibility for Heath, the Honourable Wendy Phipps.

“However, we reiterate that we reserved testing for persons who are suspected cases. In our jurisdiction, as with the rest of the world, 95 percent of the transmissions are coming from this group. Only five percent of the transmissions are coming from persons without symptoms,” she said.

Minister Phipps reported that the meeting informed the membership that some one million test kits have been ordered by PAHO to be used on the people of the English-speaking Caribbean as well as Latin American countries that are covered by PAHO.

“This supply will begin drop shipping into our member states as of next week, but of course you can appreciate that it is a large order so it will be done on a staggered basis. So, that is some good news that we are keeping our fingers crossed on,” she said.

In the interim, CARICOM, PAHO and CARPHA will be issuing separate media statements on the state of play in the region as it relates to testing and supplies, said the Honourable Wendy Phipps.

Minister Phipps stated that hopefully there will be a point where “we will be willing and able to test even the asymptomatic ones because it also means that during the time of the incubation period and beyond you could have a situation where you have no symptoms, but then you might be contagious to others.”

“For clarity and as a reminder our premiere facility, our laboratory that confirms cases of COVID, is the Caribbean Public Heath Agency (CARPHA) and of course these tests are PCR based tests,” said Minister Phipps. “These are not the rapid tests you are hearing about like the ones coming out of China, which has received so much press. These are confirmed laboratory protocols where step is taken to give you as detailed a pathology as possible on the samples that are sent in order for us to come to you, as needs be, to tell you whether a case is confirmed or not beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

The Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) of the CARICOM seeks to promote and develop coordinated policies and programmes to improve living and working conditions and to take measures to facilitate the promotion of harmonious labour and industrial relations in the Community.

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Monday 6^th April 2020)-A tourism industry worker is St.Kitts and Nevis’ latest confirmed novel coronavirus (COVID-19) patient as of  Monday 6^th April 2020, making up the list of eleven  (11) cases to date.

That individual has been identified as a 35-year-old male who is a citizen of the Federation, and resident on Nevis where there is now four individuals in isolation with the illness while seven are on St.Kitts.

Details were shared at the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) live daily briefing by junior minister of health Senator Wendy Phipps who said the man is “employed in the tourism industry and is such the case can be described as import related” and that this additional case was recorded “as of 12:29AM today.”

Phipps reported in the Federation there are no deaths attributed to COVID-19.

To date, 183 persons have been tested with the eleven confirmed positive, 114 confirmed negative and some 58 results pending from CARPHA (Caribbean Public Health Agency).

Additionally, 34 persons are quarantined at a government facility while 224 persons are quarantined at home while the 11 persons tested positive are in isolation.

Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 05, 2020 (SKNIS): Several residents have stepped forward to volunteer their time and energies to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) as authorities in St. Kitts and Nevis work to curb the spread of COVID-19.
 
Chairman of the COVID-19 National Working Group, Abdias Samuel, noted that volunteers are currently being trained to man the 311 hotline that was established by the government in partnership with the telecommunications company FLOW. The toll-free hotline functions 24/7 and provides information, gives advice and addresses concerns related to the coronavirus and the ongoing national lock-down. It also facilitates emergency assistance.
 
Mr Samuel, who also heads the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), thanked the individuals who raised their hand in service to the twin-island federation.
 
“We welcome every citizen and resident who wishes to volunteer and support this cause,” Mr. Samuel stated.
 
Interested individuals can contact the NEOC at 466-9626 or 466-5100 to find out how they can assist in the national war against COVID-19. The 466-5100 number accepts WhatsApp messages.

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Sunday 5^th April 2020)- The Opposition St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) yesterday (Saturday 4^th April 2020) delivered care packages to the elderly and others in need as part of its newly launched project dubbed NextGenSKN Cares COVID-19 Initiative.

As gathered, the objective of this first NextGenSKN project is the distribution of about 4000 care packages to the socioeconomic displaced employees of the hospitality and manufacturing enclave sectors, most of whom are relatively young and receiving minimum wage as well as the elderly, shut-ins, mentally challenged and less abled.

According to information coming from the SKNLP’s public relations office, the initiative was launched on Friday 3rd April 2020 under the auspices of Deputy Party Leader and Constituency Representative for Constituency Two (Central Basseterre) Marcella Liburd, Constituency One (East Basseterre candidate Dr. Geoffrey Hanley and Constituency Four candidate Steve Wrensford, of the St. Kitts Nevis Labour Party, on WINNFM Radio and via Facebook live.

It has been shared that yesterday all eight (8) members/Candidates of the St. Kitts Nevis Labour Party’s NextGenSKN Team delivered simultaneously their first wave of over 1000 Care packages around the entire island of St Kitts, to deserving citizens and residents living in the capital city Basseterre and its suburbs, and throughout our various towns and villages.

“This Charitable Organ of the SKNLP NextGenSKN Team was able to secure contributions from a few benefactors at home and abroad and campaign funds of the St. Kitts Nevis Labour Party, which were diverted for a COVID-19 Charitable cause. These were used to purchase items of food and personal hygiene to assist persons struggling to cope with the socioeconomic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic,” states information found on www.sknlabourparty.com.

Further details reveal that: “Recipients of the Care Packages have been very grateful, openly commenting their satisfaction. Many of our senior citizens were uncertain of the reliability of their regular meals, as their caretakers were distressed over the many hours of waiting in long lines outside the supermarkets to obtain basic groceries, and the curfews imposed by the COVID-19 Regulations under Emergency Powers of the Governor General.”

All candidates, suppliers and packers as well as Commissioner of Police Hilroy Brandy and the Police High Command have been thanked for their cooperation.

The opposition body has shared that many persons at home and abroad have called to make contributions, whether financial or otherwise and are seeking guidance.

To this end, the NextGenSKN Cares wishes to inform persons that they can make such financial contributions/donations to:

SAVING ACCOUNT # 25561, at
St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank, in the name of: LABOUR OFFICE COMMITTEE.
This can be assessed internationally with the following wiring instructions through:

WACHOVIA BANK,N.A.
FL6079
200 SOUTH BISCAYNE BOULEVARD, 12th Floor
MIAMI, FLORIDA 33131
SWIFT: PNBPUS3NNYC
ABA: 026005092

TO CREDIT ACCOUNT
INO: ST KITTS NEVIS ANGUILLA NATIONAL BANK LTD
SWIFT: KNANKNSK

FOR FUTHER CREDIT

ACCOUNT NAME: Labour Office Committee
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 25561

 Persons and organizations are also invited to make contributions of food and personal hygiene items. Further information can be obtained by calling +1-869-465-0300 or via email to asimmartin@gmail.com.