BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 30th October 2020)-Travelers who might be thinking about beating entry regulations through connecting flights to ‘Caribbean Bubble’ territory should think again.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Hazel Laws, during her presentation a Border Reopening press conference held on Wednesday 28th October 2020 at the Royal St. Kitts Hotel Ballroom Room in Frigate Bay, explained the monitoring system in place.
“Please note that you should be residing in that ‘Caribbean Bubble’ territory for at least twenty-one (21) days in order for you to be considered as part of this ‘Caribbean Bubble’. So in other words, you cannot come from New York or Miami and go to Anguilla and spend three days and come to St.Kitts and expect to be considered as part of the ‘Caribbean Bubble’. You really should have been residing in Anguilla or Montserrat for at least 21 days then when you come to St.Kitts once you meet the requirements then you would be free to integrate without any period of quarantine or confinement.”
Participating countries of the ‘Caribbean Bubble’ category meeting the criteria of low risk areas include Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and also St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Dr. Laws continued: “So if you come and land at RLB Airport from Anguilla or Montserrat, you would be asked to undergo a focused health screening at the airport so the port health surveillance officer will be asking you series of questions just to make sure that you are not exhibiting any of the COVID like symptoms. Your temperature will also be taken and so once you are not exhibiting symptoms, once your temperature is normal, you would then be free to leave the health counter and move on to immigrations and customs and leave the airport and be allowed to integrate freely into our society.”
Meanwhile, passengers coming in from in-transit flights from St.Martin will be considering as coming from a high risk territory.
“Please note that all arriving passengers from within the ‘Caribbean Bubble’ who have been in -transit in a country outside of the bubble will be included in the second category…For example, if you are leaving Anguilla you happen to you route yourself through St.Martin on route to St.Kitts, you’re going to have little challenge right there because if you rain transit in St.Martin which is a high risk territory, you will not be considered as part of the Caribbean Bubble,” the CMO stated.
As understood, if passenger is found to have symptoms like coughing, sneezing or even exhibiting a temperature or fever, he/she will be directed to one of the three testing booths where a nasopharyngeal sample will be taken and sent to a local laboratory for testing.
Additionally, afterwards, the passenger will be directed to one of the two isolation rooms in the isolation section on the ramp to be isolated, evaluated and triaged by the medical team following which the passenger will then be transferred directly from the isolation room and unit via appropriate transportation either to the COVID ward at out JNF General Hospital or the accommodation sites where they would have appropriate quarantine areas.
All in-bound travelers will be required to complete and submit the Customs, Border and Health Entry form (via www.knatravelform.kn) with required details including evidence of a negative PCR test.
That test to be done at an ISO accredited lab in the traveler’s host country. CMO Laws has advised travelers to Google such information on laboratory locations by putting in home address and search for the closest in their area so as to access service.
Passengers will be asked to provide the result of a PCR test done within three (3) days of travel before boarding a flight to the Federation.
On arrival at the airport, they will be asked to download the St.Kitts and Nevis COVID-19 app (EXMAPP) because persons will be monitored for the first fourteen (14) days of their stay here in the Federation.
A dry run demonstration is expected to take place on Saturday 31st October 2020; the day that the border is scheduled to be reopen.
An AA flight and British Airways flight are expected to touch down come Saturday 7th November.