BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 4th September 2020)- Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris has announced that there will be no 2020 Independence Parade for the occasion of the 37th anniversary due to health and safety measures in place concerning COVID-19.
“In keeping with the new norms and to continue our leadership on the matter, Cabinet yesterday determined that: There will be no Independence Parade this year. This is to reduce the probability of the spread of the virus with thousands of participants attending the Independence Parade,” he said in a statement on the weekly Leadership Matters programme aired on Tuesday 1st September.
“This decision was a painful one, given the seminal importance of Independence at the fulcrum of our sovereign state. We encourage persons to wear national colours, carry their national flags with them and display their flags at their homes and premises. We encourage the visible display of national pride, patriotism and the showcasing of our emblems of nationhood. We encourage community activities to mark the day, mindful to comply with our COVID-19 Regulations,” he added.
Scheduled to take place, however, are a National Heroes Day commemorative event and the Prime Minister’s Lecture Series while the usual Governor General’s cocktail reception on Independence night has been crossed off the events calendar this time around.
“In sum, Independence events in the context of COVID-19 have been modified to minimize health risks to everyone. As a consequence, some events have been cancelled, scaled back or will be delivered virtually,” Dr. Harris commented.
According to him: “The usual cocktail reception hosted by our esteemed Governor General Sir S. W. Tapley Seaton on Independence night will not take place this year. This event would attract thousands of persons from all walks of life. Our National Heroes Day commemorative event will take place at the National Heroes Park, with social distancing and wearing of masks being observed. The programme will be curtailed. Members of the public are invited; the dignitaries and family members will also be involved in the ceremony. The Prime Minister’s Lecture Series will be delivered this year by one of our citizens in an environment which will be more compliant with the new norms of COVID-19.”
Dr. Harris said Independence celebrations, this year, are taking place at the peak of the Hurricane Season and at a time when COVID-19 continues its rampage around the world.
He noted that globally there are 25,327,098 cases, with 848,255 deaths recorded and 208,215 newly diagnosed cases within the last 24 hours.
“Far from being gone, COVID-19 is still with us and is doing great harm to our bodies, our economies and societies. St. Kitts and Nevis’ infection and mortality rates are among the lowest in the world. We thank God for sparing us from the deaths and containing the number of cases here to 17: the lowest number of all independent member states in the OECS, the Caribbean and the Americas,” he expressed.
“We, however, must never be lulled into complacency, but we must continue to utilize the non-pharmaceutical measures such as the frequent washing of our hands with soap, wearing of masks, boosting our immune system and observing physical distancing all in our effort to keep COVID-19 at bay and far away,” he encouraged.