St Kitts and Nevis issues a revised travel advisory

With the spread of COVID-19 in the Caribbean, a revised travel advisory has been issued by the St Kitts and Nevis Government. Although the Federation has no cases of COVID-19, the revised travel advisory has been issued.

The Government has issued the advisory while keeping in mind, the interests of protection of borders and the wellness and health of the citizens and residents of St. Kitts and Nevis. The advisory has been brought in response to the novel coronavirus, which is spreading at a fast pace.

The Government has considered facts before issuing the advisory. The facts that have been considered include, the declaration by the World Health Organisation (WHO) which declared that the virus had become a pandemic. In addition to this, several CARICOM Member States have reported cases which have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and that all of these cases were imported into the region.

In light of these developments, the Federal Government of St. Kitts and Nevis announced that:

1) Travel advisories for persons travelling from China, Italy, Iran, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Japan would remain in effect.

2) Travel advisories have now been issued for the United Kingdom (UK), Germany, France and Spain.

3) Persons who intend to travel from these destinations mentioned above are advised not to travel to St. Kitts and Nevis.

4) If such travellers arrive in the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis, they will be made to go into a mandatory quarantine period of 14 days, after they have been screened at the port of entry.

Such quarantine of passengers means that their movements will be limited to a designated facility.

5) The Federal Government has reserved the right of screening any person arriving into the Federation, particularly during when the WHO has declared the novel coronavirus as a pandemic.

The Federal Ministry of Health and the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis also stressed on the point that, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 to-date in the Federation.

The Government also advised the citizens and residents to remain calm and to follow all of the advisories that have been issued regarding social distancing, hand hygiene, and general infection control and prevention.

The Government also reminded everyone to rely only on official sources of information on coronavirus, rather than being subjected to fear and propaganda.

Also, if someone seeks information regarding COVID-19, they should contact the Ministry of Health, Bladen Commercial Development, Basseterre or call (869) 465-2521.

The Government also pledged to keep all citizens and residents of the Federation, informed. At the same time, the Government would do all that it can to manage this global public health challenge and mitigate its impact on the people of St Kitts and Nevis.