COVID-19 outbreak in SKN: Opposition raises concerns

The opposition St Kitts and Nevis Labour party have expressed concerns about the rapidly growing coronavirus cases in the country. The party also extended empathy to the victims of this recent surge in positive COVID-19 cases. The Opposition stated that the increasing number of positive cases is causing great alarm within the Federation. SKNLP noted that the government has offered little to no solution for the people. "Instead of creating calm, order, and reassurance, they have succeeded in creating panic and hysteria. It appears the government has no effective plan in place on how the country would function in the event of an influx of positive cases," stated St Kitts and Nevis Labour Party. Party leader Dr Denzil Douglas stated on Tuesday that there has been much discussion about reopening the borders, which means a heightened possibility of increased cases and possible community spread, and with the strategies rolled out thus far, it appears no effective plan was established to combat this. "It seems the only focus of the government has been to increase fearmongering to bully persons into taking the AstraZeneca vaccine, completely overlooking the public's right to choose." the press release further added. Furthermore, the Opposition stated that people have not heard or seen the Minister of Health nor the Minister, whose constituency is the epicentre of the outbreak. SKNLP noted there has been no clear directive on how the government intends to manage the outbreak.

The Opposition stated that the country needs to focus on ways of protecting peoples. The SKNLP maintained they are not against vaccination because they (SKNLP) understands the significance of immunisation.

"We firmly believe that the public reserves the right to choose whether they desire to be vaccinated or not and urge the public to make an informed decision ensuring that you research thoroughly." stated the party.

The SKNLP also urged the public to continue to practice COVID-19 protocols.