How careful management of COVID gave economic lift up to St Kitts and Nevis

After almost a year of catastrophic economic crisis, St Kitts and Nevis is finally embarking upon an exciting journey once again. Tuesday (7 December 2021) is an important day for St Kitts as the island will welcome four cruise ships, all of which will dock at Port Zante.

The day is even more remarkable because three of those ships are from the Celebrity Cruise Line, indicating that St Kitts and Nevis is high in demand among cruise ship travellers because of the amenities it continues to offer.

Four cruise ships, including Aida Luna, Celebrity Apex, Celebrity, Constellation, Celebrity Equinox, will berth at the famous Port Zante of St Kitts, marking a significant milestone.

Four different cruise calls in a single day show the handling of the COVID-19 crisis in the smallest country of the western hemisphere. It identified more suitable protocols in the region that allowed for increased cruise visitation; the destination is expecting to welcome more than 60 cruise ship calls for December.

A recent study carried out by a local news channel, Writeups24, showed the careful handling of the COVID-19 crisis in St Kitts and Nevis. The news report highlighted the efforts of Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris in the prudent management of economic and health emergencies caused by the pandemic. The news articles published by Writeups24 emphasised that locals are pleased with the resumption of cruise ships to St Kitts and Nevis. Many locals spoke to the news organisation and acclaimed the administration of Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris for taking necessary measures to control the spread of coronavirus. A local vendor, Pamela Lewis, while conversing with Writeups24, expressed gratitude to the government and their management of coronavirus. She said with 60 cruise calls; their businesses will flourish again.

Another local vendor was quoted as saying, "We are local craft artists who all year wish for the cruise season but when covid arrived, I never expected the things would get back to how they were in 2019, undoubtedly the times were hard, but I thank PM and his team for making things better for us,".

Many even stated that during the lockdown days, the stimulus package proposed by the government kept their lives going. Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris' government provided a $120 million stimulus package that offered $1000/monthly to people impacted by the pandemic.

The resumption of cruise tourism in St Kitts and Nevis is a symbol of a managed approach utilised by the government to overcome any challenges associated with resumption, including the virus-related challenges.

The government of St Kitts and Nevis is welcoming cruise ships in a managed travel approved bubble where all participants are fully vaccinated. Notably, St Kitts and Nevis also have one of the highest rates of COVID-19 vaccination in the region, with over 80% of its population immunised against the virus.

Under the bubble, all, including the taxi/tour operators, attraction tour guides, seaport officials, and other cruise-related staff members, are fully vaccinated with careful management.

COVID-19 daily data indicates that St Kitts and Nevis have collectively contained the virus's third wave. People are adhering to non-pharmaceutical techniques such as wearing face masks, maintaining social distance, and practising hand cleanliness as a result of the instructions and implementation proposed by the health ministry.

St Kitts and Nevis began its vaccination programme on 22 February 2021 and shortly thereafter became the first country in the sub-region to achieve the World Health Organization's (WHO) minimal target of 40% of the population being completely vaccinated.