BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, July 15, 2020 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – With roughly 80 percent of persons employed in the manufacturing sector now back on the job, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has now turned its attention to the task of restoring the country’s hotel industry back to near normalcy during the last quarter of 2020.
That position was expressed by Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris during the Tuesday, July 14 edition of the popular virtual forum series, Leadership Matters.
Prime Minister Harris, who was joined on the programme by Medical Chief of Staff at the Joseph N. France (JNF) General Hospital, Dr. Cameron Wilkinson, noted that the Government, in collaboration with medical experts and hoteliers, has been working to put the necessary health protocols in place.
The honourable prime minister further noted that his administration has prioritized a number of measures for action. These include the retrofitting of air and seaports; training and educating taxi and tour operators so they can be certified as COVID-19 compliant, and establishing protocols for health workers, employees at hotels and their guests.
“To the extent that the hotel sector relies on visitors and guests, most of whom are from regional and international jurisdictions – the Caribbean for example, the United States of America and Canada – we want to be ready to receive them, and we know we will have to assume some level of risk in opening up our borders and we will be insisting on some very strict protocols to be followed,” Dr. Harris added.
Prime Minister Harris further reported that his Cabinet was, on Monday (July 13), updated on the latest COVID-19 status for St. Kitts and Nevis as well as the international community.
The St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister ended his remarks by reiterating that his Team Unity Government will continue to take a well-managed and informed approach to the opening of the nation’s borders, adding that, “our health professionals have given us excellent advice so far, so let us not get anxious. We are not followers; we are thoughtful leaders and we will not be rushed into following a multitude in doing wrong. We will march to our own drum, determining the level of risk we want to assume. Clearly, we shall minimize the risk of overwhelming our health system, the risk of our people dying, the risk of more cases etc., and what the consequences of these mean for our way of life.”