Basseterre, St. Kitts, (SKNIS): The retrofitting works at the Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw (RLB) International Airport in St. Kitts are expected to be completed ahead of the October 31 official reopening of the Federation’s borders.
During a media tour on October 07, the Honourable Lindsay Grant, Minister of Tourism, Transport and Ports, gave an overview of the changes taking place at the RLB International Airport.
Minister Grant indicated that the works will be done in two phases – phase one involves the retrofitting of the arrival area and the installation of the sneeze guards throughout the airport, while phase two will focus on retrofitting the departure area.
[In phase one there is the] “Construction of a welcome centre on the ramp of arrivals to house passengers ahead of the medical screening. This involves the erection of a 50 by 100-foot tent on reinforced wood, flooring and bathroom facilities. The welcome centre would be air-conditioned, equipped with seating to accommodate in excess of 140 passengers, a concession stand and TVs displaying the relevant and pertinent information,” said Minister Grant. “This facility is built in such a way that it can be easily dismantled and secured in the event of a storm or hurricane.”
A medical centre is also being constructed with an isolation unit on the arrival ramp. This facility, which is built out of shipping containers, is located next to the welcome centre. According to Minister Grant, the medical centre will be used “by the medical team and would house passengers deemed by the medical team to be of high-risk.”
Also, in phase one is the reconfiguration of the immigration hall.
“The immigration hall has been divided into two, physically separated by a partition. One section would be used for the queuing of approximately 40 passengers, physically distanced, of course, awaiting medical screening and the other section used for regular immigration processing,” he said. “The VIP lounge will be transformed into a medical screening room outfitted with four screening stations and thermal scanning cameras.”
To protect airport employees, plexiglass sneeze guards will be installed throughout the airport in places such as the customs baggage hall, the checking counters, as well as counters at the departure gates.
Minister Grant said that phase one is expected to cost in the region of two million Eastern Caribbean Dollars.