BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, December 02, 2020 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – The Christmas/Carnival Season in St. Kitts and Nevis is usually a festive time for thousands of Kittitians and Nevisians, many of whom gather for numerous social and private events.
But this season, as the world continues to grapple with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris is urging citizens and residents to continue to observe the non-pharmaceutical measures established to safeguard against the spread of deadly virus.
“As we get into Christmas and the traditional Carnival persons tend to lose sight, not just of the message of Christmas, but lose sight of the imperative to continue to hold strain in terms of what we have been advised we must do,” Prime Minister Harris said during his Tuesday, December 01 Press Conference, held at the NEMA Conference Room.
The prime minister added, “We must act appropriately by strict compliance with the non-pharmaceutical measures such as the wearing of masks, hand hygiene, and physical and social distancing. The hosting of events with large crowds, particularly where persons will consume alcohol or drugs and engage in constant face to face or body contact can lead to the spread of the virus. These events must be kept to a minimum and better, yet they should be avoided.”
As prime minister, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris is leading by example. Dr. Harris used the occasion of the press conference to announce the cancellation of the annual Prime Minister’s New Year’s Gala – a highly anticipated event that brings hundreds of people together.
“This event would normally bring upward of 500 persons in a single space at the Marriott Hotel. I have concluded that it would not send the right signal to have such an event in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic,” Prime Minister Harris stated, while encouraging the gala’s usual patrons to contribute the money saved towards a worthwhile or charitable cause.
The St. Kitts and Nevis prime minister concluded that although several vaccines appear ready or near ready for human use “all we have now are our masks, practicing proper hand hygiene, and the distancing.”