On Saturday, March 28, 2020 St. Kitts and Nevis recorded five (5) additional cases of COVID-19. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to seven (7). The patients are three females and two males who are all citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis. The female patients are aged 10 months, 24 years and 36 years, while the two male patients are 29 and 39 years, respectively. All five of these cases are travel related, meaning that the cases were imported into the Federation. This determination has been made based on the patients’ travel histories to St. Maarten and Antigua during the period March 6-13, 2020.
The Federal Ministry of Health wishes to advise the public that these confirmed cases of COVID-19 indicate that all such patients are being subjected to compulsory isolation in order to limit the likelihood of transmission to others. The Ministry further advises that the contacts of all five patients will be subject to strict quarantine and testing as well, given that they would have been exposed to the novel coronavirus and can infect others during the incubation period.
The Ministry of Health wishes to remind our citizens and residents of our individual and collective responsibility to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our Federation. This means:
1) Strict observance of quarantine regulations by remaining at home if you are placed on home self-quarantine by the public health authorities.
Reason: you can infect others during the quarantine period, even if you have none of the symptoms of COVID-19. Failure to comply with these regulations can attract a fine up to EC$8,000 and other penalties.
2) Persons who have been placed in mandatory isolation after being diagnosed with COVID-19 must remain in the place of isolation at all times for the duration of the period. A person in isolation is considered highly contagious and, as such, is not permitted to leave the place of isolation for any reason whatsoever. Failure to comply with isolation requirements can attract fines of up to $8,000 and other penalties.
3) Strict adherence to the State of Emergency provisions and regulations outlined in Statutory Rules and Orders (SR&O), Number 7 of 2020: Emergency Powers (COVID-19) Regulations, which took effect from 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, 2020. Fines of up to $5,000 and other penalties – including imprisonment – are applicable to persons who break the law with regards to (a) the mandatory curfew that has been put in place; and (b) restriction of movement insofar as the hours of 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. are concerned. The Ministry appeals to all to avoid unnecessary travel outside of one’s domestic premises, particularly if one has no good reason to be away from home and one’s movements are not covered by any of the special allowances outlined in the SR&O Number 7 of 2020.
The people of St. Kitts and Nevis are reminded that we can only win the fight against COVID-19 if everyone does his or her part and is compliant with the laws of the Country and the advice given by the Ministry of Health. The public is further reminded that the Federal Ministry of Health remains the only official source of information on COVID-19. Feel free to call the COVID-19 Hotline #311 if you have questions and concerns.