BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, September 13, 2021 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris led a St. Kitts and Nevis delegation that also included the Federal Minister of Health, the Honourable Akilah Byron-Nisbett to the Sixteenth Special Emergency Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, held virtually earlier today today (Monday, September 13).
At Monday’s emergency meeting, Prime Minister Harris and his CARICOM colleagues discussed, at length, the growing incidences of positive COVID-19 cases in the region and how best the Community can work in a unified way to manage and control the spread of the deadly virus.
The meeting saw participation from all Member States and presentations from various entities such as the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the CARICOM Secretariat, with special interventions being made by allied partners including the United States of America and the United Kingdom.
Monday’s meeting became necessary as the CARICOM region is currently experiencing a recent surge in positive cases – particularly as a result of the emergence of new and more transmissible variants of the virus – that is creating additional pressures for health systems across the region.
Several countries have begun implementing tougher measures to arrest the situation. For instance, in Grenada, the increase in COVID-19 infections and admissions have forced the Government to establish an Ethics/Triage Committee to guide healthcare providers on who should receive care if or when the country’s health system is flooded with COVID-19 patients.
Other territories are considering extensions of their current COVID-19 measures such as lockdowns and curfews to contain the upsurge in infections and protect their healthcare system.