Dr the Hon Timothy Harris, Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis and Minister of Finance, has assured the nation that his government is in a financial position not only to fund efforts in the fight against a Covid 19 outbreak in the country but also withstand any financial fall out that this may cause. Speaking at a Team Unity Town Hall meeting which focused on efforts so far to protect the federation from the virus, Dr Harris contrasted what he described as his government strong fiscal management with how the federation’s finances were handled by the former St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) led administration.
According to the government in response to the Coronavirus COVID-19 global outbreak and the subsequent international spread of the disease, St. Kitts & Nevis has strengthened surveillance and preemptive healthcare procedures at its air and seaports as well as throughout the Federation.
At Tuesday nights town hall meeting, National Disaster Coordinator Mr Abdias Samuel noted that To date, there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in St. Kitts & Nevis, however, the the COVID-19 National Working Group and the health practitioners in St. Kitts and Nevis have moved to detect, contain, and manage the situation in the event the virus reaches the Federation.
The opposition SKNLP has strongly criticized the Team Unity’s approach to preparing for the virus and has called on the government to be more transparent and to communicate established protocols with the nation.
Chairman of the St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP), Dr Terrance Drew speaking to Freedom Fm’s News Desk on Thursday morning. He explained that for several weeks, he has appeared on “Issues” on Freedom 106.5 FM, Kyss 102.5 FM’s “Ask the Leader,” and the public meetings and press conferences by the SKNLP, to inform listeners and advocate for preparedness at all levels. He is calling on the the prime minister to engage all political in an effort to address the issue holistically.
Prime Mister Harris however, has shared the view that he is disappointed with the oppositions rhetoric in the face of this possible crisis and charged the SKNLP with peddling false and malicious information with the aim of to destabilizing the country.
He warned that his government intends to revisit legislation to prevent such practices.