The St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce (SKNCIC) has commended the Prime Minister and his Government on achieving full use of the first batch of vaccines and on securing an early acquisition of a second batch of the Oxford/AstraZeneca.
The Chamber has also commended the Task Force on its tireless efforts in promoting vaccination, in testing and tracing and other defenses against the community spread of the virus and in addressing the irresponsible breaches of protocols which have made the recent outbreak worse. The SKNCIC is concerned that the protocol breaches disclose alarming, inherent deficiencies in social responsibility and awareness in our society which must be addressed seriously by all national partners.
The Chamber has indicated its support for the Government action in encouraging street vendors to use the public market and other approved facilities to ensure the health and safety of the vendors and their customers.
The Chamber looks forward to the end of the current series of lockdowns on 12th July 2021 and to the full re-opening of the economy and has expressed to Government its view that the country needs at this time to prepare to live with Covid which will be around for an indefinite period. Additionally, The CIC has made specific recommendations to Government on the way forward. Among these recommendations that lockdowns should in future only be used as a last resort due to the psychological and socio-economic impact which arguably are just as devastating as the effects of the virus itself.
The Chamber has also recommended that where an employee tests positive for the virus the business should not be automatically closed but should be allowed to continue with vaccinated employees who test negative.
The Chamber accepts that an employer cannot mandate its employees to be vaccinated but at the same time each employer has a legal duty to provide a safe place of work. The directors and managers of a business have a legal duty to protect the business and to take action within the law to carry out such duties.
The Chamber has refined a range of proposals and concerns on fiscal and economic matters which include proposals relating to the effective re-opening of the tourism industry, issues affecting the future of trade and commerce, proposals for tax restructuring and concerns expressed widely across the Chamber membership as to the long-term strength and sustainability of the Social Security Fund for future generations.
The SKNCIC is committed to working with Government and all other national stakeholders in re-opening the economy safely and in the ongoing fight against the Coronavirus. The CIC encourages all to act responsibly, following all protocols and regulations on the two limited days of movement and throughout the upcoming weekend of 24 hour lockdown.