Wednesday, August 12, 2020
The island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis announced that it has decided to reopen its borders to international tourism in October. The reopening would also allow the resumption of air and sea commercial traffic and operations. The government of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis also published the latest Emergency Powers (COVID-19) (No.13) Regulations, 2020 that set out new guidelines for the country ahead of the reopening its borders.
It has been mentioned that all international visitors will be required to undergo a RT-PCR test nearly 72 hours before arriving in the country, the result of which is to be submitted through email. They will also have to undergo a quarantine period of 14 days after which a second PCR test would be taken. Travellers will only be released from quarantine after receiving a negative test result post the 14 days. It has been advised that travellers should have valid travel insurance that covers COVID-19 for the duration of their trip.
St Kitts and Nevis have been highly successful in combating the spread of the deadly coronavirus with only 17 confirmed cases and no deaths. While borders remain closed, the country will welcome back nationals and their spouses, investors, and students enrolled at education institutions on the islands as a part of the first phase of reopening. In preparation for the reopening, St. Kitts has started conducting training for over 5,000 tourism businesses including hotels.
The training will educate tourism businesses about the health and safety protocols and standards that must be met in order to obtain the “Travel Approved” certification from the Tourism Authority. All businesses would require the certificate to resume operations. In addition, it would be mandatory for all tourists to wear masks all the time. They will also have to maintain social distancing and observe hand-washing.
Abdias Samuel, Chair of the COVID-19 National Task Force said in his statement that country will continue to control its borders and keep it closed for now but have planned for a phased reopening. He shared that the country has started preparing to welcome back nationals, and will them move to residents. He also informed that the residents who are working in St Kitts and Nevis and are contributing to the economic activities, have also been allowed to return.
Tags: Coronavirus, Covid-19, St. Kitts, St. Kitts and Nevis
