Last Updated on November 6, 2020, 7:20 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Medical Chief of Staff at the Joseph N. France Hospital, Dr Cameron Wilkinson, said that it is in the best interest of St Kitts and Nevis that the Federation exits the CARICOM Bubble.
Dr Wilkinson said this while he was speaking on the virtual forum series “Leadership Matters.
He said that several countries within the bubble are witnessing an increase in the number of cases of COVID-19 with possible community spread.
The countries include Antigua, Dominica, Barbados, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
He said that the CARPHA Agreement recommended clearly that the countries should not have new cases or have less than 20 cases per 100,000 in the last 14 days for being eligible to be in the CARICOM Bubble.
De Wilkinson said that it gave member states the flexibility to reintroduce travel restrictions for a specific country if the criteria are not met.
He said that the agreement gave member states the flexibility to refuse entry to the non-national traveller who presents a threat to national security or public health even coming from a country from which the restrictions are lifted.
Dr Wilkinson said that once St Kitts and Nevis continue to have different entry requirements across CARICOM countries, the Federation would have different levels of exposure and risk to the virus. The low-risk status of the Federation which it currently holds would be jeopardized by any country which has a less stringent protocol for entry than the Federation.
The Medical Chief of Staff said that the 14-day quarantine, the negative PCR Test before arrival and vacation in place are what are keeping the Federation safe so far and making it a preferred destination on the tourism map.
He said that all visitors to the Federation would therefore be considered high risk and subject to the same protocols for entry.
Dr Wilkinson said that until a vaccine becomes available, an essential tool in the fight against the virus is the face mask. He asked everyone to wear it.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
