Author: SKNISEditor

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 28, 2021 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs): The United States has further expanded opportunities to renew U.S. visas without having to come to the U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados for an in-person interview. These new “interview waiver” procedures will ease travel to the United States for many visitors who do not live in Barbados, as well as contribute to mitigating exposure to COVID-19. Most citizens and passport holders of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines can now renew their visas without having to come to the…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 28, 2021 (SKNIS): The Independence Steering Committee, chaired by the Honourable Akilah Byron-Nisbett, met for the first time today, Friday, May 28 at the National ICT Center to begin preparation for St. Kitts and Nevis’ 38th Anniversary of Independence.The official Calendar of Events for the 38th Anniversary of Independence of St. Kitts and Nevis is being finalized and will contain a range of activities reflecting the new normal created as a result of COVID-19. Per the COVID-19 protocols, this year’s Independence events will be modified to minimize health risks to persons. Some events will not be…

Bridgetown, Barbados May 27th, 2021 – As the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Seasonapproaches, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), with supportfrom the World Bank, is launching an initiative to improve disaster preparedness andresilience in the region. Coined “Disaster Fighters”, the initiative includes participation fromcurrent and former cricketers, Caribbean musical talent, and other influential figures tospread critical survival messages related to hurricanes, volcanoes, COVID-19 and otherhazards. The initiative will be launched on May 31 with a musical production filmed in Anguilla,Grenada, Haiti, Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago featuring cricketers and artists such asSir Garfield Sobers (Barbados); Darren Sammy, Ricky T…

Friday, May 28, 2021 – George Town, Cayman Islands: The countdown is on for the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association’s (CWWA) Annual Conference and Exhibition. This 2021 event, set to take place 3-8 October, is being organised by the Water Authority-Cayman with support from Cayman Water Company and the Department of Environmental Health of the Cayman Islands. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions, this year’s conference will be entirely virtual. “We’re very pleased to be working with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) in the Cayman Islands to host this year’s conference”, comments CWWA Executive Director Wayne Williams.…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 28, 2021 (SKNIS): Medical Chief of Staff at the Joseph N. France General Hospital, Dr. Cameron Wilkinson, explained that names of COVID-19 patients are not revealed to the public to protect these persons against scorn, discrimination, and victimization. Additionally, he said it is a case of upholding professional medical ethical practice.Speaking during the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) COVID-19 Briefing on May 26, Dr. Wilkinson said, “The reason why we tell you in this pandemic that you need to wear a mask, you need to social distance, and you need to sanitize is that you need to…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 28, 2021 (SKNIS): The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis continues to provide relief to scores of persons in quarantine as a result of a local cluster of COVID-19 cases that among other measures forced the closure of schools for the next two weeks and reintroduced a curfew from 11 pm to 5 am for 14 days in the first instance in order to try and contain the spread of the virus. On Wednesday, the Chairman of the National COVID-19 Task Force, Abdias Samuel, announced that a new committee was established to provide support to persons in…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 27, 2021 (RSCNPF): On May 27, 2021, 46-year-old Alston Phillip of Hamilton Estate, Nevis was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of thirty-five (35) years for Murder and six (6) years and six (6) months each for two counts of Attempted Murder. The sentences are to run concurrently. Phillip was found guilty by a unanimous verdict on November 19, 2020, for the Murder of 37-year-old Lydia Jacobs and the attempted murder of Mishkin Brookes and Erica Williams. The offences took place on June 02, 2017, at Church Ground, Nevis.

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 28, 2021 (SKNIS): Chief Engineer at the Public Works Department, (PWD) Livingston Pemberton, said that public infrastructure is a public good and creates benefits for society and the economy, hence the reason why they should be cared for by all. “Public infrastructure has to be financed and the way it is financed is usually through taxes. They, people, pay the taxes and so if we want to control or reduce the quantum of taxes that we have to pay in order for us to maintain or upkeep the public infrastructure, the onus is on us to take care of…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 28, 2021 (SKNIS): Minister of Health, the Hon. Akilah Byron-Nisbett, with the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers, has sanctioned the Public Health (Restriction of Movement) Regulations, 2021. This regulation will now require all regional and international travellers to submit official proof of full vaccination against the COVID-19 virus prior to entry and upon entry into St. Kitts and Nevis. The regulations take effect from Saturday 29th May 2021. The aforementioned provisions do not apply to citizens and residents of St. Kitts and Nevis. However, citizens and residents of St. Kitts and Nevis shall still be required to submit official proof of a…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 27, 2021 (SKNIS): Traffic and law enforcement officials in St. Kitts and Nevis received the “go ahead” to begin ticketing persons who are in breach of the public health and safety protocols designed to mitigate against the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Superintendent of Police, Cromwell Henry, spoke about the matter at the National Emergency Operations Centre COVID-19 Briefing on Wednesday, May 26, 2021. “If your passenger buses carry more than 50 percent passenger capacity, the driver would be liable to be ticketed. If the passengers are not wearing masks on the bus, the passengers would be…