Author: SKNISEditor

TheMembers of the Monetary Council of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) today (Monday, May 24) utilized a public holiday to hold a special policy meeting on ‘Reinvigorating ECCU Tourism: Current Trends and Strategies’. TheSpecial Meeting was presided over by Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, Prime Minister and current Chairman of the Monetary Council of the ECCB. In attendance were members of the Monetary Council, members of the Board of Directors of the ECCU, Ministers of Tourism and their teams, as well as the Governor of the ECCB, Mr. Timothy Antoine. AtMonday’s meeting, it was noted that a joint approach…

22 May, Bridgetown, Barbados – The mere sight of bees sends us scampering in fear of being stung, however we savor their honey to sweeten our food, desserts, pastries and teas, especially a hot lemon tea when nursing a common cold. In Barbados alone, the demand for honey is estimated at 350,000 pounds on an annual basis. But bees are more than just producers of honey, a food rich in high-carbohydrate loaded with minerals and vitamins, they are critical to the pollination of many of our favorite fruits and vegetables and without them our biodiversity is at risk. The Food…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 23, 2021 (SKNIS): St. Kitts and Nevis’ Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Hazel Laws, issued advice for adults to remain safe while caring for a child who may have been exposed to COVID-19. The information was shared on Sunday (May 23, 2021) during a Special National Emergency Operations Centre COVID-19 Briefing. At the special briefing, it was announced that two additional cases of the coronavirus were detected, taking the total number of active cases to seven. Health authorities also announced that the Sandy Point Primary School is now temporarily closed as an extensive testing and contact…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 23, 2021 (SKNIS): The National COVID-19 Task Force has outlined a two-pronged approach to dealing with persons who have been placed in self or home quarantine as a result of the latest cases of COVID-19 in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. “We are going to have a two-pronged approach to maintaining and surveilling these individuals. There will be a periodic roll call that will be done by the Compliance Officers and there will be periodic visits by the Compliance Officers in collaboration with the Police Officers in that district to ensure that individuals who have…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 23, 2021 (SKNIS): There will be a special NEOC (National Emergency Operations Center) COVID-19 Briefing at 3:30 pm today Sunday 23rd May 2021. As usual, the briefing will be broadcast live via ZIZ Radio and Television and social media channels (www.zizonline.com).The briefing will address the latest COVID-19 situation in the Federation. -30-

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – In recent weeks, the management of the Caribbean Examinations Council® (CXC®), has engaged regional governments and other stakeholders on the conception and planning of the 2021 regional examinations. CXC® is enriched by the dialogues with Ministers of Education and other government officials, teachers and students and is proceeding in this pandemic to provide quality examinations to our students. Governance committees of CXC®, which are comprised of regional government representatives,are reviewing recommendations on CXC’s 2021 regional examination strategy that emanated from these consultations and the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) Council of Human and Social Development (COHSOD) 28th Special session…

In St. Kitts, our Public Water Supply is 100% dependent on rainfall. According to information from our Meteorological Services, so far for 2021 (Jan-April) we have received a total of approximately 6 inches of Rainfall. In 2020 for the same period, we received a total of 12 inches; the long term (climatological) average for this period is 15 inches. We have therefore received half of the rainfall we received last year and a third of what is typical or normal. This translates to a Severe Dry Season or Drought. The Water Services Department has been doing our best to cope…

On Friday May 21, 2021, Dr. the Honorable Timothy Harris, Prime Minister, announced that St.Kitts and Nevis had recorded three additional cases of Covid-19, bringing to 49 the total number of confirmed cases of the virus in the Federation. This afternoon, I wish to update you on the present situation. Since the Prime Minister’s address last night, we would have recorded one (1) additional case as a result of the contact tracing exercise that is currently on the way as a result of case #46. Case # 50 is an imported case and is closely related to case #47. The…

Tuesday, 18 May 2021 (PANCAP Coordinating Unit, CARICOM Secretariat): The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the mechanism that provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, will convene a virtual three-day meeting of National AIDS Programme (NAP) Managers, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Key Partners, 2 – 4 June 2021 to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on national and regional HIV programmes. The meeting will also discuss how countries are coping and adjusting programme delivery during COVID-19 to ensure sustainability. Stakeholders will also decide how the Partnership and Key partners…

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is gravely concerned by the recent escalation in violence between the Israelis and the Palestinians. CARICOM joins the international community in calling for an immediate ceasefire and end to hostilities. CARICOM continues to support the United Nations’ efforts towards a two-state solution as the best way forward. 19 May 2021