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Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 10, 2020 (SKNIS): As St. Kitts and Nevis prepares to reopen its borders all incoming passengers must submit a negative RT-PCR Test 72 hours before arriving into the Federation.

“Effective Monday, August 10, 2020, all incoming passengers into St. Kitts and Nevis must provide a negative RT_PCR test 72 hours prior to arriving,” said Abdias Samuel, Chair of the COVID-19 National Task Force during the August 08 edition of the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) COVID-19 Briefing.

All tests must be submitted to the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hazel Laws. The email address is hazel.laws@gov.kn.

Mr. Samuel said that the relevant authorities continue to ensure that the borders are properly managed to protect citizens and residents from the spread of the coronavirus.

“We continue to control our borders, our borders are closed. However, we have said we are going in phases whereby we started with the preparation of our nationals, then we moved onto our residents. From residents, we know we have a number of individuals who are working in St. Kitts and Nevis and they are contributing to our economic activities, hence, we allowed them to also return,” he added.

Persons who are married to citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis, investors, as well as students studying on the island were also allowed to return.

“We are gradually allowing these activities to happen under an extremely controlled measure,” said Mr. Samuel.

He reflected on a recent incident where a vessel occupied by one person travelled from St. Martin on its way to Guadeloupe but decided to enter St. Kitts and Nevis’ closed borders and berth at Oualie where the person was able to purchase items at the restaurant, used the bathroom facilities before being intercepted.

“This is why, because we don’t have an outbreak in St. Kitts and Nevis, we need to still be vigilant. It is critical. This is why every day we get up and continue the fight. I am appealing to the general public to understand what we are trying to do to protect you and your livelihoods and I am asking you to remain vigilant,” said Mr. Samuel.

He reiterated that persons need to be extremely vigilant because once the borders reopen cases are sure to come, and as long as we don’t build that resilience before such time, the population of St. Kitts and Nevis can be adversely affected.