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Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 25, 2021 (SKNIS): With the COVID-19 virus still active, Kaye Bass, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, has called for continued global solidarity and cooperation as they are considered effective tools to combat the pandemic.

“In the initial phase in the fight against this global health challenge, we were pleased to witness a universal solidarity among families, communities, and nations,” said Ms. Bass during the handing over ceremony of an ambulance and passenger bus at the Joseph Nathaniel France (JNF) General Hospital on February 24. “We are where we are today because of our homebred experts, but we have come this far as a consequence of the benevolence of bilateral friends such as the United States of America and international partners such as the IFRC [ International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies]”.

Ms. Bass noted that St. Kitts and Nevis’ successes at properly managing the spread of the virus should not go unnoticed.

“We believe that our success to date at curbing the spread of the disease within our community puts us in a good place to warrant further attention and assistance as we move to achieve herd immunity”, she said.  “This is an opportune juncture to therefore make an appeal for a similar show of solidarity from the United States and others with respect to ensuring equitable access to vaccines and call upon all nations to realize that the actions of each nation globally will ultimately have an impact on its own welfare domestically.”

Permanent Secretary Bass added that a robust and resilient health system is necessary for a continued healthy population in a post-COVID-19 world.

She noted that the COVID-19 Pandemic calls for global togetherness as coming together brings everyone hope and can help protect the world from future outbreaks of infectious diseases.

“The pandemic calls for a uniting of the entire global community to build societal resilience to cope with the next crisis. We believe solidarity and unity of action can assist in mitigating against trends that will render the world vulnerable to the spread of infectious diseases,” she said. “Solidarity is building on elements of relationships among individuals, peoples, and states and underpins global partnerships.”

Ms. Bass used the occasion to highlight the bond between St. Kitts and Nevis and the United States, noting that the Federation “cherishes the almost 38 years of formal relations between the two nations and the mutual solidarity that has helped to solidify this bond.”