BORDERS WILL REMAIN OPEN DURING 24-HOUR LOCKDOWN IN ST. KITTS AND NEVIS

The borders of St. Kitts and Nevis will remain open over the next two weeks to facilitate the arrival and departure of commercial travellers including nationals who are returning home.

Attorney General, the Honourable Vincent Byron Jr, shared the information on Saturday (June 26, 2021), during a live interactive engagement on ZIZ Radio and Television. The engagement addressed questions and comments following last evening’s announcement of a 24-hour lockdown by Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris. The 24-hour lockdown is exclusive to St. Kitts and forms part of new restrictive measures for the period June 27 to July 11, to curb the community transmission of COVID-19.

Attorney General Byron Jr, said the decision to keep the borders open was based on the continued success of the corridor of containment for incoming travellers established in October 2020.

“When someone lands at the airport, you are met by port health officials, customs, immigration, all have been trained in how to deal in this COVID situation,” he stated. “To leave the airport, you leave in a COVID certified taxi operator that goes to a COVID certified quarantine site or hotel. Even on total lockdown days, there must be some opening for the corridor to function.

“It is important to point out that there will be those travellers going to Nevis and so there are COVID certified ferry operators that will function as well,” he added.

Relatedly, the attorney general said that laboratories that facilitate RT-PCR tests will remain open during the next two weeks. Laboratory appointments will be necessary for testing. Most countries require a negative COVID-19 test to be submitted prior to travellers arriving. Therefore, persons leaving St. Kitts and Nevis will still be able to get tested to meet this international requirement.

Outgoing travellers are advised to notify the nearest police station before leaving for the R. L. Bradshaw International Airport. Travel documents must be presented to law enforcement at established checkpoints along the way.