By: Staff Writer
The St. Kitts and Nevis borders will officially reopen on Saturday 31st October, 2020 and in preparation for the reopening, protocols have been put in place to control, track and trace inbound travellers with the aim of protecting citizens.
People cannot expect not to be policed if St. Kitts and Nevis is to continue to have a firm handle on its management of COVID-19.
Adopting a phased approach to reopening, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Laws disclosed that best practices have been adopted to suit the needs of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Phase one requires:
All travellers to log on to the national website prior to travelling to complete and submit the entry form with required details including evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR test done within three days of travel.
This PCR test must be done at an accredited laboratory.
Travellers coming into the Federation are spilt into two categories.
The first category will involve travellers coming from a territory within the CARICOM Travel bubble with minimal risk of exposure to the virus and the second category involves travellers coming from a territory outside the CARICOM travel bubble. These travellers may have a significant risk of exposure to the virus.
Inbound travellers from any of the following eight Caribbean Countries;
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
They must complete the entry form on the national website (www.covid19.gov.kn) and submit a negative PCR test completed within 72-hours of travel (List of accredited labs to be provided by the Ministry of Health, at a later date).
These islands met an inclusion criterion, having reported less than 20 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 of the total population within the past 14 days. The Ministry of Health will continue monitoring the situation in these territories and member states will be removed from the approved list if transmissions of the virus are reported.
Persons travelling directly to the Federation from a Caribbean bubble territory, where they resided for at least 21 days MUST submit a negative PCR test must and the visitor will be subjected to regular screening upon their arrival at the airport. In addition, travellers would be asked to download the National COVID-19 mobile application where they will be monitored for the first 14 days.
Once without symptoms or once asymptomatic, you will be allowed to integrate into the Federation without a period of confinement or Quarantine. Inbound travellers from the Caribbean bubble can stay at private homes and at the COVID-19 certified non-franchise hotels. Please note that all arriving passengers from within the bubble who have been in transit in a country outside the bubble will be included in the second category.
Inbound travellers in the second category, (tourists and returning Nationals) from outside the Caribbean bubble will have the option of staying at several COVID-19 approved accommodation that are pre-approved or certified quarantine or confinement sites with appropriate security facilities.
The government designated facilities are:
– The Ocean Terrace Inn, (St. Kitts)
– The Royal St. Kitts Hotel, (St. Kitts)
– Oualie Beach Hotel, (Nevis)
– Potworks Estate, (Nevis)
National’s desirous of staying at their house may request an inspection. Once the request is received, the house will be visited and once all conditions are met, the House will be approved.
However, Nationals MUST secure Security Services for the duration of their confinement. Security services is rumoured at $20.00 per hour, (approximatley $6720) for 14 days.
Prices varies: At Ocean Terrace Inn, accommodation for 14 nights is $500.00, which is approximately $35 per night, whereas to stay at Potworks Estate, the cost is $400.00. All prices are in $US currency.
Inbound travellers in this category are required to submit a negative PCR test result done within three days of travel from an accredited laboratory. They will also be subjected to screening at the airport and will be requested to download the national COVID-19 mobile app.
Once without symptoms or asymptomatic, the inbound traveler will be allowed entry into the Federation. The inbound international travellers or tourists will then be vacationing in place, at the certified hotel with access to an approved package of services for the first 14 days or for the duration of stay if shorter. The International Traveller or tourists will be required to do serial testing.
Serial testing will include tourists testing on day seven and on day 14 respectively if he or she is still in the Federation. Tourists who receive a negative PCR test on day seven can be granted access to selective excursions or tourist destination sites on the island in a secure bubble.
All inbound travelers must receive a PCR test on Day 14 of their vacation, and once the result is negative, the traveler will be allowed to integrate into our society. If the trip or vacation is less than 14 days, the tourists can easily depart the Federation with an exit test.
Tourists in the second category can only use COVID-19 certified taxis or ground transportation with appropriate partitions to move between the airport and the designated hotels, and to move between the hotels and the COVID-19 certified excursion or tourist sites on the islands.
