St. Kitts and Nevis

BASSETERRE, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 (MIC) -

In 2021, this correspondent embarked on a mission through the Media Institute of the Caribbean to review how the government of St. Kitts and Nevis employed the loans and grants they received from bi laterals and multi laterals to aid with the pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other key facets were covered such as COVID-19’s impact on the social fabric of the territory. This was measured by looking at the economy and the rise in the cost of living; the situation with health as it pertained to vaccines, vaccine hesitancy and the consequences of the lockdown on the mental and physical health of children; and also the changes in the delivery of education.

While the investigation into these elements revealed pertinent data, despite numerous requests, there has not been full disclosure by the Ministry of Finance in St. Kitts and Nevis or the former government on the level of assistance received from donor sources, the core focus of this project.

However, it is paramount to note that St. Kitts And Nevis leaned heavily on its Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme to address the economic fallout of COVID-19, meaning that the territory did not need to borrow monies from international institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to assuage the financial impact.

In this final review, the focus will be on how the territory will pave the way forward. In addition, the current economic outlook will be examined, paying specific attention to general spending.

The impact of external circumstances and COVID-19 protocol

Like many territories across the region, the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis is projecting a mixed economic outlook for the remainder of the year. That is due to the uncertainty surrounding new COVID-19 variants and the threats posed by the newly circulated Monkeypox virus. Growth prospects will also likely be impacted by the ongoing war in Ukraine which continues to impact the price of fuel and food prices.

At the time of publication, the number of territories within the region confirming cases of Monkeypox has increased to at least eight with Guyana recently confirming its first confirmed case.

Since the start of the pandemic back in 2020, St. Kitts and Nevis was one of several territories that implemented strict COVID-19 health measures and protocols to combat its spread. The previous administration led by Dr Timothy Harris instituted strict lockdown measures and border control protocols, including quarantine and mandatory vaccination for entry into the island.

After winning the August 5 General Elections, newly-elected Prime Minister, Dr. Terrance Drew removed all of the remaining protocols including permissions for entry into the Federation on August 15.

“For many months, well before the election campaign began, I challenged the former government continuously to end the travel restrictions placed on our people that no longer had any scientific or medical merit,” Drew commented in the August 13 swearing in ceremony. “It was clear these restrictions were being used to oppress and suppress the will of you, the people. Why should citizens of this country have to seek permission to enter the land of their birth? That was wrong! That is wrong! Therefore, I have instructed that forthwith, all COVID-19-related health and travel restrictions be REMOVED!”

The measures taken during the lockdown period resulted in companies either downsizing their workforce or cutting back on the hours each staff member was able to clock. During one of his press conferences in 2020¸ Dr Harris spoke about the job cuts in companies across the country and the subsequent use of funds through the social security programme to provide assistance to those affected by job losses and reduction in hours. The government introduced a stimulus packaged that provided up to EC$1000 (US$370) to more than 3000 persons. “Our income support package has provided critical assistance to 3,025 persons at a cost of EC$7.9 million to date,” the then Prime Minister revealed last year.

The tourism and service sector, which is one of the largest employers behind the public sector, was severely impacted by COVID-19 restrictions. Though data was not readily available at the time of this review on the various subsets of unemployment, the World Bank projects that the unemployment rate increased to 5.41 % in 2020, up from the 5.3% in 2019, but it then dropped to that same figure in 2021.

As the twin island Federation seeks to bolster its economic activities, the employment numbers remain mixed. Early data from the Social Security Board at the end of April showed that even though the smaller island of Nevis reported an increase in employment, it was still not back to pre pandemic levels. Nevis Premier Mark Brantley, who provided the statistics at his July end of month press conference, announced that Nevis is struggling to return to the highest employment levels seen prior to the start of the pandemic in 2019.

Responding to a question from MIC, the Premier quoted data he received from the Social Security Department and revealed that the island had over 6000 persons employed officially at the start of the pandemic. Now that number is hovering over 5000 at a deficit of 1000. The island has a population just over 15,000 based on the 2011 census.

**Premier Brantley on job losses across the territory.**

Compared with that of St. Kitts, the Premier reminded the public that the numbers in Nevis are relatively good, as the larger of the two islands is still below expectations, seeing slower employment rebound. The number of jobs and monthly wages has grown on both islands but at a slower rate.

The Economy and Tourism Revenue

Many within the Federation are optimistic about the outlook for the economy going forward. Premier Brantley is one such person, who believes that there will be a significant uptick in tourist arrivals as well as other economic activities.

The tourism sector is a critical segment of the Federation’s economy, adding significantly to the local economy. Data from Statistia showed that in 2019 it was responsible for 43.6 percent of the gross domestic product. In 2020 during the height of the pandemic that dropped to 20.1 percent, and in 2021 it again dropped to 10.2 percent.

Statistics available thus far for the first quarter of the year showed that there is indeed a noticeable increase in the number arrivals when compared with the same period last year but they are still below 2020 numbers. According to data from the Nevis Statistics Department, in 2020 there were 717 persons visiting during the quarter arriving through the Vance Armory International (Nevis), when compared with a significant drop the following year to 785, and a spike in 2022 to 6167. In the latter figure, the number included those who arrived in St. Kitts with their final destination being Nevis.

Nevis recently hosted its Culturama (Carnival) and Mango festival activities which generated significant revenues for the expected slow period of the year. The country will also play host to one leg of the 2022 Caribbean Premier League season which is a source of revenue for the territory.

When asked about his projections and expectations for the remainder of the year, Premier Brantley expressed caution but was positive that a rebound would be seen.

“I think we are cautiously optimistic,” he said. “We are cautiously optimistic because our tourism season this year has been much longer than anticipated…we still have groups that come and are at the Four Season Resort and we expect a boost from Culturama… so we expect that the prospects are good. My last update from the Ministry of Finance officials which I received just about three weeks ago suggested that we are on the right track. We were marginally ahead of projections on revenue”.

He stopped short of giving figures in this area but the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) projected to earn EC$131.4 million (US$48.60 million) in recurrent revenue up 2.5% from the from the EC$128.2 million (US$47.36 million) in 2021.”

Brantley’s optimism comes at a time when St. Kitts and Nevis recently held general elections, unseating him and the administration he was a part of, resulting in a shift in economic policies at a critical juncture of the economic rebound.

On St. Kitts, the Federal Government is pushing new measures to ensure that the ‘bread and butter’ industry of tourism is leading the economic recovery. Newly elected Prime Minister, Dr. Terrance Drew - a medical doctor by profession- lifted the last remaining COVID-19 restrictions for travelers, which he believes was hindering the rebound of the tourism sector.

Positing that lifting the ban will bring more passengers through the airport, the prime minister suggested that it will begin to generate more revenue for the country.

“We will open up the country so that tourism and travel can be back on a path to be opened up fully,” Dr. Drew said. ”And as we know, that will help the country significantly.”

Ellison Tommy Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority elaborated on the agency’s thrust to revitalize the industry which took a severe hit during the pandemic.

With the Federation relaxing its entry protocols, the CEO expressed confidence that the rate of stay-over tourists will increase. He told MIC that, based on evidence from the trends seen by the Tourism Authority, when there were periods of relaxation from protocols there are increases in the number of arrivals into the island.

“We have seen evidence that whenever we have relaxed the protocols, taking away the vacation in place, taking away the quarantining we see the numbers are going up,” Thompson said. “So we are confident that with the reduction of all the protocols we will definitely see the numbers going up.”

The St. Kitts Tourism Authority could not provide the overall statistics for the tourism season thus far, owing to the season still showing strength during what is described as the off season.

But according to data obtained by MIC, there are signs of hope for the Federation’s ‘bread and butter’ industry.

Collectively, there are strong numbers projected thus far at the end of the first quarter, suggesting that a significant rebound is likely.

**St. Kitts and Nevis tourist arrivals.**

Those figures highlight the critical nature of the sector to a small island developing state. This, coupled with the high unemployment rate, prompted Prime Minister Drew, to lift the last remaining COVID-19 restrictions and protocols explaining that it is time for the country to reopen and focus on moving forward..

The prime minister has not yet fully spoken to the media since his elections outside of an exclusive to a local agency. During those discussions, he disclosed that he is still holding talks with key figures within the Ministry of Finance on the state of the economy and could not give a proper assessment.

Economic Challenges: CBI Programme

Even as the Federation and the new government in Basseterre seek to push for a rebound of the economy, all of their plans could be stymied by the global challenges such as the threat of recession in various developed nations, threats to the Citizenship by Investment Programmes in the region, the ever present COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty surrounding fuel prices and air travel across the region.

Many of the threats are outside of the Federation’s control, and the prime minister believes that measures could be implemented to minimize the fall out. The biggest threat for St. Kitts and Nevis comes with possible changes to the landscape for the sale of the Federation’s citizenship or passport via the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CBI).

Data from the Auditor General’s Report found that the programme accounted for 40 percent of the country’s revenue for the year 2020, emphasizing the critical nature of the programme for St. Kitts and Nevis.

Prime Minister Drew stressed that his government’s “objective is to do what we have to do to make sure that the CBI survives and it continues to be viable because it is important for national development.”

Revenue from the CBI programme is used to fund a number of social programmes, with the former prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris confirming that there are 28 social programmes in St. Kitts and Nevis currently. For the island of Nevis, it is a critical source of revenue that allows for the payment of salaries for public servants and the undertaking of projects.

More importantly, as indicated in the introduction, the programme was a lifeline for St. Kitts and Nevis during the COVID-19 pandemic as much of the assistance to those who were displaced from their jobs, coming from the millions in CBI programme stimulus. That meant that the territory did not need to borrow monies from international institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to assuage the financial impact of COVID-19.

Travel

With St. Kitts and Nevis being one of those small island developing states that is dependent on tourism, any shock within the travel industry could derail the projected rebound. As mentioned previously, data from Statistia indicated that in 2019, at the peak of the tourism season, the tourism sector contributed 43.6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and saw significant declines in the subsequent year after. In 2020, it accounted for 20.1% of GDP and 10.2% last year.

The sector is still being challenged by COVID-19 in the form of logistical issues with intra regional travel. Since mitigation measures induced the collapse of LIAT during the height of the pandemic, service to all of the islands for regional travel has been affected.

The CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority (SKTA) also acknowledged that fact, explaining to MIC that when it comes to the challenges the region is facing with LIAT and the proposals put forward, it comes down to a decision to be made by the government on whether to purchase shares in the entity so it can land in the Federation.

Despite all attention being placed on the international market, the number of regional arrivals also has an impact on the St. Kitts and Nevis economy. Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) Timothy Antoine acknowledged it could impact regional economies.

Despite the challenges, during his speech at the Monetary Council, meeting, Governor Antoine disclosed that the subregion’s economies are projected to grow by 6 percent this year and 5 percent next year.

COVID-19 Spending

Between 2020 and 2022, the government spent an excess of EC$40 million (US$14.8 million) to bail out citizens, residents, small businesses and the health sector from economic crises. The Local Government spent over EC$20 Million (US$ 7.4 million) to fight off the challenges posed by the pandemic through a number of assistance programmes.

Much of the government’s spending on both islands assisted those who were unemployed. Aiming to safeguard the full public sector work force, persons received support through social security funding and relief measures.

All of that came at a steep price for the people of Nevis, for example, as it has been revealed that the Local Government took on substantial public debt to ensure that public sector workers remained employed. That section of the workforce is the largest on the island.

The spending in St. Kitts was also criticized by former Government Minister, Dwyer Astaphan. During an interview with MIC, he denounced the former government for what he described as not being truthful on the level of spending during the height of the pandemic.

Inflation and its side effects

St. Kitts and Nevis continues to grapple with the major shocks resulting from the rising cost of living which has the new administration scrambling to find new policy initiatives to cushion the impact.

Consumers are faced with the rising cost of food and gas at the pumps and, based on projections from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), it may get worse before it gets better. Data shows that inflation grew by 1.2 percent in 2021 and that number is expected to increase to 4 percent in 2022. Putting that into context, the Federation reported negative inflation in six of the last eight years, with 2017’s 0.7 percent reported.

That has prompted the government to relinquish a major chunk of its revenue streams both at the Local and Federal Levels. Fuel taxes have been decreased and capped to cushion the blow at the pumps, the Federal Government has ensured that the corporate tax rate remains low, and an EC$400 (US$148) subsidy for bus drivers remain among other cost cutting measures.

On Nevis, the Local Government implemented several measures to reduce the impact of the rising inflation cost on consumers. However, while the measures include capping the fuel surcharge, the consequent cost has been passed on to the consumers, in the form of stark markups in electricity bills.

Brantley spoke about capping of the fuel surcharge and providing subvention to the Nevis Electricity Company as a means to minimize passing on the rising cost of electricity on to consumers. Putting it into context, he explained that “the average price of fuel has moved from EC$7.98 per gallon in January 2022 to EC$14.68 per gallon in June 2022. So, in just that six-month period the price has increased almost 100 percent in terms of fuel. So it is an untenable situation”

To aid in cutting the cost for the consumers, the government is providing an increase in subvention to the Nevis Electricity Company of an additional EC$2 million (US$0.74 million) to go with the EC$1.75 million already being provided on a monthly basis.

In his August press conference, Brantley disclosed that the monthly surcharged will be removed for residential consumers and remain in place for those commercial entities.

Looking forward

Since the August 5 General Elections, the government had a smooth transition of power and has hit the ground running with measures to cushion the impact of the rising inflation affecting the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.

The prime minister’s confirmation of the removal of restrictions to enter into the country, and indication that there will be no vaccination mandate for persons to work in the country will serve to alleviate complaints from persons citing that they were fired for not being vaccinated.

As the country seeks to recover, the prime minister indicated that price structures for food could be implemented to cushion the rising cost of commodities. Also, as aforementioned, they will provide subsidy to the St. Kitts Electricity company to prevent the rising fuel cost to be passed on to consumers.

Despite the challenges facing the nation as it seeks to rebound from COVID-19, the government is forging ahead, seeking new foreign direct investment to jump start various other sectors to diversify its revenue base.

But as we wrap the Federation’s approach and spending on COVID-19, it should be noted that the territory was one of those countries that had a different approach to the virus and was later than its neighbours to suffer the impact. While many territories struggled and borrowed from bi laterlas and multi laterals, St. Kitts and Nevis depended solely on its social security fund and its Citizenship By Investment proceeds.

BASSETERRE, May 30, 2022 (MIC) -

St. Kitts and Nevis is projecting a significant economic rebound coming out of the ravages of COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent global deceleration of commercial activities.

For 2022, economic indicators point to a double digit growth rate of 10 percent, a position supported by Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris during his budget presentation in December last year. Like the rest of the world, St. Kitts and Nevis saw significant decline in economic and tourism-related activities over the last two years. In 2020, the Federation saw a massive fall off in its growth rate, reporting a decline of -14% Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, 2021 was better, showing 13% growth. Put into perspective, St. Kitts and Nevis saw positive growth rates of 2.7% (2018) and 4.8 % (2019) - an indication of favourable activities locally prior to the pandemic, according to data provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“We are hopeful that the positive signs observed in the major growth sectors of the economy would be sustained beyond 2021 and over the medium term. This would be critical for our country to realize the double digit growth rate predicted by the IMF and our Statistics Department for 2022,” Dr Harris explained his 2022 Budget address.

The IMF forecast predicts that, based on the control measures of the pandemic in the Federation, the rebound is expected to be led by key pillars of the economy, including tourism, agriculture and the manufacturing sectors. According to statistics from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, one benefit to St. Kitts and Nevis during the peak of the pandemic, is that its public debt shrunk by 0.1 %, when compared with the increase in the other Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) member states.

International challenges to the recovery

Even with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) painting a rosy picture of economic growth for St. Kitts and Nevis and other territories across the region, global challenges can affect the positive outlook.

With the new B.A 2 sub variant and the newly discovery Omicron B.A 4 and B.A 5 strains spreading across the major tourism source markets, such as Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, threats to economic recovery remain ever present.

Another concern for St. Kitts and Nevis in its economic rebound is the ripple effect that the ongoing war in Ukraine and the subsequent supply chain bottlenecks are having on the gas and food prices on the two islands. Over the last several months, the price of diesel has risen from EC$14 (US$5.18) and ECE$15 (US$5.55) per gallon respectively to EC$16 (US$5.92) and EC$18 (US$6.66). Officials within the ministry of Finance and Ministry of Transport within the Federal government are closely monitoring the situation, and implemented a decrease in the Excise Tax on fuel from EC$2.25 (US$0.83) to EC$0.95 (US$0.35).

The cost of food and transportation has risen.

Economic Rebound of Tourism

Since the restart of the cruise sub sector, officials at the Ministry of Tourism have a positive outlook for the year. At his recently held press conference, Former Minister of Tourism Lindsay Grant spoke to the expectations, revealing that there were over 290 calls to St. Kitts thus far with 265,795 passengers disembarking. Those numbers are significantly below pre pandemic tallies but is within the target range set for the condensed 2021-2022 season.

**Cruise ship arrivals 2021-2022. Source: Ministry of Tourism.**

Prior to the pandemic in 2019, the Federation reported 471 calls with approximately 978,366 passengers arriving and disembarking. In 2018, the 1 million mark was attained, highlighting Port Zante as a marquee destination. Prime Minister Harris expects for 2022 this sector will see a 109.6 % growth over 2021 and contribute 4.7 % to the GDP.

**Cruise ship arrivals before COVID-19. Source: Department of Statistics.**

With this being a key pillar of the economic recovery, the former minister told MIC that the local Tourism Authority is on the road selling to the cruise lines that the Federation, with it low case numbers and high vaccination rates, is open for business.

New normal

With St. Kitts and Nevis being a largely tourism dependent economy, according to ECLAC, it was critical for the territory to fall in line with relaxed COVID-19 measures implemented around the world. The Federation was one of several territories within the region that had strict border measures, but that has since changed as the government has approved the use of Rapid Antigen tests for entry and the removal of mandatory quarantine upon entry in 2021.

That is being seen by many, including those within the government as being a critical measure, allowing more persons to freely enter the Federation. Prior to COVID-19, the highest reported seasonal tally of visitors entering through the airports was 169,000 in 2019 but that has since fallen sharply. In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, the Federation reported 42,188, with a further drop to 23,629 in 2021.

St. Kitts and Nevis was on track to see further increases in tourist arrivals, as data showed that in 2018, the territory reported its highest ever air arrivals with 155,940 incoming passengers and 169,664 in 2019.

Despite the fall off over the last two years, tourism officials are optimistic for 2022 as the government is hosting the June 23-25 St. Kitts Music Festival, an event that is expected to draw a large influx of tourists to the island. In his address to launch the Festival, the Minister of Tourism pointed out that for the 2018 Music Festival, tourists spent EC$13 million (US$4.81million) and a further $5 million (US$1.85) was generated through GDP.

In addition, the government will be hosting international cricket and the Caribbean Premier League Cricket tournament. St. Kitts and Nevis will host two T20 Internationals on August 1 and 2 for the visiting India series, closely followed by the Caribbean Premier League at Warner Park which takes place from August 30 to September 4. In 2021, the government hosted the entire season of the tournament and it generated a large buzz, with the minister telling MIC that last year’s tournament saw approximately EC$24,322,950 (US$9 million) being directly invested into the economy.

Economic impact of war and sanctions on food

Even as the economy is projected to grow, external factors outside of the control of St. Kitts and Nevis such as the war in Ukraine and the sanctions imposed by the United States, the United Kingdom and allies, will impact the government’s coffers through its major revenue earner, the Citizenship By Investment Programme (CBI). In the 2020 report by the St. Kitts Auditor General, it was noted that the funds earned for that year under the CBI programme accounted for 40 percent of the government’s revenue.

With the Federation’s CBI programme being one of the most popular - reporting earnings of EC$588 million (US$217) million for 2021 - the government is concerned that the Russian sanctions will impact the programme as that market is within the top five for St. Kitts and Nevis.

According to Minister of Foreign Affairs and Nevis Premier Mark Brantley, the revenues from this fund are used for social programmes and payments of double salaries for public servants. That ‘double salary’ is a one-off bonus payment made to government employees annually at the end of the year. Just recently, the government used monies from the fund to prop up the ailing economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

**Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris.**

The issue is further compounded by the potentially damaging legislative decisions being made by the United States Congress and calls by the European Union for countries outside of their economic zone to either scrap their programme or impose visas on their passport holders.

Government trouble

With much of the attention focused on the economic recovery of the territory from COVID-19, concerns are mounting across the political spectrum that fighting within the government in Basseterre can derail any success in this area.

Over the last six weeks, the three parties within the government in St. Kitts and Nevis - the People’s Labour Party, the People’s Action Movement, and the Concerned Citizens Movement - have fought against each other and now the Prime Minister has lost the support of Cabinet and a Motion of No confidence was filed on April 25th, 2022. The leaders have all alleged, among other things, that the prime minister has not stuck to the agreement to provide assistance to all within St. Kitts and Nevis, and give the smaller island of Nevis its equitable share of the Citizenship by Investment revenues.

As the country continues to fight inflation and rising fuel prices, the infighting has led to the termination of six government ministers, including those involved in tourism, agriculture and public projects.

The Prime Minister acknowledged the rising cost of living in his Labour Day address where he outlined several measures to combat the inflation and hardship caused by supply chain issues and the war in Ukraine. The measures include a 10 percent retroactive payment from January 2022 for 4,000 salaried civil servants, 1,064 government auxiliary employees, 1,365 pensioners, and 2,800 Skills Training Empowerment Programme (STEP) workers. The fuel subsidy programme for taxi and bus operators will continue for another six months.

But even as those measures are set to take effect, not everyone believes that they go far enough. The St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party thinks the measure is one that is a little too late, and is only being used as a means to target the population for its votes. That position was supported by former Government Minister and now political commentator Dwyer Astaphan.

With the attention now being shifted to elections as a date will be announced within the coming weeks, fears are growing that the true effects of the pandemic will be placed on the back burner, affecting the economic rebound since new ideas will be implemented.

However, political leaders of the opposing parties believe they have policies and initiatives to stabilize the economy.

Assistance from bilateral and multilateral donors

Like many of the developing countries across the world and most specifically in the Caribbean, St. Kitts and Nevis benefited significantly from its bilateral partners in the area of medical supplies, field hospitals, personal protective equipment, face masks and assistance for the construction of the St. Peter’s Health Center.

On Nevis, the smaller of the two islands with a population of just over 15,000 residents, the government spent over EC$2 million (US$0.74 million) to fight the pandemic by contributing to salaries and by purchasing medical supplies, equipment and tests that were utilised during the 2020 and 2021 period.

Speaking at a press conference, Premier Mark Brantley reported that in the first year of the pandemic, 2020, the government of Nevis spent EC$945,838.44 (US$349,979) overall on COVID-19 and for 2021, they spent EC$1,298,538.77 (US$480,486). This included covering the cost of the nurses and doctors who came to the Federation to provide assistance against the COVID pandemic.

The government also spent EC$3.79 million (US$1.4 million) to build a new Health Center in the St. Peter’s area as part of its development and fight against non-communicable diseases, which played a critical role in the number of deaths resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The government of India contributed US$300,000 to the construction.

During 2020, the government received monetary and tangible assistance in the form of medication and other supplies. Additional assistance was received from the government of the United States in the form of an ambulance, two vans and two field hospitals all valued at US$1.3million (EC$3,513,315).

Just as citizens and residents in the Federation celebrate the expected recovery, there are still many who wait with bated breath to see where the country goes from here. This comes as concerns mount over the outcome of the General and Local Elections, and the impact any transition of power will have on recovery efforts.

As political parties rev up their campaigns, the number of COVID-19 cases are rising. This must also be taken into consideration as the twin island Federation continues towards its economic rebound.

Basseterre, FEBRUARY 21, 2022 (MIC) -

St. Kitts-Nevis, like the rest of the world, continues to be ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. Various subsectors such as health, education and economy have also been suffering. These effects remain areas of concern for the government.

This was compounded by the ongoing fourth wave of the virus which started back on December 24, and resulted in over 2,500 new coronavirus cases and 11 deaths recorded within a six-week span. That is significant when weighed against the small size of the twin island population which is approximately 50,000.

**St. Kitts and Nevis COVID-19 numbers.**

According to the Medical Chief of Staff, Dr. Cameron Wilkinson, no age group was spared during this latest wave, as even children were hospitalized. In addition to the concern over children in the pandemic, through contact tracing and further investigations, health officials and the government eventually found that during the fourth wave a large number of frontline workers -- police officers, soldiers, nurses and teachers -- were also affected by the virus. These infections were linked to several events held during the Carnival/ Christmas period, including the popular ‘bubble jouvert’.

Impact of COVID-19 on the health sector and balancing NCDs

Despite there being a spike in the number of cases, health officials say the sector was not overwhelmed. Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hazel Laws, in responding to a question posed by MIC at a recently held National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) briefing, noted that all persons seeking treatment for ailments outside of COVID-19 such as cancer and diabetes have been able to access care. She indicated that it was due in part to the government’s strategic positioning of vaccinate administration and the high levels of vaccination on the island.

St. Kitts and Nevis is one of several territories within the region that has administered the first dose of vaccines to 80 percent of its adult population and a minimum of 15 percent of its targeted youth for an overall vaccination rate of 54 percent of the entire population. Though it is not the target set by health officials, it has assisted in the reduction of the quarantine period for fully vaccinated individuals diagnosed with the virus, and the removal of restrictions for fully vaccinated inbound travelers.

**St. Kitts and Nevis vaccination rates.**

After ‘bubble jouvert’ and other seasonal events, the decision to reduce quarantine periods and roll back restrictions on travelers was thrust into the spotlight with the rapid increase in cases and the need for treatment. New cases cost the government approximately EC$5,521 or US$2,043 per day for treatment. That comes against the backdrop of the Federation reporting 5,476 cases.

Reallocation and Contingency Fund

As the cost for treatment continues to climb due to the number of positive cases in the Federation, the Federal Government and their local counterparts have been working to balance critical projects and spending on the pandemic during the various waves.

On Nevis, the government made several reallocation of resources and funds budgeted for projects in the 2020 and 2021 appropriations to stave off an all out economic fallout from the virus. This was confirmed by Premier Mark Brantley, while he addressed reporters at a media conference recently.

He conceded that, “we were forced to do a lot of reallocations of our budget, and a lot of money that was earmarked for other things were reallocated”. Resources, according to Brantley, were used to retrofit a building as a COVID-19 isolation center, investments were made in procuring ambulances, ventilators, contact tracing, hiring of case managers and providing face covering and hand sanitizers to the public among other needs seen by the administration to combat COVID.

At the time, the Premier could not provide the overall figure of how much was spent thus far on the pandemic as the overall figure was not in his possession at the time.

However, MIC can confirm that on St. Kitts in 2020, during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government spent in excess of EC$20 million (US7.4 million) to fight the virus. This was made through the government seeking supplemental funding and the development of various programmes to combat the challenges the virus posed.

During that same year, the Federal Government allocated EC$65,914,909 (US$25 million) to the Ministry of Health in the budget. However, since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, additional funds were sought for this particular ministry.

In her 2020 report, the Auditor General highlighted that the government sought additional funds through the Contingency Funds to offset the shortfall and the immediacy of resources to combat COVID-19. It should be noted that the Contingency Fund is a resource avenue used by the government to access funds in the event of emergencies and or natural disasters.

The ministries of Education, Health, Agriculture and National Security all sought additional funds under that programme to deal with COVID-19 related expenses.

The auditor noted that the Ministry of Health received a revised EC$10.6 million (US$3.9 million) to deal with COVID-19 Capital projects, of which only EC$9.3million (US$3.4 million) was spent. That lower number highlighted a trend that spending was lower than projected within the government’s revised capital budget figure. All of the ministries spent less than they were approved for.

As part of its thrust to strengthen the local infrastructure, the Ministry of Health spent EC$1.7 million (US$630,000) on Health Sector Improvement, EC$3.4 million (US$1.2 million) on the sector’s COVID-19 Response, and EC$2.3 million (US$850,000) on the Institutional Enhancement project

The Ministry of National Security also sought additional financing of EC$419,000 (US$155,000) to cover expenses for quarantine sites and related expenditures under that heading and its response.

The Ministry of Education also sought additional funds, which totaled EC$202,000 (US$74,000) to charter a flight to return students studying in Jamaica to St. Kitts and Nevis during the onset of the pandemic.

It should also be noted that in 2020, the government was projected to receive EC$10 million (US$3.7 million) in grants for the year; however, EC$12 million (US$4.4 million) was collected through support from the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank and EC$11.3 million (US$4.1 million) from the European Union.

Collateral spending by the government

Even as health officials continue to urge persons to get vaccinated and underscoring the reality that the virus is here to stay, many are not heeding the call. Even as St. Kitts and Nevis continues to rebuild all of its critical sectors and many pushing for their staff to be vaccinated, the government is still being forced to provide assistance to those within the communities who are still being affected by the pandemic - especially those who lost their jobs because of the virus.

The tourism sector, which is the largest employer in the Federation, has resumed allowing cruise ships to dock, but as quickly it was expected to see an uptick for the first quarter of 2022, it has once again taken a hit. This left many taxi and tour operators disgruntled because of the regulations implemented by the Federation which mandated low percentage COVID19 positive rates for docking, forcing many vessels with a positivity rate of more than one percent to cancel calls to the island.

That has prompted the government, through the Federal Cabinet, to keep a number of social assistance programmes that were started back in 2020 for at least another three months. Those programmes have thus far cost the government in excess of EC$20 million or US$7.40 million.

In 2021, the Income Support Programme benefited 3,025 persons for a EC$7.9 million (US$2.9 million) total. For this year, the ISP, Fuel Subsidy Programme for bus operators, assistance to the differently-abled and the inclusion of taxi operators will continue.

Allies providing assistance in time of need

Since the onset of the pandemic, St. Kitts and Nevis received support from their closest allies, including the United States, India and Canada as well asprivate organizations. In its bid to further enhance the health infrastructure within rural areas, the Federal Government on St. Kitts began work on constructing the new St. Peter’s Health Center in the namesake area.

The ground was broken for the facility in November 2020 to the tune of EC$3.7 million (US$1.3 million) by contractors Haynes and Associates through the tender process. In addition, according to the Indian High Commissioner to Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana and St. Kitts and Nevis, KJ Srinivasa, assistance was provided by the Asian nation to facilitate the construction.

India pledged EC$2.7 million (US$1 million) to aid with the fight against COVID-19 and EC$810,000 (US$300,000) has thus far been disbursed. These funds have been redirected to assist with the construction of the new facility. The remaining EC$1.8 (US$700,000) has been earmarked for another project. Additionally, there were donations of EC$270,000 (US$100,000) in medical supplies and 10,000 Hydroxychloroquine tablets.

The United States Government also chipped in with EC$3.5 million (US$1.3million) worth of assistance in the form of two vans, an ambulance and two field hospitals. US Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean used the presentation to underscore her country’s desire to assist with the fight against COVID-19.

The US later donated 11,000 doses of the Pfizer Vaccine to aid with the fight and the inoculation of children 12-18 year old.

Since that donation, the government in Basseterre has been seeking additional doses from various unnamed territories. There is growing concern that the identification of the source of intra-regional sharing of vaccines could cause repercussions similar to what St. Vincent and the Grenadines faced when it was made to repay COVAX for sharing doses with Trinidad and Tobago.

But India is willing to continue providing more vaccines to Basseterre, as was outlined by the Indian High Commissioner. However, at the time there was no request from the health officials for additional doses from India.

Commitments have been forthcoming from the Government of the Bahamas and the Republic of China on Taiwan on shipments of AstraZeneca Vaccines but no timeline has been given on their arrivals as at the February 9th media briefing.

Moreover, Dr. Laws confirmed that a request has been placed with the CARICOM Secretariat to source for children under 12. She made that disclosure at a recently held National Emergency Operations Center media briefing.

Canada has provided medical supplies through the Pan America Health Organization to the Federation to aid in the fight against COVID-19. The supplies included 35,200 respiratory masks, 10,500 isolation gowns, and 3,600 goggles.

Dr. Laws confirmed that through local agencies, the National COVID-19 Task force has received over EC$300,000(US$111,000) in donation of various kinds. On Wednesday (Feb. 9), through the assistance of the Republic of China (Taiwan), the government received over EC$959,000 (US$355,000) in medical supplies, non-pharmaceutical supplies from two forty foot containers donated by the embassy and the Simply Help Foundation.

Basseterre, December 9, 2021 (MIC) -

Despite the best efforts of territories across the region to combat the continued spread of the COVID-19 virus, the number of newly diagnosed cases continues to climb. Many of those cases are among children, who have been described by health officials as one of the groups easily susceptible to contracting the virus. With regards to transmission, studies have shown that they carry the same level of risk as adults. However, even if they manage to avoid infection, the impact of the pandemic on the nation’s children is far reaching and severe.

One quarter of cases are children; Lockdowns imposed; Schools shut for cleaning

In St. Kitts and Nevis, where the number of confirmed cases of the virus has steadily declined overall, there is still concern that children are likely to be seriously impacted by the virus health wise. Data from the Ministry of Health confirmed that 26 percent of all confirmed cases of the virus are among children zero to 18 years old.

Health Minister Akilah Byron Nisbett recently announced that 689 children were confirmed to have contracted the virus either at home or through contact at school.

Several major primary and secondary education institutions in St. Kitts and Nevis have been impacted by the virus with testing being carried out on several students.

This spike in infections, caused by the Lambada variant, quickly spread among educators in the middle of May this year. This spread prompted the Ministry of Education to shut several schools on both St. Kitts and Nevis for deep cleaning and sanitization, also forcing individual classes to quarantine, after a successful nine month run of face-to-face classes since September 2020.

Affected schools include Charles E Mills Secondary, Washington Archibald High School, Tyrell Williams Primary School, the Seventh Day Adventist School in St. Kitts as well as Charlestown Secondary on Nevis. In September the Ministry of Education had to close its doors due to a possible COVID-19 outbreak in their office.

Though the overall number of students affected by the closure of schools is unclear, that number could stand over 1,000 since both private and public institutions have been affected across the Federation. The total population of both islands is just over 51,000. Therefore 1,000 students is a significant number, especially when considering the impact of missing classes on all of those students. From lost contact time to the delayed sitting of national and regional examinations, officials are concerned about the short and long term effects on this segment of the population.

In many instances, the students were reverted to online learning and those who were allowed to carry on with face-to-face instruction were subjected to a series of COVID-19 tests before resuming in-person classes.

The infrastructure of education

Despite living with the pandemic for well over a year, the numerous measures put in place to combat it have not worked well enough to completely safeguard the younger population. Likewise, the educational infrastructure has also not been robust enough to cater to all the needs of children in the pandemic.

Federal Education Minister Jonell Powell conceded that the government still did not have all the necessary tools and infrastructure to successfully roll out online learning, especially for students who are classified as differently-able.

To meet the changing environment, students who were not properly equipped for online learning were presented with tablets and laptops from the government and private sector agencies. In some instances, free upgraded internet service was rolled out by the local providers to ensure all students were connected, including hot spots around the town and all community centers. However, this has still not been enough to rectify the gaps in the learning process created by a lack of face-to-face interaction in a classroom environment.

“Remote learning is difficult for anybody and it is a work in progress,” Powell noted. We continue to struggle with some of the infrastructures, not just within the schools but even within the home setting.”

Parents play a major role in the success of remote learning as well as the management of the virus in their households. Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education William Vincent Hodge confirmed that not many students were involved in the early onset of remote learning, either because no guardians were available to ensure contact time was well spent or because students were not properly prepared for the online mode of learning. This was evident with the lack of assignments returned for grading to the schools during that period.

Powell also told MIC that during the height of the outbreak, shortly after the reopening of schools in September, parents were knowingly sending their sick children to school, spreading the virus further.

Health implications of COVID measures

Unlike most territories across the region, St. Kitts and Nevis implemented strict stay at home measures to mitigate the outbreak, including lengthy lockdown periods. This resulted in many children staying at home and not engaging in their normal levels of daily activity.

One parent who spoke to MIC indicated that they found their children to be more prone to antisocial behaviour and more focused on technology such as their smart phones and computers rather than going outdoors.

Andre Huie, journalist and parent of three, told MIC that there is a physiological impact that is often overlooked and not being addressed by authorities.

Health practitioners have also acknowledged the uptick in children being diagnosed with varying ailments caused by a lack of exercise and eating unhealthy foods.

Former Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Patrick Martin and Medical Practitioner Dr. Terrance Drew have both confirmed that there was an increase in the number of children with varying non-communicable diseases and dental caries, that is, cavity or tooth decay.

They also raised concerns that the change in eating habits has brought about a decline in the number of children receiving proper nutrients because most households store nonperishable foods during the lockdowns.

Teachers believe that the change in eating habits among children has been due to them being home and not being actively engaged. Lula Simon, a teacher, explained that students do not snack and eat as much in the classroom due to the face-to-face interaction and engagement sessions.

“They are more focused during the in-class or face-to-face learning instructions,” Simon said. “When it comes to online or zoom learning, the students know that their teacher is not there and they have to look at a screen, they are easily distracted. In some instances the students would just log on and then leave. So there is a concern that they did not grasp all that they could have during that period.”

Long term impact

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Hazel Laws reported that children fared well against the Lambda variant and presented with no symptoms or mild symptoms, all making a full recovery and being released from quarantine.

However, Dr. Laws stated that the pandemic is affecting the social development of children in the two islands. Even though the government has yet to study and fully understand how the virus has fully impacted children, Dr. Laws believes that the true impact of the virus may not be seen until a decade later when the current generation is fully into the world of work.

Parents are of the opinion that the pandemic has impacted the overall experience of being a student, whether it be through the lack of physical activities, too much screen time, the lack of social activities with peers or the drop in overall academic performance.

The challenge of learning lost was an area raised by Huie and other parents who spoke with MIC.

Jeanette Walter, a mother of four, also acknowledged the realities of lost learning during the pandemic. The challenges of accessing the online source for learning and some children not having devices, were areas she highlighted that compromises the learning experience for children in the pandemic.

“Not all of the children were properly able to access the online learning to get their work done. The concern would be for those who were not able to properly have that access. But I will say that the pandemic had both a good and bad side to it. It protected most of the students who were studying at home from contracting the virus [but] it affected those who were not able to access the classes online,” Walter told MIC.

Huie also discussed his experience and concern as a parent over the impact of the virus on students in the long term, saying that he has noticed a recent trend where children actively avoid learning. He also acknowledged several of the challenges relayed to him by other parents.

No vaccination mandate for children

In the Federation there are currently no mandates by the government for the vaccination of both adults and children. Instead, there are pleas from ministers and health officials for people to be vaccinated.

A donation from the United States Government of 11,500 doses of the Pfizer Vaccine, allowed the government in Basseterre to offer inoculation to children between the ages of 12 and 17. According to the Chief Medical Officer, the turnout has been slow but relatively steady and as of December 2nd, 14.3 percent of children have received one dose while 10 percent of the targeted population of 4,800 students were described as being fully vaccinated. Approximately 35 percent of the population of St. Kitts and Nevis are between the ages of zero and 18.

There is still a level of hesitancy among parents to get their children vaccinated. Now that health officials have discovered the presence of the Omicron variant of the virus, Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris has made another plea for parents to ensure that their children are fully vaccinated.

The government in Basseterre has used a targeted education campaign to edify parents and prompt them to ensure that their children are fully vaccinated. Health Minister Byron-Nisbett confirmed that the government will not mandate children to be vaccinated but rather will continue to provide the necessary tools to highlight the importance of getting children vaccinated.

“We are not in a position right now to suggest whether or not we would make it mandatory. We continue in the same vein where we give you the information to allow you to make an informed decision as to whether or not you want to be vaccinated,” the minister explained.

The government has set the number of children to be vaccinated at 4,800.

Those involved in administering care or support to children who were interviewed by MIC have conceded that COVID-19 is having a lasting impact on children all across St. Kitts and Nevis, a position that was supported by the Chief Medical Officer.

Basseterre, october 1, 2021 (MIC) -

Since the onset of COVID-19 last year, all sectors of the St. Kitts and Nevis’ economy have been severely impacted. Lockdown measures intended to mitigate the spread of the virus have exacerbated the financial fallout. Tourism and commerce were some of the major areas that experienced a severe impact. However, while the loss of jobs in these sectors is of grave concern, complications within the agricultural sector are perhaps the most worrying, as the impacts on the nutrition security of the country are far reaching and severe. According to Dr. Terrance Drew, changes to the availability and accessibility of food have had major health implications for the local population.

From March to October last year, most of the population of the two islands were under “stay at home” orders, grinding the economy and food production to a screeching halt. Due to the initial government COVID-19 regulations farmers were only given limited flexibility to tend to their farms and livestock. The same measures were set out for fishermen last year.

In his annual report on the sector, former Director of Agriculture Melvin James confirmed to stakeholders that for the first half of 2020, the sector was severely affected by the pandemic. Data showed that compared to 2019, the Federation saw an overall decline in crop and livestock output levels. For 2020, the Agriculture Department reported 1,070.03 metric tons of harvest, against 1,501.81 metric tons for 2019, a decline of 28.15%.

Though both sub sectors fell, crops represented the larger of the two positions, with cucumbers at -136%, carrots at -100% and cantaloupe at -623%. Additionally, there was a 91.4% decline in sweet potato outputs for last year.

James attributed that decline to “the state of emergency, shelter in place rules and limited time on the farm”, all of which curtailed planting efforts, harvesting and pest control. That was also compounded by the growing damage resulting from the persistent monkey problem on the islands.

Ron Dublin-Collins, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, acknowledged that in 2020 the sector saw a significant decline in output levels. The situation resulted in a run on the supermarkets that year, leaving shelves bare and a shortage of food supplies due to the supply chain bottlenecks, shipping delays and other challenges caused by the limited number of workers having access to free movement on lockdown days. In some cases, the decline in output levels has carried over to 2021, where key crops, such as tomatoes, lettuce and others are still not at the level the Department of Agriculture expects, despite overall growth.

However, newer regulations implemented in the later quarters of 2021 and during 2021 saw farmers being included in the measures to ensure that the food supply remains on target.

Crop and livestock sector: stimulus package increases outputs

To combat the problem, the government allocated part of its broader EC$120 million (US$44,402,508) stimulus package to the sector. EC$10 million (US$3,700,209) went to agriculture and farmers, of which 60 percent was used for the purchase of inputs (fertilizers, seeds and insecticides), fuel subsidies for fishermen and land preparation for farmers. Seedlings given to farmers to increase production included pumpkins, squash, watermelons and sweet peppers.

In a report to stakeholders, James related that out of approximately 200 farmers across the Federation, 39 benefited from this programme spread across St. Kitts. Under the stimulus, for last year, 10,000 yields of pumpkins were harvested in one district; there were 17, 360 yields of squash, 17,807 yields of Watermelon and 18,179 yields of sweet peppers.

Source: Report from the former Director of Agriculture to stakeholders.

There were increases reported for the first half of this year when compared with the same period for 2020, a success that Dublin-Collins acknowledged as coming primarily from the new measures implemented at the end of 2020.

During the first six months of the year, January to June 2021, the crop and livestock sectors combined recorded a 25 percent increase in production, achieving a value of EC$5.5 million (US$ 2,035,114).

This has resulted in the Department of Agriculture increasing its outputs over last year, ensuring that more locally produced items are available on the market for consumers. According to Dublin-Collins, more inputs, which will lead to further increases in locally produced items, are expected.

In the area of livestock, there were mixed results over the last year. Data from the former agricultural director pointed to a decrease in the meat output for cattle and goats. The Department of Agriculture attributed this to the limited number of cattle brought to the abattoir for slaughtering. Data showed that there was a 42 % decline in the number of goats taken in, while sheep meat saw an 18 % jump compared to 2019 numbers.

Egg production also saw an increase last year, with the Department of Agriculture reporting 4.6 million on record, an uptick of 156,000 from approximately 4.4 million in 2019.

Fisheries Sector

Fishermen, who are often classified as small entrepreneurs and are self-sustained by the sector, were not deemed essential personnel and were not permitted to ply their trade during the onset of the pandemic. This resulted in mixed results for landings of the various species during the year.

For the entire period last year, there were 461,490 pounds of major fish landings for the period resulting in an overall income of EC$5,432,810 (US$2,010,313) being generated for fishermen during the slow COVID-19 period. The month of May 2020 was classified as the most successful with 50,100 pounds coming in when measured against all of the other months of 2020. A total of 16 species of fish classified as ‘Major Specifies’ were hauled in during that year.

Citizens and residents in St. Kitts and Nevis obtain a large degree of their protein through fish, and the Director of Marine Resources, Marc Williams noted that the pandemic has heightened the importance of the sector.

The Federation imports more fish than it hauls in on an annual basis, so the large catch for last year reduced the dependency during a period that many countries were not exporting due to travel restrictions.

“St. Kitts and Nevis has always been concerned with food and nutrition security, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only raised the alert levels within the fisheries sector. Having enough fish protein to feed our nation is of grave concern,” Williams disclosed. “The federation’s average total consumption is 1,300 tons annually, with 850 ton imported, and 450 tons produced locally.”

“This shows that two-thirds of our fish we consume is imported,” Williams continued. “With the onset of the pandemic, countries were reluctant to export fish due to their own fish and food and nutrition security concerns and all of our livelihoods have been threatened as a result of the precautions that we must take.”.

Health implications

Medical practitioners have indicated that they have seen an increase in people seeking treatment for varying ailments, with many reporting changes in eating habits due to the lockdowns and stay at home orders.

Dr. Drew told MIC that over the last several months since the stay at home order, he has seen an increase in the number of patients seeking treatment for hypertension, diabetes and eating disorders. He also noted that the lack of nutrition exacerbated the condition of those who were classed as having non-communicable diseases. Though he could not give the actual figure, the internist revealed that many of the cases were first time persons with varying ailments.

Former Chief Medical Officer and Paediatrician Dr. Patrick Martin echoed similar issues seen among children. He also acknowledged that their eating habits changed due to the increased intake of more unhealthy snacks and noted an impact on their mental health due.

The two medical practitioners believe that parents need to develop a pattern of providing the proper natural nutrients for their children and not depend on supplements and also ensure that children get their necessary rest and exercise.

Lockdown measures has also had a significant impact on low income households where children are dependent on the school meals programme. Education Minister Jonel Powell lamented the impact the lockdowns had on those students and the quality of nutrition provided to them, noting the need for “balanced diets” to “protect one’s immune system”, especially with the Covid-19 pandemic.

In an attempt to mitigate job losses and the subsequent challenges of accessing food due to the slow processing of stimulus payments, the government provided assistance to those in need through the Ministry of Social Services. That assistance continued into 2021, and the Minister with Responsibility for Security Services and Social Security, Eugene Hamilton, told MIC that food assistance vouchers benefited more than 1200 individuals.

Minister Hamilton also lamented that nutrition and a balanced diet have not been the main focus for many in St. Kitts and Nevis as well as the wider Caribbean, adding that he hopes that it becomes part of the thrust going forward since COVID-19 has drawn attention.

However, providing the necessary produce may not be as easy as some may think as farmers are not only grappling with the challenge of the pandemic. They are also having to contend with the challenges of the changing climate.

Kenrick Palmer, a Jamaican residing in the Federation who has been planting for 10 years, indicated that the current dry spell has prevented him from planting various crops. This has resulted in him losing significant revenue and his share of the marketplace.

It is clear that Covid-19 has touched every part the economy and that the impacts of the initial lockdowns are still unfolding. Although there has been upward movement in terms of agricultural output due to government intervention, negative health implications are not so easily reversed and will be a cause for major concern for some time to come.

Basseterre, July 31, 2021 (MIC) -

While inoculation of the population against COVID-19 has been a challenge for many territories across the region, St. Kitts and Nevis has been deemed one of those member states within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) with some of the highest numbers of vaccinated people.

To achieve herd immunity, the government set a target to have 33,000 fully vaccinated individuals, which equates to 70 percent of the population.

As of July 29, the government has been able to fully inoculate 19, 660 persons with the preferred AstraZeneca vaccine. Statistics provided by the St. Kitts Health Promotion Unit showed that a total of 43,415 doses of the vaccine have been administered across the two islands, where St. Kitts dispensed 33,424 doses and Nevis 9,990 doses.

Health officials have indicated that just over 9,000 more individuals are left to be inoculated in order to achieve their goals.

St. Kitts and Nevis received doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from India and the COVAX facility. Dr Terrance Drew, Chairman of the St. Kitts Nevis Labour Party and a medical practitioner, explained that the Gavi Alliance has made a significant impact on health officials in St. Kitts and Nevis, aiding them to attain their goal of reaching herd immunity by providing a platform where small island states can have access to the vaccines.

For the first tranche of the programme, the Federation received 21,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the COVAX facility, while the Government of India provided 20,000 doses of the same.

Since May 19, over the last six weeks, St. Kitts and Nevis reported a significant spike in cases. At a government press conference, the vaccine hesitancy of the unvaccinated as well as the complacency of individuals who had been vaccinated, were identified as factors responsible for the increase in cases. Both groups were identified as not adhering to health protocols.

St. Kitts, the larger of the two islands, was deemed as the epicenter of the recent spike as that island recorded 562 confirmed cases with three deaths as of July 29, with the remaining 20 cases coming from Nevis.

Hesitancy was particularly rampant within the Basseterre Prison population, where more than 50 inmates and staff contracted the virus. Commissioner of Correction, Terrance James acknowledged that many of the inmates had refused to accept the jab and their families refused to allow for vaccination.

So what is the cause of the hesitancy?

Dr Drew believes that the late rollout of public education campaigns and the lack of formal involvement of several medical stakeholder agencies, are the causes of the hesitancy.

Thus far, 71.2 % of the population has received at least one shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine, while 58.9 % would have received a second shot and be deemed fully inoculated. Despite the high percentage of the inoculation rate, there are concerns and questions being raised about sourcing additional shots, since hundreds of doses were discarded because they had expired at the end of June.

In early July, the Federation announced that it was able to secure an additional 5000 doses from across the region through engagement with “a number of CARICOM Heads and through bilateral diplomatic arrangements”.

There is no clear timeframe on when the additional doses of the vaccines will be received by the government in Basseterre. Dr Cameron Wilkinson, Medical Chief of Staff at the Joseph N. France Hospital, noted that vaccines could arrive in September or later in the year.

When asked about sourcing additional doses, Chief Medical Officer, Hazel Laws could not provide details at this time, noting that any changes will be related to the public.

St. Kitts and Nevis has a preference for the AstraZenca vaccine and thus far, has been the only one approved for use across the two islands.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved under the Emergency Use Listing and Authorization procedures by the World Health Organization. According to Dr Wilkinson, this ensures that vaccines are made available to those in need in a shorter time span.

Protocols for reopening the tourism sector

In the midst of COVID-19, the government in Basseterre seeks to revitalize the economy. As part of the economic drive, the government has begun allowing cruise ships to return to the island, with the Seabourn Odyssey being the first to dock since the onset of the pandemic. Currently, only fully vaccinated tourists are being allowed entry into the island, owing to the recent outbreak.

Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris welcomed the return of the vessel, noting the government will utilize a phased approach to reopening the sector locally.

As the government slowly rebuilds the sector, the St. Kitts Tourism Authority announced that during the span of one month there will be seven cruise calls to Port Zante in Basseterre.

While the two islands have made significant progress in controlling the virus, restrictive measures still remain in place to prevent another major community spread. For fully vaccinated travellers, the easing of quarantine restrictions are coming into place.

Prime Minister Harris announced that all inbound vaccinated travellers will be subjected to three days of quarantine at a government facility and will be tested on the morning of day four before being released.

He also recently announced October 1, 2020 as the date set for the full reopening of the Federation’s borders to all inbound passengers.

In addition, in its bid to jump start economic activities, the government has lobbied and paid for the staging rights of the Caribbean Premier League. This will be the first major sporting event or activity that will be staged since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the organizers, more than 220 fully vaccinated players and staff will descend onto the island for the tournament, testing the government’s COVID-19 protocols. The government has confirmed that only fully vaccinated people will be allowed to attend the event.

Basseterre, JUNE 2, 2021 (MIC) -

After being described as one of the territories with the lowest infection rates of coronavirus in the region, St. Kitts and Nevis is now seeing a cluster outbreak and it is forcing health officials to rethink some of their strategies.

For a relatively long period since the onset of the pandemic, health officials were able to limit the virus to passengers arriving in the territory who went directly into quarantine. Those government-implemented measures have however not been completely successful, as the contraction of the virus by two hotel workers was later pinpointed as the source of the community spread.

As of June 2, there have been 73 cases of the virus recorded within the country. On May 28, the Federation recorded 23 new cases within the space of 10 days. Of the total number of cases, 48 patients have recovered and 23 have an active COVID-19 status. A breakdown of the data revealed that among those cases, seven are children.

Dr Patrick Martin, Former Chief Medical Officer, suspects that it might be a variant currently circulating in the Federation, but noted that it might not affect children the same way as it does with adults.

Restrictive Measures and Vaccination

Responding to the community’s concerns about the virus during a national address on May 25, Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris, announced several new restrictive measures that went into immediate effect, including a two-week closure of all schools across the two islands, a mask mandate, a reduction of passengers on public transportation to 50 percent capacity and a restriction on non-vaccinated tourists entering the island.

Additionally, he pleaded with citizens and residents to get vaccinated as the remaining 15,000 doses of the preferred AstraZeneca Vaccines, under the first tranche from COVAX, will be expiring at the end of June.

At his May 25 press conference, Nevis’ Premier Mark Brantley beseeched the general population of the two islands to get vaccinated as well, as there is a shortage of doses internationally and the Federation is yet to determine where the next batch of vaccines would be sourced.

Even though the government remains steadfast in its drive to inoculate at least 70 percent of the population, the former CMO is of the belief that the disseminating timely and factual information will drive the populace to get vaccinated.

He also opined that it will assist in staving off another lockdown, which he acknowledged St. Kitts and Nevis cannot afford at this time.

To date, 27,749 doses of the AstraZeneca Vaccine were administered with only 7,659 of that number being registered as second doses.

In February this year, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis received 20,000 doses of the AstraZeneca Vaccine from India, and that was followed by the first shipment of 21,600 doses of the AstraZeneca Vaccine under the COVAX Facility agreement valued at US$223,660.

According to a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister in St. Kitts, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) had assisted the Federation by paying US$96,163 for the vaccine, while the Federal Government contributed the remaining US$127,497.

That payment was taken from a larger grant of US$1,373,500 that the Federation received from various donors and bilateral partners, which was received to assist with the purchasing of personal protective equipment, vaccines or testing equipment.

Purchasing of PPEs and the Tender Process

With regards to the process used to procure PPEs, Minister of Health Akilah Byron-Nisbett said: “As far as I know, all of our PPEs were sourced through PAHO...I know that the Government would have ordered some as well through our normal procurement channels.”

In a response to questions about this tendering process, Premier Brantley confirmed that the Government on Nevis had received assistance from their Federal counterparts in the fight against COVID-19 on the island.

“We have coordinated efforts. In my capacity as Foreign Minister I would have negotiated ventilators, the US Government for example would have sent 10 ventilators, the Taiwanese would have sent tremendous supplies in terms of face masks and ventilators and we shared those. In terms of Nevis, we would have received assistance from Social Security to purchase an ambulance...so I think we have shared resources effectively where possible. The Federal government has been very supportive in making sure that resources that came in were shared between the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis,” explained Brantley.

Cruise Tourism Set to Reopen

As St. Kitts and Nevis continues to see an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, steps are still being taken for the reopening of the cruise sector.

That industry is a pillar of the local economy, employing over 3000 persons directly and indirectly while at the same time contributing 10.8 percent of the territory’s GDP for 2019.

Minister of Tourism, Lindsay Grant has urged all workers within the sector to get vaccinated as they push forward with their plans, as non-vaccinated persons will have to bear the cost of frequent testing in order to continue working at the port and interacting with visitors.

“Obviously, it means that likewise, we are going to have to be vaccinated. And so the policy going forward for us will be that anybody, purveyors of the industry will have to be vaccinated. Which means that if you’re a tour operator you will have to be sanctioned by the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, and all the members of the team who work in the industry and who will come into contact with those individuals who are on the cruise ship will have to be vaccinated,” the minister told a gathering of industry stakeholders.

Dr Patrick Martin, also an analyst, believes that reopening the cruise sector must be done using protocols outlined by the World Health Organization. Moreover, he called for all persons involved within that specific area to get vaccinated.

The government has eyed July for the resumption of cruises, and the Seabourn Odyssey is expected to be the first to dock at Port Basseterre.

Observations

With the discovery of community spread of the COVID-19 virus on the largest of the two islands, health officials were able to quickly implement their contact tracing plans. Over the space of one week those plans were successfully on display, as more than 1200 adults and students were able to be tested, while others were placed in quarantine.

That has aided the push to prevent a larger cluster outbreak of cases from manifesting across the islands.

As this continues, health officials and the police are still working around the clock to enforce stricter penalties for breaching simple penalties. Currently, all persons found without a face mask in public have been ticketed while several establishments were forced to close for a day or two due to operating over capacity.

There has been an uptick in the number of people being vaccinated, however, despite the threat of being fined, residents are still walking around in public without any care for being penalised. Considering this, the situation continues to be difficult to manage without full corporation by members of the population.

There is also a high level of ignorance still being expressed by citizens and residents for not wanting to take the jab. The government, however, has not been able to tackle those issues and get those people to turnout in large numbers despite weekly media briefings.

When it comes to the area of procurement, this publication is still awaiting a response from the Ministry of Health on St. Kitts and Nevis for the necessary procedures used to purchase PPEs and what levels are currently in the government’s stockpile.

Despite repeated requests for information from both Ministries of Health on the island, details have not yet been obtained.

Basseterre, April 8, 2021 (MIC) -

Unlike most territories across the region, health officials in St. Kitts and Nevis were able to control a community spread of the COVID-19 virus. As of April 2, official numbers provided by the Ministry of Health on St. Kitts showed that there were 44 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since its onset in March 2020.

Since the Federation recorded its first case last year, there have been slow or periodic increases in the number of positive results, most of which were imported and were caught in the mandatory 14-day quarantine that every person entering the islands is subjected to.

Unlike most territories that have seen and continue to record increasing deaths from the pandemic, there have been none recorded to date by health officials in Basseterre or Charlestown; while 43 of the 44 cases reported in the territory have recovered with one being in isolation, as at March 31.

Vaccination

The Government has embarked on a mass inoculation drive to ensure that the territory can reopen its ailing tourism sector. By doing so, the Ministry of Health has set a 70 percent minimum threshold for herd immunity.

This was supported by the donation of 20,000 doses of the AstraZeneca Vaccine from the Government of India and 2,000 more from the Commonwealth of Dominica. Minister of Health Akilah Byron-Nisbett confirmed that 10 percent or 2,000 doses of the vaccine from India were donated to Grenada.

On April 7 St. Kitts and Nevis received its full allocation of 21,600 doses of the AstraZeneca Vaccine from the COVAX Facility valued at US$223,660.

Of that amount, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) paid US$96,163 on behalf of the Federation, and the Government paid the balance of US$127,497, according to a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister in St. Kitts and Nevis.

The allocation of doses represents a larger payment of $800,000 that was made to the international partner agency for the shipment.

Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris recently explained that the $800,000 payment was not only directed for the purchase of vaccines, but also as a contribution to the revolving fund.

Data released from the Ministry of Health has confirmed that 28 percent or 9,847 of the 33,037 adult-target population in St. Kitts and Nevis received the first dose of the preferred AstraZenecaVaccine.

According to Premier Mark Brantley, with all of the vaccine funding from Taiwan and Venezuela as well as the vaccines from COVAX, there should be “enough vaccines to vaccinate the entire population of St. Kitts and Nevis.”

Education strategy

Despite the push for mass vaccination, there is a significant reluctance from citizens to accept the AstraZeneca vaccine, highlighting vaccine skepticism. The Federation’s two most senior political leaders, Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris and Nevis’ Premier Mark Brantley have both acknowledged the issue, pointing out that it is the foreign residents on both islands who are accepting the jabs, not local citizens.

They both believe that more could be done to ensure that all persons are vaccinated.

The Government has since rolled out a series of educational town hall sessions to sensitise the public about the benefits of taking the vaccine and its impact on the local economy.

Projects/ Assistance

Government of India

The Government of India has continued with its pledge to assist CARICOM member states to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus by providing funding to enhance various health facilities.

In the case of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Government of India has pledged US$1 million of which US$300,000 has already been allocated to the Federation for the purchase “life-saving medical supplies and equipment like Ventilators, masks, infrared thermometers, defibrillators test kits, medicines and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)”.

This was confirmed by India’s High Commissioner to Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana and St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. KJ Srinivasa, during an interview in which he announced that the Government is awaiting documentation on how the remaining funds would be utilised.

Government of Japan

On the island of Nevis, the Japanese Government has provided US$65,744 to the Ministry of Health for the purchase of a Cepheid GeneXpert PCR Test machine, which is expected to cut down on the turnaround time for COVID-19 tests results by the local government. Currently, all samples are sent to St. Kitts for review.

The announcement came from Premier Mark Brantley at his March press conference on the island, where he outlined how the machine would be used.

Inter-American Development Bank/ Caribbean Development Bank

On a large scale, St. Kitts and Nevis is set to benefit from loan assistance provided by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to Caribbean Development Bank in the sum of US$50 million to assist OECS territories with their challenges to the response to the health and economic consequences.

Observation

The Federation’s approach to handling the COVID-19 pandemic has been a lead when it comes to combating a spread or outbreak. Locally, the Government continues to ensure that the mask mandate is followed and limited parties and outdoor events so as to avoid spreading of the virus.

Knowing that a small outbreak can cripple the local health sector, Premier Brantley urged citizens and residents to go out and get vaccinated in order to ensure they would not be seriously affected, and also the fact that it would not create undue pressure on the doctors and nurses.

However, the Government has dropped the ball in its information sharing as there is significant push back and misinformation circulating that is preventing the ordinary man on the street from taking a jab.

This comes as the vaccines are not mandatory for anyone to take.

Basseterre, February 28, 2021 (MIC) -

The Coronavirus has and continues to significantly affect all territories across the region including St. Kitts and Nevis which has recorded some of the lowest numbers within CARICOM member states.

With a population of 53,000, the Federation recorded its first confirmed cases of COVID-19 on March 20. 2020, which were two returning nationals from the Washington D.C., USA area.

Those cases spurred the Federal Government to roll out a number of contingency measures to mitigate an in-island or community spread of the virus.

Among those measures were strict curfews, lockdowns and border closures.

Resulting from those measures were steep economic fall-outs that were exacerbated by the lack of inflows from the all important tourism sector.

Stimulus Package

Recognising the impact that the lockdowns were having on the ailing economy and the lack of passenger arrivals by both air and sea, and with the Federation being tourism dependent, economic measures were implemented to avoid a total collapse of both islands’ economy.

Unlike most territories that received significant assistance from regional donor agencies, multilateral financial agencies and foreign governments, the Federation’s political leaders raided the Social Security Fund and the Citizenship By Investment programme to prop up the ailing economy.

In April 2020, the Government rolled out its EC$120 million stimulus package geared towards assisting those who were directly affected by the lockdown and the loss of revenue, most specifically those within the largest employment sector - tourism.

Direct payments of up to EC$1,000 were provided to those who lost their jobs or whose hours were reduced due to the pandemic and the measures.

In the case of those whose hours were reduced, they were provided the difference to meet $1,000 of their wages.

An additional EC$20 million was provided by the Social Security Board to assist jobless claims under the Severance Fund.

Data has shown that over 8,000 people would have benefited from the job claims under the Severance Fund.

Pan American Health Organization

This is not to say that there was no assistance from international partners with the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the Federal Government approached the Pan American Health Organisation last October for training of first responders to protect themselves against the virus.

Republic of China Taiwan

The Government also approached its closest ally, the Republic of China Taiwan, in November to assist with the procurement of vaccines.

In response, the Taiwanese Government has provided US$600,000 for the procurement of vaccines for the Federation.

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB)

From the onset of the pandemic, March 13, the ECCB provided EC$4 million to each of its member states across the Currency Union. Under that distribution, each member territory was provided with EC$500,000 for the procurement of testing and other critical equipment to detect, contain and manage COVID-19 outbreak.

Government of Venezuela

The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis recently approached the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to assist with the procurement of vaccines. Being one of the Federation’s closest partners, Venezuela agreed and pledged US$200,000 to purchase doses of the COVID-19 vaccines.

That announcement was made by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Nevis’ Premier Mark Brantley.

With an approximate 54,800 population spread, as at February 26 the Federation has recorded 41 confirmed cases and no deaths, along with no community spread of the virus.