BASSETERRE – The St. Kitts-Nevis government declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, as the two-island federation grapples with an increase in the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in recent days.
A government statement said that Governor General, Sir S.W. Tapley Seaton, issued the proclamation declaring a State of Emergency.
“The State of Emergency comes about in the wake of a new wave of rising COVID-19 infections brought about by community spread that has seen to date 244 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 180 active cases, 64 recovered cases and zero deaths,” the statement said, adding that the State of Emergency will remain in place until July 6.
The government said it is “engaged in a war against the COVID-19 pandemic that if not contained threatens the lives and livelihoods of its citizens”, and as a result, “it has had to act swiftly to save lives in this time of the global and deadly pandemic”.
The government said the National COVID-19 Task Force is asking all citizens and residents to comply with the non-pharmaceutical measures of mask-wearing, social distancing and proper hand hygiene in order to curb the spread of the viral illness.
In addition, the government urged all people that are eligible for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to get vaccinated at the earliest possible time.
(CMC)
