Author: SKNISEditor

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 25, 2021 (SKNIS): The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis is introducing new measures to protect workers who are placed in quarantine or isolation from losing their income during their time away from work due to the local exposure to COVID-19. Minister of Labour, the Honourable Wendy Phipps, noted that the Ministry of Labour is working closely with the Legal Department to ensure that the necessary protections are applicable to the Social Security Act and they fall in line with the provisions of the Quarantine Act, the Public Health Act, and the COVID-19 Control and Prevention…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 20, 2021 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pleased to inform the general public of the Indigenous Literature Prize of America (PLIA), offered in collaboration with the Embassy of the United Mexican States. This competition will cater for written or orally recorded work in the participant’s mother tongue. Interested persons are free to choose a theme for their work, which can contain one or more stories. The length of each submission must be at least 40 sheets in the indigenous language, or the amount corresponding to the translation of the common language of…

Introduction My fellow citizens and residents. I wish to update you on the current situation and the necessary measures we are taking to protect the health of the people of our Federation. We were all saddened by the news of the recent cluster of cases of COVID-19. At this point I wish to empathize with the parents, teachers, students and the communities impacted by the events over the last week. I appeal to the public to be sensitive to those who are affected. We should avoid naming persons, circulating photos and/or disseminating any information on the affected individuals. Ultimately, we…

“Excellency: On behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), I extend congratulations to the Government and People of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana on the occasion of the country’s Fifty-fifth Anniversary of Independence on 26 May 2021. Guyana has progressed markedly since becoming a nation. Guyanese have made their mark globally in diplomacy, the arts, academia and sport. A valued member of the Caribbean Community from its inception, Guyana has played a pivotal role in shaping our regional integration movement. In addition, being host of the Headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat confers both a symbolic and a physical dimension to the…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 25, 2021 (SKNIS): Undoubtedly, the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis has been one of the countries globally that has enjoyed a success story with its astute management of the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, the Federation has not registered a single death from the deadly coronavirus. The country effectively managed the virus with its robust implementation of non-pharmaceutical measures, that of mask-wearing, social and physical distancing, and hand sanitizing. With the arrival of the AstraZeneca vaccine under the COVAX facility and the roll-out of its vaccination programme on February 22, 2021, the country has had to struggle…

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, May 24, 2021 (MMS-SKN) — Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris on Monday May 24, in the afternoon, visited the Sylvia Garnette Primary Healthcare Facility in Tabernacle to encourage persons coming for vaccination and at the same time commended those who have shown up over the last week for their Covid-19 vaccination. “Today Monday, a public holiday, we have had the best performance in terms of vaccine doses administered to persons,” said Dr Harris, who is also the Area Parliamentary Representative for St. Christopher Seven (Bellevue to Ottley’s). “Indeed I am advised that forty-plus doses were delivered.”…

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – In recent weeks, the management of the CaribbeanExaminations Council® (CXC®), has engaged regional governments and other stakeholderson the conception and planning of the 2021 regional examinations. CXC® is enriched by thedialogues with Ministers of Education and other government officials, teachers and studentsand is proceeding in this pandemic to provide quality examinations to our students.Governance committees of CXC®, which are comprised of regional governmentrepresentatives, are reviewing recommendations on CXC’s 2021 regional examinationstrategy that emanated from these consultations and the Caribbean Community’s(CARICOM) Council of Human and Social Development (COHSOD) 28 th Special session on 12 May 2021.CXC’s School Examinations…

In St. Kitts, our Public Water Supply is 100% dependent on rainfall. According to informationfrom our Meteorological Services, so far for 2021 (Jan-April) we have received a total of approximately 6inches of Rainfall. In 2020 for the same period, we received a total of 12 inches; the long term(climatological) average for this period is 15 inches. We have therefore received half of the rainfall wereceived last year and a third of what is typical or normal. This translates to a Severe Dry Season or Drought. The Water Services Department has been doingour best to cope with this lack of rainfall.…

San Jose, 24 May 2021 (IICA) – Registration is now open for the course on international trade and agriculture for the region encompassed by the Central American Integration System (SICA). The course is targeted at civil servants, and people working in the private sector who wish to learn more about international trade policy as it applies to regional agricultural trade. The virtual, self-taught course is free. Access will be provided via SIECA’s online training platform, and spaces are limited. Applications for the course “Introduction to International Trade Policy,” aimed at the agriculture sector, should be submitted by 26 May at the latest. The names…

San Jose, 24 May 2021 (IICA) – Soil, animal and human health—considered to be a single objective—is a key and decisive factor in the safety of agricultural products and in increasing the prominence in international markets of products from the Americas, according to hundreds of experts. This was the conclusion reached during the virtual forum entitled “One Health and International Trade: Basic Elements for the Transformation of Food Systems”, organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). The event was opened by Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA, who expressed that “The ‘One Health’ approach encompasses environmental, soil, animal,…