St Kitts and Nevis Tuesday 11th August – Update – Borders to open in October
This post has been updated please click here
In Brief:
Borders will be opened, but quarantine will still be required.
Borders open to visitors starting in October.
“After careful consideration for the health and safety of citizens and residents as well as its commitment to restoring the Federation’s economy to pre COVID-19 levels, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis is hopeful that should things proceed as expected, it will be in a position to reopen the country’s borders in October 2020.
An expansive training program is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Ministries of Health and Civil Aviation. It aims to train 5,000 persons in the industry at no cost to participants.
Prime Minister Dr. the Honorable Timothy Harris
Hotels to open in October
The Park Hyatt, the Koi Resort and the Marriot resort are all anticipated to open up for guests during October
Requirement for Quarantine and testing.
All visitors will still be required to quarantine for 14 days on arrival.
In addition a Covid-19 test certificate will need to be submitted prior to travel.
This is the first phase of the planned re-opening of the island to visitors.
While the quarantine requirement will prevent short stay visitors, St Kitts and Nevis traditionally attracts large numbers of long stay visitors over the winter months.
August 9th update
St Kitts borders remain closed but our government is preparing for re-opening.
Government to launch a mobile tracing app
The government intends to launch a track and trace mobile app.
This app will be mandatory for all visitors.
Using Geofencing technology, the app will alert users when certain devices enter set boundaries.
It will also provide tourists with health updates..
Statement from the Prime Minister
“The app will facilitate contact tracing and facilitate the management of suspected cases through real-time feedback,” Prime Minister Dr the Hon. Timothy Harris first announced last week on the Leadership Matters program. “All visitors will be asked to comply with our protocols and to obey our Emergency Powers Regulations,” he continued.
Dr the Hon. Timothy Harris
Government starts training program for leisure industry
Commencing immediately the government is running a training program for the hospitality industry
The program will run until August 27th.
The program is designed to prepare tourism workers for the long-awaited arrival of visitors following strict health and safety protocols.
Face masks from the island of St Kitts
Face mask is from Caribelle Batik at Romney Manor.
Caribelle Batik ships internationally and you can purchase these masks online.
Covid-19 current position in St Kitts and Nevis
Statement from the Ministry of Tourism
We look forward to the time when St. Kitts & Nevis can again share special joy of our sun kissed splendor, cool tropical breezes and the genuine welcome of our people with you.
Official SKN tourism statement
For now, however, to protect the health and safety of our citizens, residents and visitors, St Kitts has closed its borders to all commercial airline flights.
Medevac or medical emergency flights will be allowed should the need arise.
Sending our best wishes to you, your families and friends.
Stay safe and healthy and keep dreaming of your next adventure.
Frequently asked questions regarding the effect of the Corona Virus on St Kitts and Nevis
This has yet to be decided, the current Covid-19 situation in the USA makes this a difficult decision for us.
Land borders for yachts and planes are still closed, no predictions on when these will re-open.
No we are not, we are all wearing a face mask and taking precautions however.
Other than this business and life continues, beaches, bars and restaurants are mostly open.
As of the 22nd July we have had 17 confirmed cases with 2 persons currently in isolation.
Both islands have official government approved quarantine facilities. Returning nationals are required to quarantine for 14 days.
As at 22nd July we had 74 persons in government quarantine.
We reacted swiftly to the world situation:
Borders were closed on March 25th and a 2 week 24 hr lock down was imposed with all businesses closed.
Gradually the lock down was reduced as the number of cases eased as normal life was phased in slowly.
We have had only one instance of local transmission (a healthcare worker) all other cases were nationals returning from abroad.
