Author: SKNISEditor

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 08, 2022 (SKNIS): Schools across the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis were scheduled to reopen for face-to-face instruction on Monday, January 10, 2022, but given the ongoing fourth wave of COVID-19 infections plans have since been adjusted. During the January 07, 2022 NEOC COVID-19 press briefing, Minister of Education, the Hon. Jonel Powell provided an update for the reopening of schools. “The Ministry of Education, under the advice of the Ministry of Health and with approval from the Cabinet has decided that schools will resume for face-to-face instruction as follows, for the Early Childhood Sector…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 08, 2021 (SKNIS): Medical Chief of Staff of the Joseph N. France General Hospital, Dr. Cameron Wilkinson, encouraged the general public to “not be alarmed or panic” as the number of positive cases COVID-19 have risen following the relaxation of entry requirements in December 2021. “We said a fourth wave was inevitable,” Dr. Wilkinson stated, citing data that indicate that it began on December 24. From that date to January 05, 2022, St. Kitts and Nevis recorded 844 new cases and 11 hospitalizations likely fuelled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. However, 148 cases have recovered…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 08, 2022 (SKNIS): The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis is implementing a contingency plan relating to public sector workplace rotations and shift systems, as well as an option for persons to work from home where applicable. Minister of Labour and Co-Chair of the Disaster Mitigation Council, the Honourable Wendy Phipps, made the announcement on Friday, January 07, during the first National Emergency Operations Centre COVID-19 Briefing of 2022. The recommendation from the National COVID-19 Task Force was accepted by the Cabinet of Ministers as part of efforts to limit the community spread of the Omicron variant…

Community Notice The Ministry of Youth has extended the deadline for the Essay Competition on the topic: “How Do We Sustainably Grow Food to Meet Future Demands.” The new deadline is Monday, January 17, 2022. The essay must be between 1,500 and 2,000 words. The competition is open to all students in St. Kitts and Nevis between the ages of 15 and 19 years. Fifteen young people will be chosen from the essay submissions to experience Expo Dubai 2020 in March of this year. For more information, visit the Department of Youth Empowerment’s Facebook Page or telephone 467-1393.

Thursday, January 6, 2022 — The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court invites you to the Virtual Opening of the Law Year 2022 on Tuesday, January 11 2022, at 10 a.m. Join Her Ladyship, The Hon. Dame Janice M. Pereira, DBE, LL.D., Chief Justice and other distinguished speakers from the Inner and Utter Bar across the OECS, as they address you under the theme ‘The ECSC: Re-imagining the Justice System in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond’. The full list of speakers include: 1. Her Ladyship, The Hon. Dame Janice M. Pereira, DBE, LL.D., Chief Justice 2. Hon. Dawn Smith, Attorney General of…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 06, 2022 (SKNIS): Deputy Chief Education Officer, Lisa Pistana, is calling on parents and guardians to stress the importance of wearing a face mask to their child/children who are preparing to return to school this month. Health authorities advise that wearing a face mask covering the nose, mouth and chin, particularly in public spaces, is an important tool in controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus. As St. Kitts and Nevis goes through the fourth wave of the virus, Mrs. Pistana, who was a guest on the January 05 edition of Working for You,said that students…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 06, 2022 (SKNIS): As the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections continues across the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, William Hodge said that safety is the main priority. On the January 5, 2022, edition of SKNIS’s ‘Working For You’, officials from the Ministry of Education continued their ongoing awareness campaign and took the opportunity to update the general public on several significant developments within the education sector. “The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is travelling rapidly, is highly contagious and we are learning from other countries that children and young…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 06, 2022 (SKNIS): The decision to reopen schools in St. Kitts and Nevis on January 10, 2022, or to delay the reopening will be guided by science and communicated in the coming days.That’s the word from the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, William Vincent Hodge, who appeared on Wednesday’s (January 05, 2022) edition of the radio and television programme Working for You.Mr. Hodge said that while preparations continue for the start of the second school term next week, education officials are awaiting guidance from health authorities if this will be permitted following the rising…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 06, 2022 (SKNIS): The Federal Ministry of Education in St. Kitts and Nevis is providing psychosocial support for students and members of the education fraternity who are experiencing psychosocial effects as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Deputy Chief Education Officer, Lisa Pistana, said that everyone is feeling the effects of the global health emergency. She noted that in some cases, there has been a decrease in income earned by adults in the household, which reduces the quality of life. This creates added stress at home that can negatively impact students and their learning. Others may have experienced anxiety…

FAO’s benchmark index of food commodity prices in 2021 averaged sharply higher than in 2020 January 6, 2022 – Rome, Italy – World food prices fell slightly in December as international prices for vegetable oils and sugar fell significantly from lofty levels, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reported today. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 133.7 points in December, a 0.9 percent decline from November but still up 23.1 percent from December 2020. The index tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly-traded food commodities. Only the dairy sub-index posted a monthly rise in December. For 2021 as a whole, averaging…