Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 04, 2020 (SKNIS): The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Ministry of Health continue to review the Infectious Disease Plan for St. Kitts and Nevis as part of the robust response of the government to prepare for any potential cases of the novel coronavirus.
NEMA’s National Disaster Coordinator, Abdias Samuel, shared some details on the measures being taken by public agencies to prevent the virus from entering the country as well as to respond to any suspected cases.
“I have been working very closely with the Chief Medical Officer in looking at vulnerabilities in our communities and also looking at how do we strengthen the existing plans that are there,” Mr. Samuel stated at a press conference on Monday (February 03, 2020).
The national disaster coordinator added that multinational meetings have also been convened to ensure that relevant stakeholders are kept up to date on latest developments on the coronavirus outbreak and measures that are being taken to by partner agencies in St. Kitts and Nevis. The stakeholder representatives also use the opportunity to report gaps within their field that need to be addressed.
NEMA also collaborates with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to exchange information and gain a broader perspective on the outbreak based on information from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA). Officials from the Nevis Disaster Management Department (NDMD) are invited to participate in these briefings.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention notes that the novel coronavirus was first identified in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China in December 2019.
