Basseterre, St. Kitts, June 11, 2020 (SKNIS): The United States military donated a supply of personal protective equipment (PPEs) to St. Kitts and Nevis that will significantly assist authorities to manage the second wave of COVID-19 should it come to the twin-island federation.
Chair of the National COVID-19 Task Force, Abdias Samuel, spoke about the donation during a briefing by the National Emergency Operations Centre on Wednesday, June 10, 2020. He indicated that the supplies from the US Southern Command, commonly referred to as USSOUTHCOM, were received under its Humanitarian Assistance Project (HAP). They included 87 hazmat suits, 1000 3-ply surgical masks, 500 face shields, and 250 protective goggles. Other donated items included 1,200 latex gloves, 1,000 shoe covers, and seven 1-gallon bottles of hand sanitizers.
The supplies were facilitated by the Caribbean Disaster Management Agency (CDEMA) and delivered through the Regional Security System (RSS) at the RLB International Airport in St. Kitts on June 10, 2020.
Mr Samuel expressed appreciation to all parties involved in this process.
Health experts have warned that new cases of the novel coronavirus are likely when local borders reopen, particularly to international travellers. Authorities continue to train and stand ready to execute medical protocols to identify and isolate any persons carrying the virus as well as to trace all contacts and quarantine those identified.
Robust contact tracing, quarantine and isolation worked well in the past as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in St. Kitts and Nevis was limited to 15, with zero deaths.
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