Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 09, 2021 (SKNIS): As the Federation prepares to fully reopen its borders in October 2021, the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) has put several measures in place to ensure the smooth and safe reopening in a COVID-19 environment.
Joseph Wilson, Seaport Manager at SCASPA, appeared on the September 08 edition of ‘Working for You’ where he outlined several measures that SCASPA continues to implement at the seaport to ensure the safety of everyone.
“One of the things that we are doing or have done is the continuous training of our staff because it is okay to have our facilities and everything up to par, but not without the human element and their understanding of how to tackle any issues when they arise,” said Mr. Wilson.
Mr. Wilson said that some of the measures that are being put into place are for pilots and custodial staff.
“We are currently building a sanitization center or area for our pilots and our pilot board crew so that when they exit or leave the vessel they sanitize,” he said. We have implemented certain protocols that were established by the Ministry of Health where our custodial staff do necessary cleaning to ensure that our facilities are in order so that if anything happens we are complying with what we have to do.”
Additionally, Mr. Wilson said the chipping and painting of the bollards were recently completed and currently, SCASPA is “embarking on its fendering project to replace the fenders that are not in good standing on Pier one.”
Chief Executive Officer (Ag.) at SCASPA, Tuffida Stewart, said that many measures have been put in place to guarantee the sustainability of the borders in preparation for a full reopening.
“Of course, we need to ensure that our infrastructure is well up to par with international standards. So we have, during the pandemic, completed phase two of the Airport Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project. On September 02 in fact, we completed the Alpha Taxiway – the largest of the taxiways – and that was done in concrete. It is used predominantly for the largest jets such as British Airways,” said Ms. Stewart. “Prior to that, we have completed as part of phase two Taxiway Bravo and Charlie. So in terms of the infrastructure rehabilitation, those were completed.”
She added that a brand new lighting system was installed at the airport.
In 2020, under phase one of the project, the Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw (RLB) International Airport was retrofitted to facilitate the health and safety protocols established by the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Phase one of the work involved retrofitting the arrivals area and the installation of sneeze guards throughout the airport. A welcome center consisting of a 50 by 100-foot tent on reinforced wood, flooring, and bathroom facilities was constructed on the arrivals ramp to accommodate in excess of 140 passengers ahead of the medical screening.
A medical center was also erected with an isolation unit on the arrivals ramp and is located next to the welcome center. Phase two focused on retrofitting the departure area.
