On Monday March 16th, the Hon. Mark Brantley in his capacity as Premier appraised the people of Nevis on his Government’s preparedness to deal with the pandemic caused by the killer virus Covid-19. He catalogued in broad terms the efforts of the Health Promotion Unit on Nevis and the Federal Covid-19 Task force on St. Kitts to reduce the risk of contracting the disease. I am personally dismayed however that of the 3 principals leading the covid task force, none are trained in Pandemic preparedness. Dr. Judy Nisbett who has the required training is in a subordinate role.
Further, other than a tacit acknowledgement that some hotels have closed while others have closed departments, he made no attempt to quantify the scale of the economic losses on either a personal or national level. Neither did he offer a single policy on how the economic challenges will be met. Instead as has become the norm, he and his government have cast their eyes across the shark infested waters for help from St. Kitts. Having already squandered over $250 million in Federal support and having already ran up a debt of $500 million, there is no choice but to beg again.
On Sunday March 22nd, the Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris in his capacity as Prime Minister addressed the people of St. Kitts and Nevis in what was widely anticipated to be a policy speech that would serve as the roadmap for not only sweeping prevention and containment of covid 19 but for our post covid economic recovery. Sadly, neither objective was achieved and most listening felt more anxious and uncertain than before. Rarely have we seen such level of vexation in this country, framed in part by what was said by the CMO Dr. Hazel Laws that it is not a matter of if but when.
If as it appears that both the NIA and the TUG are simply waiting for confirmation of the presence of the virus before taking stringent action
then they are not only misguided but reckless with our lives. Threat assessments are useful tools but in the absence of universal testing, it means nothing. St. Kitts and Nevis being one of the last remaining territories to not as yet to discover the presence of covid 19, is not a testament to our vigilance but rather a blessed warning to get our house in order.
We in the federation of SKN have the privilege of having front row seats to the creeping horror show unfolding in real time before our eyes. It is relentless and unforgiving in its cruelty. Rich nations with their vastly superior Health Services have been broken and overpowered by the sheer mass of the sick and dying simply because they waited too late to take serious action. Now in desperation, many have closed their air spaces, land and sea borders to all but commodity transport. Schools, universities, government offices and non-essential commercial businesses have been made to close. Residents have been asked under penalty of fines to remain indoors. A life lost cannot be recovered.
It is to this end of saving lives that we in the NRP strongly believe that the steps taken by our collective governments on both St. Kitts and Nevis are seriously inadequate. All around us the dominoes are falling one by one. Antigua has fallen, Montserrat has fallen, St. Marten has fallen, Dominica, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia, T&T, Jamaica and Barbados have fallen. Being the last to fall is not a badge of honour, and it must not allow our leaders to lull us into a false sense of security. We therefore believe that in the interest of saving lives and to better position ourselves to quickly recover economically, all air and sea ports must be closed to all but essential commodity transport.
The inadequacy of the so called self-quarantine program is evidence enough of a serious threat to our people. There is little or no monitoring.
The NRP further recommends that all residents on SKN be tested free of cost for the Covid 19 virus. As it stands persons are asked to pay US$100 for the test. Many will not be able to afford it. With a population of approximately 50,000 persons, an expenditure of $US 5million is a relatively small price to pay. Furthermore universal testing is critical given that 18% of infected persons are asymptomatic and can inadvertently infect others without knowing it.
Further we in the NRP strongly recommend that all schools, government offices and non-essential commercial businesses be made to close as of midnight Thursday 26th until such time as is deemed safe by the Covid Task Force. Citizens and residents must be encouraged to remain indoors only venturing out to purchase food and medicines. Social distancing must apply to all of us and not just prisoners.
Of great concern is the devastating impact that this virus will have on our already fragile economy. Unemployment and underemployment were already realities for many Nevisians. In the wake of covid 19, that reality is now a nightmare. More than 60% of the Nevisian workforce are directly or indirectly dependent on a paycheck from the Tourism Sector. Tens of millions of dollars have already been be lost from the economy and it will get exponentially worse. Consumer spending if not addressed will slow to a trickle further depressing the economy. I am reminded that 75% of the economic power in most economies come from consumer spending.
To this end, we in the NRP recommend that at no time during this crisis must the income of those workers laid off or who have been placed on reduced hours be allowed to fall below 60% of base pay. To accomplish this, a gratuitous payment of between $600 -1500 /month be made by Social Security. This represents a total commitment of approximately
$30 million over 3 months. Again a relatively small sum in the context of government spending.
For those persons who do not contribute to SS, the Poverty Alleviation
Program must be expanded.
Removal of the fuel surcharge for 3 months for all customers.
Removal of the gasoline tax for 3 months.
Removal of all taxes including VAT from medical and agricultural supplies and equipment indefinitely.
Suspension of Corporate Taxes for 3 months.
Removal of the 4% interest on SEDU loans to small businesses and an immediate suspension of the 20% collateral requirement, the new business requirement and bring an end to the gender/age discrimination against males.
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Pic: Deputy leader of the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP),
Dr. Kelvin Daly