CHARLESTOWN, Nevis — The Nevis Water Department staff has to be prepared to adapt to an ever-changing environment, according to Hon. Spencer Brand, Minister responsible for Water in the Nevis Island Administration.

The minister addressed to the Nevis Water Department Staff Retreat 2021. The one-day event was hosted at the Nevis Performing Arts Centre on February 2 with the theme “Challenging yourself in a changing working environment.”

Among those present at the event were Deputy Premier of Nevis, Hon. Alexis Jeffers; and Senior Minister Hon. Eric Evelyn, elected Federal Minister of Environment and Cooperatives, Hon. Eric Evelyn.

“It is important to bear in mind that water is connected to all sectors of our economy, so any changes in one sector can result in change in the working environment of the Nevis Water Department,” said Hon. Brand. “Policy changes by the Nevis Island Administration will affect the working environment. You should always have the mind-set that changes will occur and that the process of change will be dynamic and fluid. Therefore, you should challenge yourself to adapt in a fast-changing environment.”

The retreat, a first in the department’s 37 years of operation was organised to give staff a better understanding of the department and its function and its role in Nevis; to sharpen skills to better serve the community; to meet and greet each other, and to discuss plans for 2021.

Brands recommend a number of ways in which the staff could challenge themselves, including the continuation of capacity building.

“I recommend that you continue to build capacity within the water department parallel with encouraging public participation and stewardship of our limited water resources,” said Brand. “Timely information and bulletins should always be provided to customers, and they must continue to be educated on changes within the water sector.

“I hope that in 2021 we will see more of this happening using social media, the radio and television to get messages and information to the general public,” he said.

The minister said he is confident the staff can challenge themselves by collecting and collating data which will help to make better decisions, and inform policy-makers about which direction they should take the Nevis water sector.

“This has to become a habit and should be deliberately practised by all stakeholders in the department,” said Brand. He encouraged the staff to improve teamwork in executing their duties this year. He said teamwork involves among other things, good communication skills, trust, respect, pooling of human capacity and sharing of ideas to achieve the department’s goals and objectives.

Brand reminded the management and staff that in the absence of teamwork in a changing environment they would be setting themselves up to fail.

“You have practiced teamwork in the recent past when you successfully implemented the Caribbean Development Bank Water Supply Enhancement Project as the contractor; when you installed and commissioned the Hamilton water well and installation of the Water Filtration system.

“I have no doubt of your capability,” said Brand. “I have every confidence in your collective abilities to continue to achieve great things together.”

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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — As COVID-19 continues to evolve, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis remains committed to taking every precaution necessary in 2021 to contribute to a safe and healthy environment that will protect citizens and residents from the worst effects of the virus, said Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris.

“Our focus remains on protecting your health, protecting your jobs, our way of life from the COVID-19 ravages,” said Hon. Dr. Harris. “Working with you, we will see this pandemic through. We have a plan to come out on the other side, a stronger and more unified nation with a renewed sense of purpose.”

Prime Minister Harris said that the Team Unity Administration prides itself on putting people first.

“Your Team Unity Government…is working with you to defeat COVID-19 to deliver better services, to protect jobs, and to look after working families,” he said. “Yes, we have weathered the COVID-19 storm better than most countries, but I must advise and warn that the COVID-19 Pandemic is not yet over.”

Dr. Harris said that COVID-19 remains the worst crisis of a lifetime as it has killed some 2.24 million people. It devastated global economies with 114 million direct job losses and reduced working hours. He said that the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis was prompted to act in the initial stages given the unfolding global situation.

“Fortunately for us, because of our early and decisive actions to save lives, we made the saving of lives our first priority. Back then, we executed a lifesaving strategy. We have been able to weather the pandemic,” he said. “The strong and effective leadership which my government demonstrated in its institutional and other responses to the pandemic… brought significant beneficial results in this war against COVID-19.”

Dr. Harris appealed to the general public to remain vigilant and urged them to not let their guard down as the pandemic is not yet over. He encouraged everyone to continue to adopt non-pharmaceutical measures such as wearing a face mask, practicing good hygiene and sanitization habits, and observing social and physical distancing protocols as they are designed to keep everyone safe and protected.

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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — St. Kitts and Nevis has received correspondence from the managing director of the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility (COVAX) office providing information regarding the first portion of the assigned COVID-19 vaccines to satisfy the facility’s agreement with the Federation.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hazel Laws, said the Federation has signed on to the COVAX Facility, a global mechanism developed to help participating member states obtain COVID-19 vaccines.

“We were informed that St. Kitts and Nevis can expect to be distributed an indicative number of doses of the Oxford University AstraZeneca Vaccine,” said Dr. Laws. “We have been allocated 21,600 doses that will provide coverage for approximately 20 percent of our population.

“The delivery date of the vaccine is as early as mid- to late February,” she said. “However, this is subject to the World Health Organization (WHO) listing approval process and completion of the next steps including the implementation of the country’s vaccination deployment plan and regulatory preparedness.

“The estimated supply schedule indicates that 25 to 35 percent of this number will be supplied in the first quarter of this year,” said Dr. Laws. “Sixty-five to 75 percent will be supplied in the second quarter.

“The Federation is seeking access to COVID-19 Vaccines through two other mechanisms,” she said. “Access to the COVID-19 Vaccine is crucial to curbing the spread of the COVID-19 infections and restarting our economy here in the Federation, the economy in the region, and globally.”

Dr. Laws reiterated that the plan is to access enough vaccines to provide coverage for at least 20 percent of our population in the first instance and that the ultimate goal is to attain coverage of at least 70 percent.

“It would be ideal if we could achieve the herd immunity threshold, which in turn will reduce the risk of clusters of COVID-19 cases and community transmission,” concluded Dr. Laws.

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