Page:1 The St.Kitts Nevis Observer - Friday April 10th, 2020 NewS · 2020-07-06 · they earn and...

The St.Kitts Nevis Observer - Friday April 10th, 2020 NewSPage:1


Income support could start next week.

Amory said, “Even during the 24-hour lockdown

with special permission we have been work-

ing to get the documentation ready for pro-

cesses so that in the next week we will have

disbursement for the people who are already

processed.”

By Loshaun Dixon

The $1,000 income sup-port handout to workers in St. Kitts and Nevis, who have had their wages af-fected due to COVID-19, could be sent out as early as next week, according to Labour Minister Vance Amory.

Amory appearing on Leadership Matter, Tuesday evening dis-closed the Social Security Board and the Ministry of Labour are looking at the processing of the forms already filed.Amory said, “Even dur-ing the 24-hour lockdown with special permission we have been working to get the documentation ready for processes so that in the next week we will have disbursement for the people who are already processed.”

He said the government and private sector are working to move this pro-cess in the right direction

to alleviate the distress caused by COVID19.

Amory indicated the dis-ruption of some sectors that made it necessary for the Ministry of Labour and the Social Security Board to come together

to look at how they can ameliorate the mitigate the stress this crisis has caused to the workers and employers in our country.

“Because of the reduc-tion in the economic ac-tivity, there certainly has been temporarily layoffs from the workplaces and employers have been

forced to provide work-ers with reduced hours of work and are aware that some workers will be even become redundant unless we get rid of this virus and get the country up and running and back to a state of normality.”

He said the stimulus was to provide hope for the workers to be able to at least obtain essentials for the next three months. ‘The stimulus the Prime Minister announced to provide income support for people who have suf-fered from loss of wages. The social security board has put aside $15 million

which it intends to uti-lize in conjunction with the department of labour to provide that income support.’

He explained that the stimulus was to make a maximum allowance

to people who would have had no income at all to help them to continue to have some reasonable standard of living which would have enabled them to look after their families and themselves.

The other category is peo-ple who received reduced work hours and therefore

would have reduced earn-ings the social security board had advised they will make available the difference between what they earn and the $1000 and top them up to that level

He said other income sup-port will come through the poverty alleviation programme and the gov-ernment through its social services development agency.

Amory said they wanted to ensure no one would

take advantage of the system. “The challenge for the Social Security Board and the Labour Department is to ensure that those who need to have this income support get it but also try to pre-vent people from extort-ing the system.”

He said the Department of Labour has been work-ing with the information from the employers get-ting the list of names who have to be laid off tempo-rarily and those who will receive reduced hours so they can prepare the application to be sent to Social Security.

Amory also gave a word of hope to those who may be suffering from trau-ma and stress from this financial crisis. “We are interested in their welfare and to make sure that we provide that income sup-port in a timely manner.”

The St.Kitts Nevis Observer - Friday April 10th, 2020NewS Page:3

CORONA VIRUS: Steps to Prevent Illness

There is currently no vaccine to prevent coro-navirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus.

The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.

Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).

Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.

Older adults and people who have severe under-lying chronic medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabe-tes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness. Please consult with your health care provider about additional steps you may be able to take to protect yourself.

Take steps to protect yourself

Clean your hands often

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds es-pecially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

If soap and water are not readily available, use a

hand sanitizer that con-tains at least 60% alco-hol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Avoid close contact

Avoid close contact with people who are sick

Put distance between yourself and other people if COVID-19 is spread-ing in your community. This is especially impor-tant for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.

Take steps to protect others

Stay home if you’re sick

Stay home if you are sick, except to get medi-cal care. Learn what to do if you are sick.

Cover coughs and sneezes

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.

Throw used tissues in the trash.

Immediately wash your hands with soap and wa-ter for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, clean your hands with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Wear a facemask if you are sick

If you are sick: You should wear a facemask when you are around other people (e.g., shar-ing a room or vehicle) and before you enter a healthcare provider’s of-fice. If you are not able to wear a facemask (for ex-ample, because it causes trouble breathing), then you should do your best to cover your coughs and sneezes, and people who are caring for you should wear a facemask if they enter your room. Learn what to do if you are sick.

If you are NOT sick: You do not need to wear a facemask unless you are caring for someone who is sick (and they are not able to wear a face-mask). Facemasks may be in short supply and they should be saved for caregivers.

Clean and disinfect

Clean AND disinfect frequently touched sur-faces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, fau-cets, and sinks.

If surfaces are dirty, clean them: Use detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.

To disinfect:

Most common EPA-registered household dis-infectants will work. Use disinfectants appropriate for the surface.

Options include:

Diluting your household bleach.

To make a bleach solu-tion, mix:

5 tablespoons (1/3rd cup) bleach per gallon of water

OR

4 teaspoons bleach per quart of water

Follow manufacturer’s instructions for applica-tion and proper ventila-tion. Check to ensure the product is not past its ex-piration date. Never mix household bleach with

ammonia or any other cleanser. Unexpired household bleach will be effective against corona-viruses when properly diluted.

Alcohol solutions.

Ensure solution has at least 70% alcohol.

Other common EPA-registered household disinfectants.

Products with EPA-approved emerging viral pathogens pdf icon[7

pages]external icon claims are expected to be effective against COVID-19 based on data for harder to kill viruses. Follow the manufac-turer’s instructions for all cleaning and disinfection products (e.g., concentra-tion, application method and contact time, etc.).

Content source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Division of Viral Diseases

https://www.cdc.gov/


Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Kenneth Williams

Website: newstkittsnevisobserver.com

Editorial Policy: The Observer reserves the right to edit, rewrite, summa-rise or reject any unsolicited material. We will assume that all letters ad-dressed to The Observer or its staff are intended for publication unless oth-erwise stated. Letter writers are required to sign their names and are asked to include a telephone number to allow verification. Views expressed in letters, commentaries or personal columns do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of this newspaper. Limit submissions to 1000 words

St. Kitts Nevis

POB 657, Lower Market Street #1 Observer Plaza, Observer Drive

Basseterre, St. Kitts, W.I. Charlestown, Nevis, W.I.Tel.: (869) 466-4994 Tel.: (869) 469-5907

Fax: (869) 466-4995 Fax: (869) 469-5891

Email:[email protected] Email: [email protected]

The Federation’s Politically Independent News Source

The concept of enough.

EDItORIAl

It was heartwarming to see how citizens and residents have

come forward to help the less fortunate amongst us. Assuming,

of course, that it is the less fortunate who were being helped

and not just those of a particular persuasion.

It is in this vein that we focus on the negativity surrounding the

philanthropy of the Social Security Board that has introduced

a $15M income support fund during this time of need. Each

eligible person would be entitled to a maximum of $1000.00.

Some say that that isn’t enough. In the early stages of the

stimulus debate in the USA, that question was also raised.

In this corona era stimulus debate, enough is a bad concept, not

to be encouraged. When sacrifice is required from everybody, no one should have “enough” so that everyone can have some.

That is the thinking behind limiting of supplies to shoppers.

Recall the fight over toilet paper because one customer had “enough” – indeed an excess – while another had none.

We refer our readers to the story of the rich young man record-

ed in Luke 12 v 16 -21. That man had more than enough, but

it did him no good. Always remember that little is much when

God is in it.

“the children of the Nevis Acade-

my…were making cards, thank you

cards and videos and they posted

those videos on Facebook, thank-

ing the Police and the other essen-

tial workers for their service. We

are touched by that and we’ll con-

tinue to serve the public.”

SUPERINtENDENt HENRY:

tHANKS FOR YOUR

SUPPORt AND

COOPERAtION

Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 07, 2020 (RSCNPF): Divisional Commander for Division ‘A’, Superintendent Cromwell Henry, thanked and compli-mented the public for their tremendous support and high level of cooper-ation respectively during

the period of the curfew.

Speaking at the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) COVID-19 Daily Briefing for April 6, he specifically mentioned the outpouring of support on social media.

“We also continue to see an outpouring of support on social me-dia for the work of the

essential service work-ers, including the Police. I’ve read one particular post on Facebook from Stevenson Manners where he was very pleased with the Police in his area,” Superintendent Henry disclosed. “He mentioned that every time he looked outside

he would see the Police either up the road, or down the road, or across the road from him, and he was very satisfied with the work that they’re doing.”

The Divisional Commander added that the persons who com-mented under the post all shared similar senti-ments saying that “they were all positive, prais-ing the Police and some even extending it to…all the essential workers for the work that they are

doing.”

He said he was particu-larly touched by an ac-tivity undertaken by the students of the Nevis Academy.

“The children of the

Nevis Academy…were making cards, thank you cards and videos and they posted those videos on Facebook, thanking the Police and the other es-sential workers for their service. We are touched by that and we’ll con-tinue to serve the public.”

The Superintendent pledged that the Police will continue to work tirelessly to ensure the safety and security of the citizens and residents of the Federation.


By Loshaun Dixon

The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis will re-main on lockdown until April 18th the Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris has announced.

Dr Harris said at the time when the government first published regula-tions to restrict persons from coming into contact with each other there were only two confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The prime minister said with now 11 confirmed positive cases in St. Kitts and Nevis the cabi-net was advised by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hazel Laws, that with no known cure the spread of the virus can be controlled through continuing the strategy to practise social distanc-ing and follow all health guidelines for the fore-seeable future.

“On the advice of the Cabinet, I have asked His Excellency, the Governor General, to extend the State of Emergency currently in place, to Saturday, 18th April and to extend Regulations made under the Emergency Powers Act.”

He said that a declaration of emergency shall lapse at the expiration of 21 days beginning with the date of publication of the declaration.

“Saturday 18th April will be 21 days since the State of Emergency was proclaimed on the 28th of March. Further Regulations would also be published in the Official Gazette and would come into force after the current Regulations expire on Thursday, 9th April at 7:00pm.”

Dr. Harris said the new Regulations would con-tinue to be centred on the directive for all to stay at home, except they are essential workers or they must leave home for a medical emergency or to purchase food or medicine.

“These new Regulations, SR&O No. 12 of 2020, will come into effect on Thursday, 9th April at 7:01pm and continue to Saturday, 18th April. Most importantly, there will be a total 24-hour curfew or lockdown from Thursday, 9th April at 7:01pm to Thursday, April 16th at 6:00am.

This means that from Thursday night this week, and continuing over the Easter weekend including Good Friday, Saturday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, until Thursday morning, no

one should be away from their residence unless he or she has a special exemption as an essential worker or has a pass or permission from the Commissioner of Police.”

He pleaded with the pub-lic to remain at home. “I appeal to you to stay at home. Please stay at Home! Stay at Home! Stay at Home so that we can halt the spread of the virus. If you are wander-ing around, if you go to the beach, if you arrange parties and other gather-ings that are prohibited at this time, the police will disrupt those activities and arrest you.

The prime Minister con-tinued, “This is not the time to be cavalier or callous. We are in a war against COVID-19 and we must win. The State will do what it has to do to protect all our people!

The cooperation of all is required so that together we can prevail.”

PM Harris indicated there will then be two more days, on Thursday and Friday next week, when there will be a partial curfew, or limited restrictions, to allow for shopping to restock their food supply, medicine or other essentials. “Like the partial curfews that you have experienced so far, they will be in-terspersed with a night curfew from 7:00pm to 6:00am the following morning.”

He also recommended that only one member of a household leave the residence to do shopping and take as little time as possible to do so. “This, of course, is for your own health and indeed for the benefit of all of us.”PM Harris reassured that

the Government is fully committed to this fight against COVID-19. “We are indeed very resolute. We will not give up. And I am so proud of my peo-ple, because I know that you will not give up. You will do what is necessary to stay alive and we will come out of this, stron-ger, healthier and safer as a People and Nation.”

He urged all to act re-sponsibly for the wider community and Country and show greater respect and love for each other. “In particular, special consideration must be given to the elderly and the very young, and other vulnerable groups in our society. We are fighting for the good of our communities and indeed we are fighting for the Country that we love, and we must never waver.”

PM announces curfew continued

into next week


“the patients that are con-

firmed cases are awarded in our isolation ward and

this ward is very far away

from the ward that has pa-

tients who are admitted for

other reasons.

By Monique Washington

An area in the Brown Hill community has been identi-fied by the Ministry of Health as an isolation area for COVID-19 patients.

But health officials are assuring the community there is no need to be alarmed.

Currently there are 11 confirmed cases of COVID-19 patients in the Federation, four of which are in Nevis.

During a virtual press conference Monday head of the COVID-19 Task Force Dr. Judy Nisbett in addressing the Observer noted that an isolation area has been iden-tified and is being prepared.“The patients that are confirmed cases are awarded in our isolation ward and this ward is very far away from the ward that has patients who are admitted for other reasons.

“We have identified an off-site isolation area. This is

currently being prepared and by the end of this week preparations will be complete,” she said.

Dr Nisbett said the offsite isolation area will only be used if there is a “spillover” at the Alexandra Hospital.

The Observer confirmed that the area is the Brownhill Community Center.

“Therefore, if the isolation ward at the hospital be-comes full then patients will be placed in the new off-site isolation area,” she said.

She pointed out that while the offsite isolation ward is within the community, the community is very far re-moved from the site. Dr Nisbett said that people in the community should not be “fearful”.

“What we can say is that people in that community need not be fearful. These people will be isolated there, yes, but it is hardly likely that the virus would leave the immediate surroundings that will be within the isola-tion building.”

On Tuesday the Prime Minister Hon Timothy Harris announced a seven-day lockdown beginning today Thursday April 9 from 7:01 pm to Thursday April 16 at 6:01 am.

COVID 19 Isolating offsite ward

being prepared


NIA embarks on ini-tiative to help manage COVID-19 cases on Nevis, Junior Health Minister Hon. Brandy-Williams announcesNIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (April 07, 2020) – The following is a statement by Hon. Hazel Brandy-Williams, Junior Minister of Health in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) on April 07, 2020, re-garding a new initiative to be launched in Nevis on Thursday, April 09, 2020, in the fight against COVID-19.

The Nevis Island Administration (NIA) has embarked on a new initiative to help in man-aging the number of COVID-19 cases on the

island through a mobile App.

This App is expected to be launched on Thursday this week, and we are en-couraging persons to sign up for free.

The name of the App is Nevis Health. It is de-veloped to track patients with COVID-19 symp-toms, and this is done in conjunction with the New Fields Technology.

It can be accessed from anywhere on the island, providing you have in-ternet access. Persons would be able to down-load the App, register and then report symptoms.

Any information you provide will be kept pri-vate and confidential,

and could only be ac-cessed by the health professionals.

I’m encouraging those who have been in contact with persons who have travelled or anyone who is experiencing flu-like symptoms to sign up as soon as possible.

The process is simple. Just visit the website: https://kn.unhin.org/

Remember we are in this together, and only a co-ordinated approach will enable us to fight this dreaded disease.

We continue to pray for God’s protection espe-cially on our frontline workers as they work to keep us safe.

Hon.. Hazel Brandy-Williams, Junior Minister of Health in the Nevis Island Administration on April 07, 2020

The homepage for the Nevis Health website to be launched by the Nevis Island Administration on Thursday April 09, 2020

NIA embarks on initiative to help manage

COVID-19 cases on Nevis, Junior Health Minister

Hon. Brandy-Williams announces

The St.Kitts Nevis Observer - Friday April 10th, 2020 NewSPage:8 AdverTiSemeNT

The St.Kitts Nevis Observer - Friday April 10th, 2020NewS Page:9AdverTiSemeNT


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COVID-19 cases

moves into

double digits

Now that confirmation of COVID-19 has been received the

patient is subjected to

compulsory isolation in order

to limit the likelihood of

transmission to others.

By Loshaun Dixon

The COVID-19 cases in St. Kitts and Nevis have moved into double digits with a 35 year old Nevis

man being the 11th con-firmed case.The announcement of the latest case was announced by Minister of Health Wendy Phipps who said it brings the total number of confirmed cases to 11. The patient she said is a 35 year-old male who is a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis, and resident on Nevis but had no re-cent travel history. “He is employed in the tourism industry and, as such, the case can be described as import-related.”

Now that confirmation of COVID-19 has been received the patient is subjected to compulsory

isolation in order to limit the likelihood of transmis-sion to others.

She said the Ministry of Health on Nevis would

have commenced tracing the contacts of this indi-vidual and these contacts would be subject to strict quarantine and testing.

The distribution of con-firmed COVID-19 cases in the Federation is now seven in St. Kitts and four in Nevis.

“The Federal Ministry of Health again reminds our citizens and residents of our individual and collec-tive responsibility to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our Nation by fol-lowing the advice of the public health authorities regarding infection and prevention control (IPC). There should be strict

observance of quarantine and isolation regulations by remaining (a) at home if you are placed on home/self-quarantine; or (b) in the place of isolation for

the entire duration of the period.”

As of 4:00 pm Wednesday COVID-19 cases have topped 1.4 million affected with more than 300,00 re-covered and more than 86,000 dead.

None of the cases in the Federation thus far has advanced to any life-threatening stage until with all of the cases reported to be in stable condition. More than 200 individuals remain in quarantine up until press time with over 60 test results pending.


Nevis Junior Minister of

Health Hon. Brandy-

Williams delivers address

to mark World Health Day

NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (April 07, 2020) -- The following is an address by Hon. Hazel Brandy, Junior Minister of Health in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) to mark World Health Day.

Today, April 7th is recog-nized globally as World Health Day. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the year 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, hence the theme for this year’s World Health Day: “Support Nurses and Midwives.”

The spotlight is therefore on nurses and midwives who play an essential role in the delivery of health care throughout the world. In this current COVID-19 pandemic, nurses are among the cat-egory of health workers who are on the frontline. Our nurses have worked and continue to work tirelessly to provide qual-ity care and treatment to our people.

The roles of nurses today have extended far beyond caregivers. Nurses are in-strumental in providing a more holistic approach to

patient care.

Without the support of this profession, we would be unable to achieve many of our health tar-gets, such as those health targets that are enshrined within the Sustainable Development Goals. It therefore means we must invest in a robust nursing workforce, which is criti-cal for achieving univer-sal health coverage.

The World Health Organization made a se-ries of recommendations for policy makers, which the Ministry of Health seeks to adopt or improve upon. These include:

1. Investing in nursing and midwifery educa-tion and employment so universal health cover-age becomes a reality everywhere;

2. Strengthening and paying more attention to nursing and midwifery influence and leadership. Health services will im-prove as a result;

3. Taking steps to im-prove gathering of work-force data, in order to better target resources

and make changes where they are needed most.

We, therefore, need to take the time to applaud and show more appre-ciation to our nurses for their hard work and dedi-cation to the profession. We need to adequately remunerate them for their work. We need to support and invest in their con-tinued education and in the resources they need to protect themselves, in an effort to provide that quality of care we all expect.

Today, let us remember our nurses, especially in this present global cli-mate. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed not only our residents and citizens at risk, but also our nurses and other healthcare workers.

I endorse the nurses’ ta-gline: “I stay at work for you. You stay at home for us.” Please adhere to the measures put in place by the authorities which are aimed at minimizing the spread of COVID-19.

Let us pray for and raise our hats to our hardwork-ing nurses during this global Public Health crisis.

The St.Kitts Nevis Observer - Friday April 10th, 2020NewS Page:15NewS Page:15

Department of Social Services on

Nevis continues to offer support

service during lockdown

NIA CHARLETOWN NEVIS (April 08, 2020) -- The following is a statement by Hon. Eric Evelyn, Minister of Social Development delivered on April 08, 2020, regarding support services being offered by the Department of Social Services for the most vul-nerable during the ongo-ing lockdown.

We want at this time to continue to assure mem-bers of the general public that the Social Services Department, the Ministry of Social Services, we are continuing to do what we have to do to ensure that

persons in the commu-nity are well taken care of even during periods of lockdown.

We have, through Social Services in conjunction with the police depart-ment, been facilitating persons that is primary care givers in particular who must take care of their loved ones, the sick, the shut in, the house-bound, and the elderly who absolutely must have care during these times.

For the persons who are primary care givers, those who have been called in

and those who continue to call, we are reminding you in order to get a pass to be on the road during lockdown periods to look after your relatives, kind-ly contact the Director of Social Services Ms. Joyce Moven at Tel. no. 664-9670.

We also want to remind you that we continue through the Seniors Division to provide our meals for our seniors and the less fortunate. So those of you who are normally accustom to get meals, we continue to provide.

If there any persons who are desirous of being on that programme, kindly call the number that I just spoke about.

Very importantly as well, I must remind members of the general public that we are going through some very, very chal-lenging times. Times we have never experienced before, and during times like these, persons would need emotional support.

We want not only to keep you physically strong but we want you to be men-tally stable as well, and so we want to just assure

members of the general public who may be going through some challeng-ing times emotionally or psychologically, that you can get support from our counsellors at the Counselling Unit of the Department of Social Services.

During this period, the counsellors can be reached at these num-bers: 664-7269 or 665-9565. You can call. You can text or you can

WhatsApp these num-bers for anyone who needs emotional support.

For persons who gener-ally need information in regards to social ser-vices, you can also call this number: 665-2501, and so once again, we as-sure members of the gen-eral public that the Social Services Department will continue to be at your service and will continue during this period of crisis.

Hon. Eric Evelyn, Minister of Social Develop-ment in the Nevis Island Administration on

April 08, 2020

The St.Kitts Nevis Observer - Friday April 10th, 2020 NewSPage:16 NewSPage:16

He said taiwan is willing to

share technical support and

experience with St. Kitts and

Nevis following successes in

controlling the disease in his

country.

By Loshaun Dixon

The government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has pledged to donate significant medical supplies to the people of St. Kitts and Nevis in the fight against COVID-19.

Taiwan’s Ambassador to St.Kitts Tom Lee said

his country will look to donate critical medical supplies to the ministry of health. “Our embassy has been working closely with the Ministry of Health to secure nine portable ventilators and other critical medical sup-plies. I am very pleased to announce based on the cordial relations with St. Kitts and Nevis we will

donate 40,000 masks, six thermal detectors and a batch of thermometer gowns.”

Ambassador Lee said they are expected to ar-rive in St. Kitts and Nevis sometime next week. He said the local embassy will also provide 6,000 masks and other medical supplies. “Please be rest

assured at this difficult time Taiwan is always a friend St. Kitts and Nevis

can rely on. Together we will succeed in fighting against this virus.”

Lee re-expressed his na-tion’s support for St. Kitts and Nevis in its fight against COVID-19. He said that during this diffi-cult time the government of Taiwan reassures that as a strong ally to St. Kitts and Nevis it will continue to work closely with the government of St. Kitts

and Nevis in this fight.He said Taiwan is will-

ing to share technical support and experience with St. Kitts and Nevis following successes in controlling the disease in his country. “Our experts in Taiwan have helped the government of St. Kitts and Nevis in prepa-ration plans and as soon as we learnt there were two confirmed cases in St. Kitts and Nevis, our government immediately organized a conference

to share experience and control measures with the JNF Hospital.”

Lee also assured that the students from St. Kitts and Nevis studying in Taiwan are all safe. “All the students from St. Kitts and Nevis are safe and sound in Taiwan. Taiwan is one of the few countries where schools are still open and people still go to their offices to work. We are containing the pandemic pretty well.”

taiwan set to

donate medical

supplies

Taiwan’s Ambassador to St.Kitts


Nevis’ biggest festival axed

due to COVID-19

“With many of our sponsors losing mon-

ies and having to forego funds as they

assist their customers during this pan-

demic, it would be unconscionable to ap-

proach them for the usual sponsorship

packages.”


The global pandemic COVID-19 has claimed the “Caribbean’s Greatest Summer Lime” Culturama 46 that will be postponed until 2021.

The annual festival which is in its 46th year was slat-ed to be held from July 23 to August 4 2020.

Minister of Culture Eric Evelyn made the disclo-sure on Wednesday April 8. He noted that the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) Cabinet as well as the members of the Culturama Committee took certain mitigating factors into consideration.

The NIA has already lost, and will continue to lose over the next few months, millions of dollars in revenue. Coupled with this, the NIA must divert funds into initiatives that will assist the hundreds of employees that have been affected by the pandemic.

This automatically means that the NIA’s finances will be under severe strain and making it extremely difficult to allocate funds to support the festival.

He said, “Nevisians in the diaspora who nor-mally return home for Culturama are already disadvantaged and may find it difficult, if not im-possible to travel for the rest of this year.”

“With many of our spon-sors losing monies and having to forego funds as they assist their custom-ers during this pandemic, it would be unconscio-

nable to approach them for the usual sponsorship packages.”

Evelyn said preparations were already behind schedule.

“We must also bear in

mind the time factor. We have already lost a few crucial weeks of planning and promotion and at this time we cannot pre-dict how many more we

would lose. Less time to plan and promote would negatively impact the overall execution of the product.”

“Some may ask, why not have an abridged version of the festival? The island

of Nevis has worked tirelessly to develop our Culturama product, and to now in 2020 compro-mise its quality is not an option. It is either we are

having Culturama or we are not having Culturama, there is no half way and there is no compromise. Coming from such a high of Culturama 45, we ab-solutely cannot risk sink-ing to a low that hosting the festival this year may

cause.”

The minister apologized to the sponsors, revel-ers, contestants, calyp-sonians, all Culturama participants, vendors, individuals and organiza-tions. “Through the fringe activities, all stakeholders and members of the gen-eral public in St. Kitts and Nevis for the postpone-ment and assured that they would double their efforts to make Culturama 2021 even bigger and better.

Culturamam 46 is slated for July 22 to August 03, 2021.

“We are aware that many will be disappointed as Culturama has been a summer staple that many look forward to but these are unprecedented times which demand making unprecedented decisions. Rest assured, that your government, this govern-ment will not compromise the health, well-being and safety of nationals and residents.”

The St.Kitts Nevis Observer - Friday April 10th, 2020 NewSPage:18 NewS

The St.Kitts Nevis Observer - Friday April 10th, 2020NewS Page:19NewS

… overnight. Everywhere the same picture: closed super-markets, empty streets, schools out, silent nights, no planes on the horizon line, people staying at home… This anxiously quiet wait, while our frontline workers fight the disease, is coupled with an information overload, which requires selecting what you read and whom you trust. UNDP has offered a fake news detection ser-vice to several countries, helping distinguish so-phisticated falsehoods, intentional alarmism and pure scams, from reliable sources of data and ad-vice. No, the ventilators for Barbados were not seized by the US; and the PPEs for Spain were not sequestered by Turkey.

The frontline is the health response. That response includes sup-porting the health work-ers, who are most at risk: testing capacity, labs, isolation centers, border controls, international cooperation, procure-ment of equipment, the race for the vaccine… all the while continuing to care for those who are ill, not only from Coronavirus, but also to face an overburdened hospital and physician network. The next trench focuses on our elders, those of us who are in risk groups, have under-lying conditions, or are under duress because #StayingAtHome is a very different experience depending on what home you have. Some of our fellow citizens need to go out every morning to put food on their children’s table. COVID-19 is es-pecially vicious towards

the poor, the sick, people with disabilities and the seniors.

In the face of all egoisms that always emerge in disaster situations, we have a duty of care to the 7 billion people on this planet. After we focus on responding to the vi-rus, we must make sure that we don’t wake up from the pandemic with ravaged economies that would make Caribbean islands and other nations retrocede 10 or 20 years in their development. The pandemic is moving like a wave – one that may yet crash on the sys-tems and peoples least able to cope.

My organisation is work-ing silently alongside the health responders and PAHO to strengthen their capacity by quickly mo-bilising markets in tur-moil, full of uncertainties and speculative move-ments, and slowed down by hurdles and greed. 74,564 have died al-ready, many in my coun-try (13,341). Up to 25 million people could lose jobs, according to ILO. This would exceed the 2008-9 global financial crisis and would project around 30,000 income losses in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean nations. For those who don’t have access to so-cial protection, for whom being unemployed means no unemploy-ment benefits, we need to reinvent the rules of solidarity.

Let me take a page from Nora Lustig and Nancy Birdsall and support the idea of social protection by the people, for the people. Don’t wait for the

State to act. If you have a stable income, keep pay-ing for those who work for you and don’t, even if they can’t come to work or you can’t go to them. Pay your hairdresser, nail salon and caretaker in ad-vance for future services. Donate to your NGO who works for the un-derserved in your com-munity. Tip generously when receiving deliver-ies. If you are a landlady, and your tenant lost her job, give her a rent holi-day for a few months if you can afford it. If you are a teacher or have a skill that is good for kids, offer your neighbour’s children an online class or activity to keep them busy. If you have spare gloves or PPEs, donate them to the waste man-agement workers or the police. And if you can shop online, offer some older people around you to buy their groceries.

Women are at the front-lines of the COVID-19 response. Globally women make up 70% of the workers in the health and social sector, and they do three times as much unpaid care work at home as men. Women will be disproportion-ately affected by the dif-ficulties in the tourism sector, the retail industry or family agriculture. We will need a gender lens to read these impacts as well and tailor our re-sponse to specific needs. A response that needs to focus on health without losing sight of what al-lows us to get on with our lives, earn an income and provide for our next of kin. It begins with me. It begins with you.

life Has

ChangedCuban medics

quarantined out of

cautionBy the UNDP Resident Representative for Barbados and the Eastern

Caribbean Magdy Martinez Soliman

By Loshaun Dixon

The help sought and provided by Cuban medical officials has yet to impact the COVID 19 fight in the Federation since the group of 34 has been quarantined out of caution.

The Cuban profes-sionals arrived in the Federation March 28 after requested to assist the Federation’s Health Officials in the fight against COVID-19

Medical Chief of Staff at the JNF Hospital Dr Cameron Wilkinson said the Cuban medics were quarantined since they had a recent history of travel.

“The Cuban doctors and nurses were quarantined out of an abundance of caution and also fol-lowing best practices for people with a recent history of travel. The quarantine period was 14 days and that 14 days ends on April 12.”

He said them being in

quarantine was con-sidered when the help was requested. “When we sought their help, we took this into con-sideration bearing in mind we would need to quarantine them for 14 days.”

Dr. Wilkinson also ex-plained that the end of the Cuban quar-antine would have coincided with any ex-pected surge in cases in the Federation. “If you recall the first time we had a confirmed case in St. Kitts and Nevis was on march 25 which meant at that time we confirmed the disease was present in our fed-eration and if we are waiting for a clinical surge in cases we would have expected that to occur sometime this week. Therefore, they arrived here and the quarantine period was timely.”

He said the current staff in the healthcare system are ably taking care of all the clinical people coming to the institution.

“I’m happy to say of those 11 cases no one is hospitalized at this point in time. All of the patients confirmed with the disease are all doing well; some have no symptoms at this point in time or have decreased symptoms so

there was no reason to have the Cuban brigade here at an earlier stage.”

He said from Monday they will be deployed to assist the Federation.

The team is made up of doctors and nursing graduates, mostly mem-bers of the Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade against Disasters and Serious Epidemics, created by the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro.

The contingent includes 30 nurses and three in-tensive care specialists.

More than 45 countries have requested help from Cuba to deal with Covid-19, according to officials there.

“the Cuban doctors and nurses were

quarantined out of an abundance of

caution and also following best prac-

tices for people with a recent history

of travel.


seterre, St. Kitts, April 06, 2019 (RSCNPF): Students of the Nevis Academy are using their creativity while at home to show their ap-preciation to the men and women who work in areas where essential services are offered.

The school’s principal, Dr. Andrea Bussue, gave the students the project to work on as an assignment.

“Now I thought of the stress it can cause on adults and children, in particular, who would not be able to move about and play as they would like during this Easter break…but I thought, why not do something positive seeing we’re all locked down and we have been teaching the importance of impact-ing our community. So rather than focus on the negative I sent out a

broadcast to my parents and told them let’s reach out and create cards and thank our essential work-ers for the job they’re do-ing to keep us safe. Let’s show some gratitude,” Dr. Bussue explained.

The assignment had just three steps. Students were required to: 1) cre-ate a thank you card or video for essential work-ers; 2) take a picture of themselves working on

the project; and 3) take a picture of themselves with the finished product.Persons can go to https://www.thenevisacademy.com/our-tribute-to-our-essential-worker to view the children’s creations or visit the school’s Facebook page by searching for ‘From the Principal’s Desk - Nevis Academy’.

Dr. Bussue added that the school’s administration had a wonderful relation-ship with the Police.

“Our Liaison Officer is Officer Rohan LaBorde and he visits the school very often and par-ticipates in our school events. He has also been on our ‘Impact Your Community’ events. We love and appreciate him,” she said. “And there are other Police

Officers who visit from time to time so we are grateful to the Police for what they’re doing and we know that this is a stressful time, so we wanted to show some ap-preciation to our police, our nurses, our garbage collectors, water depart-ment, NEVLEC, Flow - and especially for the Flow study that’s coming on stream, our supermar-ket workers and all of our front-line workers for

NEVIS ACADEMY StUDENtS tHANK tHE POlICE AND

OtHER ESSENtIAl WORKERS


Four Seasons employees to

receive 100% salary


The Four Seasons Nevis has opted to pay its staff 100% of their salaries for the months of April and May even though the is-land has closed its borders from outsiders and hotel guests due to the pandem-ic COVID-19.

The newly appointed General Manager of the Resort, Yvette Thomas-Henry, made the an-nouncement this past week.

Just six months prior the resort reopened after a three month-long $40 million renovation project in which the employees received 30% of their salary.

“It is with great pleasure and true gratitude that I share with you that our owners, Nevis Peak Holdings, have gracious-ly decided to pay 100 % of salaries and benefits for all salaried, as well as full and part time hourly employees for the entire months of April and May.

As there are no revenues for either month, there will be no service charge,” Thomas-Henry said.

Employees were asked to volunteer to stay over in the resort during lock-down. “Once you are assigned to stay over dur-ing a lockdown, you will have the option to refuse. No one will be forced to stay on property should they choose not to.”

But, she also advised that if people refused to support the operation by fulfilling the assignment given to them, they will not be paid for that day or days. “Our owners have been generous enough to provide continuous pay to all employees of this re-sort during periods when work is not assigned to them. Should work be assigned to you and you refuse to show up for the assignment, you will forego being paid for the entire period of the lock down.

“We will also be taking advantage of the time in

April and May to address several projects that will enhance the resort,” she said.

Thomas-Henry pointed out the importance for the staff to show their ap-preciation to the owners during this challenging period.

“I do hope that these mea-sures clearly define a fair and consistent manner of ensuring we all par-ticipate in supporting the resort in measures needed to secure or upkeep the workplace we all rely on to make our living.

“As we are all benefiting from their generosity, it is only fair that we all par-ticipate in what needs to be done over the next sev-eral weeks. I trust that we would all wish to show our appreciation to our owners and our commit-ment to be a team during this challenging period,” she said.

The St.Kitts Nevis Observer - Friday April 10th, 2020 NewSPage:22 NewSPage:22 AdverTiSemeNTS


GOVERNMENT OF ST. KITTS AND NEVIS • MINISTRY OF EDUCATION tECHNICAl AND VOCAtIONAl EDUCAtION AND tRAINING (tVEt) ENHANCEMENt PROJECt

INVItAtION FOR BIDS

The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis (GOSKN) has received financing from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) in an amount equivalent to USD eight million (USD 8,000,000.00) to-

wards the cost of the TVET Enhancement Project (the Project) and intends to apply a portion of the

proceeds of this financing to eligible payments under this contract. Payment by CDB will be made only at the request of GOSKN and upon approval by CDB, and will be subject, in all respects, to the

terms and conditions of the Financing Agreement. The Financing Agreement prohibits withdrawal

from the financing account for the purpose of any payment to persons or entities, or for any import of goods, if such payment or import, to the knowledge of CDB, is prohibited by a decision of the

United Nations Security Council taken under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. No

party other than GOSKN shall derive any rights from the Financing Agreement or have any claim

to the proceeds of the Financing.

The Project is being implemented by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis through its Ministry

of Education has contracted Consultants who will assist the TVET Project Coordinating Unit with

delivering the Project. The Consultants have prepared designs and contract documentation and will

assist in tender administration and evaluation and supervise Project activities.

The Ministry of Education now invites sealed bids from eligible bidders for the Renovation of

Charles E. Mills Secondary School TVET Labs, St. Kitts. The works include, but are not limited to

the following:

SCOPE OF WORKS

The project comprises renovation to the building including:

• Blockwork partitions

• Roofing retro-fitting

• Steel framed glazed casement windows

• Steel burglar proofing

• Mesh screens

• Steel grille gates and flush doors

• Timber panelled doors

• Floor surface hardener

• Screeded beds

• Porcelain tile paving

• Painting

• Utility cupboards and shelving

• Notice/display boards

• Drawing tables

• Sanitary fittings and associated pipework

• Electrical installation

• Gas installation

Consideration will be limited to firms or joint ventures of firms, which are legally incorporated or otherwise organised in, and have their principal place of business in an eligible country and are

either:

a. more than 50% beneficially owned by a citizen or citizens and/or a bona fide resident or residents of an eligible country, or by a body corporate or bodies corporate meeting these require-

ments; or

b. owned or controlled by the Government of an eligible country provided that it is legally

and financially autonomous and operated under the commercial law of an eligible country and otherwise meets the eligibility requirements of the CDB Guidelines for Procurement (2006).

Eligible countries are member countries of CDB.

Eligible bidders will be required to submit full qualification information with their bids establishing their eligibility to bid and qualification to perform the contract if the bid is accepted. Tender and qualification information are to be submitted in the English Language on the prescribed forms inserted in the Bid Documents. Submissions that do not provide the information required, or do not

demonstrate the prospective contractor’s ability to perform satisfactorily, will not qualify and will

not be considered for further evaluation.

Qualification requirements include, inter alia:

a. an average annual turnover (defined as certified payments received for works in progress or completed) within the last three (3) years of at least US$300,000 (three hundred thousand United

States dollars) ;

b. a demonstrable cash flow (including access to credit) of US$200,000 (two hundred thou-

sand United States dollars ); and

c. experience as prime contractor in the construction of at least three (3) years assignments

of a nature, scope and complexity comparable to the proposed project activity within the last three

(3) years (to comply with this requirement, works quoted should be at least 80 percent complete).

Bidding Documents may be obtained by eligible bidders from the email address below, at no charge.

Requests may be made by written application including email. Written applications must be clearly

marked: “Request for Bidding Documents for Renovation of Sandy Point High School, St. Kitts”,

along with the name, address and contact information of the bidder for which Bidding Documents

are being requested.

Submissions in sealed envelopes clearly marked “Bid for the Renovation of Charles E. Mills

Secondary School TVET Labs, St. Kitts”, must be received at the address below not later than

04:00pm on April 6th, 2020. Bid opening will take place on April 7th, 2020, at the address below in

the presence of bidder’s representatives who choose to attend. Qualification information only must be simultaneously submitted to the address below. The pre-bid meeting will be held on 24th March

2020, at the Sandy Point High School, St. Kitts at 9:30 am.

All bids must be accompanied by a Bid Security of 5% of the Construction Cost.

The Project Coordinator, TVET Enhancement Project, Ministry of Education, reserves the right to

accept or reject any bid, and to annul the process and reject all bids, at any time prior to award of

contract, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected prospective bidder(s) or any obliga-

tion to inform the affected prospective bidder(s) of the grounds for Project Coordinator’s, TVET

Enhancement Project, action. The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis will not defray any costs in-

curred by any bidder in the preparation of bids.

Address for Correspondence, Qualification Information, Bid Submission and Opening

Attention: Kertney L. Thompson, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer

St. Kitts-Nevis TVET Secretariat

Project Coordinator: TVET Enhancement Project

Ministry of Education

Stanford Building, Golden Rock

Basseterre, St. Kitts, W.I

KN0 101

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 1-869-467-1106 /1483

The St.Kitts Nevis Observer - Friday April 10th, 2020 Page:25AdverTiSemeNT



INVItAtION FOR BIDS














Verchilds High School, St. Kitts. The works include, but are not limited to the following:

SCOPE OF WORKS


• Steel framed glazed casement windows


• Mesh screens

• Timber panelled doors

• Steel flush doors


• Screeded beds

• Ceramic wall tiling

• Gypsum fibreboard suspended ceiling

• Painting

• Kitchen cupboards

• Vanity units


• Bedroom closets

• Notice/display boards



• Ceiling fans


either:


ments; or








a. an average annual turnover (defined as certified payments received for works in prog-

ress or completed) within the last three (3) years of at least US$200,000.00 (two hundred thousand

United States dollars);

b. a demonstrable cash flow (including access to credit) of US$150,000.00 (one hundred and fifty thousand United States dollars); and






marked: “Request for Bidding Documents for Renovation of Verchilds High School TVET Labs,

St. Kitts”, along with the name, address and contact information of the bidder for which Bidding

Documents are being requested.

Submissions in sealed envelopes clearly marked “Bid for the Renovation of Verchilds High School

TVET Labs, St. Kitts”, must be received at the address below not later than 04:00pm on April 6th,

2020. Bid opening will take place on April 7th, 2020, at the address below in the presence of bidder’s

representatives who choose to attend. Qualification information only must be simultaneously sub-

mitted to the address below. The pre-bid meeting will be held on 24th March 2020, at the Verchilds

High School, St. Kitts at 11:30 am.
















KN0 101


Tel: 1-869-467-1106



INVItAtION FOR BIDS

The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis (GOSKN) has received financing from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) in an amount equivalent to USD eight million (USD 8,000,000.00) towards the cost of the

TVET Enhancement Project (the Project) and intends to apply a portion of the proceeds of this financing to eligible payments under this contract. Payment by CDB will be made only at the request of GOSKN and

upon approval by CDB, and will be subject, in all respects, to the terms and conditions of the Financing

Agreement. The Financing Agreement prohibits withdrawal from the financing account for the purpose of any payment to persons or entities, or for any import of goods, if such payment or import, to the knowledge

of CDB, is prohibited by a decision of the United Nations Security Council taken under Chapter VII of the

Charter of the United Nations. No party other than GOSKN shall derive any rights from the Financing

Agreement or have any claim to the proceeds of the Financing.

The Project is being implemented by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis through its Ministry of

Education has contracted Consultants who will assist the TVET Project Coordinating Unit with delivering

the Project. The Consultants have prepared designs and contract documentation and will assist in tender

administration and evaluation and supervise Project activities.

The Ministry of Education now invites sealed bids from eligible bidders for the Renovation of Washington Archibald High School, St. Kitts. The works include, but are not limited to the following:

SCOPE OF WORKS


• Blockwork partitions

• Drywall partitions

• Roof retro-fitting

• Aluminium framed louvred windows


• Mesh screens

• Timber flush/panelled doors

• Steel flush doors


• Screeded beds

• Porcelain floor tiling

• Ceramic wall tiling

• Plastering

• Gypsum fibreboard suspended ceilings

• Painting






• Ceiling fans

Consideration will be limited to firms or joint ventures of firms, which are legally incorporated or other-wise organised in, and have their principal place of business in an eligible country and are either:

a. more than 50% beneficially owned by a citizen or citizens and/or a bona fide resident or resi-dents of an eligible country, or by a body corporate or bodies corporate meeting these requirements; or

b. owned or controlled by the Government of an eligible country provided that it is legally and

financially autonomous and operated under the commercial law of an eligible country and otherwise meets the eligibility requirements of the CDB Guidelines for Procurement (2006).


Eligible bidders will be required to submit full qualification information with their bids establishing their eligibility to bid and qualification to perform the contract if the bid is accepted. Tender and qualification information are to be submitted in the English Language on the prescribed forms inserted in the Bid

Documents. Submissions that do not provide the information required, or do not demonstrate the prospec-

tive contractor’s ability to perform satisfactorily, will not qualify and will not be considered for further

evaluation.


a. an average annual turnover (defined as certified payments received for works in progress or completed) within the last three (3) years of at least US$300,000.00, (three hundred thousand United States

dollars);

b. a demonstrable cash flow (including access to credit) of US$200,000.00 (two hundred thousand United States dollars); and

c. experience as prime contractor in the construction of at least three (3) years assignments of a

nature, scope and complexity comparable to the proposed project activity within the last three (3) years (to

comply with this requirement, works quoted should be at least 80 percent complete).


Requests may be made by written application including email. Written applications must be clearly marked: “Request for Bidding Documents for Renovation of Washington Archibald High School TVET Labs, St. Kitts”, along with the name, address and contact information of the bidder for which Bidding


Submissions in sealed envelopes clearly marked “Bid for the Renovation of Washington Archibald High School TVET Labs, St. Kitts”, must be received at the address below not later than 04:00pm on April 6th,

2020. Bid opening will take place on April 7th, 2020, at the address below in the presence of bidder’s

representatives who choose to attend. Qualification information only must be simultaneously submitted to the address below. The pre-bid meeting will be held on 23rd March 2020, at the Washington Archibald High School, St. Kitts at 9:30 am.


The Project Coordinator, TVET Enhancement Project, Ministry of Education, reserves the right to accept

or reject any bid, and to annul the process and reject all bids, at any time prior to award of contract, without

thereby incurring any liability to the affected prospective bidder(s) or any obligation to inform the affected

prospective bidder(s) of the grounds for Project Coordinator’s, TVET Enhancement Project, action. The

Government of St. Kitts and Nevis will not defray any costs incurred by any bidder in the preparation of

bids.









KN0 101


Tel: 1-869-467-1878/1106



INVItAtION FOR BIDS














Saddlers Secondary School TVET Labs, St. Kitts. The works include, but are not limited to the

following:

SCOPE OF WORKS


• Mesh screens


• Door locks

• Porcelain tile paving

• Screeded beds

• Gypsum fibreboard suspended ceilings

• Painting



• Vanity units

• Teaching platform

• Food preparation counters




either:


ments; or








a. an average annual turnover (defined as certified payments received for works in prog-

ress or completed) within the last three (3) years of at least US$200,000.00 (two hundred thousand

United States dollars);

b. a demonstrable cash flow (including access to credit) of US$150,000.00 (one hundred and fifty thousand United States dollars); and




Bidding Documents may be obtained by eligible bidders from the first address below, at no charge. Requests may be made by written application including email. Written applications must be clearly

marked: “Request for Bidding Documents for Renovation of Saddlers Secondary School TVET

Labs, St. Kitts”, along with the name, address and contact information of the bidder for which

Bidding Documents are being requested.

Submissions in sealed envelopes clearly marked “Bid for the Renovation of Saddlers Secondary

School TVET Labs, St. Kitts”, must be received at the address below not later than 04:00pm on

April 6th, 2020. Bid opening will take place on April 7th, 2020, at the address below in the presence

of bidder’s representatives who choose to attend. Qualification information only must be simultane-

ously submitted to the address below. The pre-bid meeting will be held on 23rd March 2020, at the

Saddlers Secondary School TVET Labs, St. Kitts at 1:30 pm.
















KN0 101


Tel: 1-869-467-1106/1878



INVItAtION FOR BIDS













The Ministry of Education now invites sealed bids from eligible bidders for the Renovation of Cayon

High School TVET Labs, St. Kitts. The works include, but are not limited to the following:

SCOPE OF WORKS


• Drywall partitions

• Steel balustrading

• Concrete lintols and wall stiffeners



• Mesh screens


• Ceramic floor and wall tiling

• Screeded beds

• Gypsum fibreboard suspended ceiling

• Painting


• Work stations

• Pantry cupboards




• Ceiling fans


either:


ments; or








a. an average annual turnover (defined as certified payments received for works in progress or completed) within the last three (3) years of at least US$200,000 (two hundred thousand United

States dollars);

b. a demonstrable cash flow (including access to credit) of US$200,000 (two hundred thou-

sand United States dollars; and






marked: “Request for Bidding Documents for Renovation of Cayon High School TVET Labs,

St. Kitts”, along with the name, address and contact information of the bidder for which Bidding


Submissions in sealed envelopes clearly marked “Bid for the Renovation of Washington Archibald

High School TVET Labs, St. Kitts”, must be received at the address below not later than 04:00pm

on April 6th, 2020. Bid opening will take place on April 7th, 2020, at the address below in the

presence of bidder’s representatives who choose to attend. Qualification information only must be simultaneously submitted to the address below. The pre-bid meeting will be held on 23rd March

2020, at the Cayon High School, St. Kitts at 11:00 am.
















KN0 101


Tel: 1-869-467-1106/1878


Steps to Christ Chapter 11—The Privilege of PrayerEllen G. White Writings

Through nature and revelation, through His providence, and by the influence of His Spirit, God speaks to us. But these are not enough; we need also to pour out our hearts to Him. In order to have spiritual life and energy, we must have actual relationship with our heavenly Father. Our minds may be drawn out toward Him; we may meditate upon His works, His mercies, His blessings; but this is not, in the fullest sense, communing with Him. In order to commune with God, we must have something to say to Him concerning our actual life.

Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not that it is nec-essary in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer does not bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him.

When Jesus was upon the earth, He taught His disciples how to pray. He directed them to present their daily needs before God, and to cast all their care upon Him. And the assurance He gave them that their petitions should be heard, is assurance also to us.

Jesus Himself, while He dwelt among men, was often in prayer. Our Saviour identified Himself with our needs and weakness, in that He became a suppliant, a petitioner, seeking from His Father fresh sup-plies of strength, that He might come forth braced for duty and trial. He is our example in all things. He is a brother in our infirmities, “in all points

tempted like as we are;” but as the sinless one His nature recoiled from evil; He endured struggles and torture of soul in a world of sin. His humanity made prayer a necessity and a privilege. He found comfort and joy in com-munion with His Father. And if the Saviour of men, the Son of God, felt the need of prayer, how much more should feeble, sinful mortals feel the necessity of fervent, constant prayer.

Our heavenly Father waits to bestow upon us the fullness of His bless-ing. It is our privilege to drink largely at the foun-tain of boundless love. What a wonder it is that we pray so little! God is ready and willing to hear the sincere prayer of the humblest of His children, and yet there is much manifest reluctance on our part to make known our wants to God. What can the angels of heaven think of poor helpless human beings, who are subject to temptation, when God’s heart of in-finite love yearns toward them, ready to give them more than they can ask or think, and yet they pray so little and have so little faith? The angels love to bow before God; they love to be near Him. They regard communion with God as their highest joy; and yet the children of earth, who need so much the help that God only can give, seem sat-isfied to walk without the light of His Spirit, the companionship of His presence.

The darkness of the evil one encloses those who neglect to pray. The whispered temptations of the enemy entice them to sin; and it is all because they do not make use of the privileges that God

has given them in the divine appointment of prayer. Why should the sons and daughters of God be reluctant to pray, when prayer is the key in the hand of faith to un-lock heaven’s storehouse, where are treasured the boundless resources of Omnipotence? Without unceasing prayer and diligent watching we are in danger of growing careless and of deviating from the right path. The adversary seeks continu-ally to obstruct the way to the mercy seat, that we may not by earnest sup-plication and faith obtain grace and power to resist temptation.

There are certain condi-tions upon which we may expect that God will hear and answer our prayers. One of the first of these is that we feel our need of help from Him. He has promised, “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground.” Isaiah 44:3. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, who long after God, may be sure that they will be filled. The heart must be open to the Spirit’s influence, or God’s blessing cannot be received.

Our great need is itself an argument and pleads most eloquently in our behalf. But the Lord is to be sought unto to do these things for us. He says, “Ask, and it shall be given you.” And “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Matthew 7:7; Romans 8:32.

If we regard iniquity in our hearts, if we cling to any known sin, the Lord will not hear us; but the prayer of the

penitent, contrite soul is always accepted. When all known wrongs are righted, we may believe that God will answer our petitions. Our own merit will never commend us to the favor of God; it is the worthiness of Jesus that will save us, His blood that will cleanse us; yet we have a work to do in complying with the conditions of acceptance.

Another element of pre-vailing prayer is faith. “He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6. Jesus said to His disciples, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Mark 11:24. Do we take Him at His word?

The assurance is broad and unlimited, and He is faithful who has prom-ised. When we do not receive the very things we asked for, at the time we ask, we are still to be-lieve that the Lord hears and that He will answer our prayers. We are so erring and short-sighted that we sometimes ask for things that would not be a blessing to us, and our heavenly Father in love answers our prayers by giving us that which will be for our highest good—that which we ourselves would desire if with vision divinely enlightened we could see all things as they really are. When our prayers seem not to be answered, we are to cling to the promise; for the time of answering will surely come, and we shall re-ceive the blessing we need most. But to claim that prayer will always be answered in the very way and for the particu-lar thing that we desire, is presumption. God is

too wise to err, and too good to withhold any good thing from them that walk uprightly. Then do not fear to trust Him, even though you do not see the immediate an-swer to your prayers. Rely upon His sure promise, “Ask, and it shall be given you.”

If we take counsel with our doubts and fears, or try to solve everything that we cannot see clear-ly, before we have faith, perplexities will only in-crease and deepen. But if we come to God, feeling helpless and dependent, as we really are, and in humble, trusting faith make known our wants to Him whose knowl-edge is infinite, who sees everything in creation, and who governs every-thing by His will and word, He can and will at-tend to our cry, and will let light shine into our hearts. Through sincere prayer we are brought into connection with the mind of the Infinite. We may have no remarkable evidence at the time that the face of our Redeemer is bending over us in compassion and love, but this is even so. We may not feel His visible touch, but His hand is upon us in love and pity-ing tenderness.

When we come to ask mercy and blessing from God we should have a spirit of love and forgiveness in our own hearts. How can we pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” and yet indulge an unfor-giving spirit? Matthew 6:12. If we expect our own prayers to be heard we must forgive others in the same manner and to the same extent as we hope to be forgiven.

Perseverance in prayer has been made a condi-tion of receiving. We must pray always if we would grow in faith and experience. We are to be “instant in prayer,” to “continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” Romans 12:12; Colossians 4:2. Peter exhorts believers to be “sober, and watch unto prayer.” 1 Peter 4:7. Paul directs, “In everything by prayer and suppli-cation with thanksgiv-ing let your requests be made known unto God.” Philippians 4:6. “But ye, beloved,” says Jude, “praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God.” Jude 20, 21. Unceasing prayer is the unbroken union of the soul with God, so that life from God flows into our life; and from our life, purity and holiness flow back to God.

There is necessity for diligence in prayer; let nothing hinder you. Make every effort to keep open the commu-nion between Jesus and your own soul. Seek every opportunity to go where prayer is wont to be made. Those who are really seeking for com-munion with God will be seen in the prayer meet-ing, faithful to do their duty and earnest and anxious to reap all the benefits they can gain. They will improve every opportunity of placing themselves where they can receive the rays of light from heaven.

We should pray in the family circle, and above all we must not neglect secret prayer, for this is the life of the soul. It is impossible for the soul to flourish while prayer is neglected. Family or public prayer alone is not sufficient. In solitude let the soul be laid open to the inspecting eye of


God. Secret prayer is to be heard only by the prayer-hearing God. No curious ear is to receive the burden of such peti-tions. In secret prayer the soul is free from sur-rounding influences, free from excitement. Calmly, yet fervently, will it reach out after God. Sweet and abiding will be the influence emanating from Him who seeth in secret, whose ear is open to hear the prayer arising from the heart. By calm, simple faith the soul holds communion with God and gathers to itself rays of divine light to strengthen and sustain it in the conflict with Satan. God is our tower of strength.

Pray in your closet, and as you go about your daily labor let your heart be often uplifted to God. It was thus that Enoch walked with God. These silent prayers rise like precious incense be-fore the throne of grace. Satan cannot overcome him whose heart is thus stayed upon God.

There is no time or place in which it is inappropri-ate to offer up a petition to God. There is nothing that can prevent us from lifting up our hearts in the spirit of earnest prayer. In the crowds of the street, in the midst of a business engagement, we may send up a petition to God and plead for divine guid-ance, as did Nehemiah when he made his request before King Artaxerxes. A closet of communion may be found wherever we are. We should have the door of the heart open continually and our invi-tation going up that Jesus may come and abide as a heavenly guest in the soul.

Although there may be a tainted, corrupted at-mosphere around us,

we need not breathe its miasma, but may live in the pure air of heaven. We may close every door to impure imaginings and unholy thoughts by lifting the soul into the presence of God through sincere prayer. Those whose hearts are open to receive the support and blessing of God will walk in a holier atmo-sphere than that of earth and will have constant communion with heaven.

We need to have more distinct views of Jesus and a fuller comprehen-sion of the value of eter-nal realities. The beauty of holiness is to fill the hearts of God’s children; and that this may be ac-complished, we should seek for divine disclo-sures of heavenly things.

Let the soul be drawn out and upward, that God may grant us a breath of the heavenly atmosphere. We may keep so near to God that in every unex-pected trial our thoughts will turn to Him as natu-rally as the flower turns to the sun.

Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears before God. You cannot burden Him; you can-not weary Him. He who numbers the hairs of your head is not indifferent to the wants of His children. “The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” James 5:11. His heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our utterances of them. Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for Him to bear, for He holds up worlds, He rules over all the affairs of the uni-verse. Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for Him to notice. There is no chapter in our experi-ence too dark for Him to read; there is no perplex-ity too difficult for Him to unravel. No calamity

can befall the least of His children, no anxiety harass the soul, no joy cheer, no sincere prayer escape the lips, of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which He takes no immediate interest. “He healeth the broken in heart, and bin-deth up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3. The rela-tions between God and each soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon the earth to share His watchcare, not an-other soul for whom He gave His beloved Son.

Jesus said, “Ye shall ask in My name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: for the Father Himself loveth you.” “I have cho-sen you: ... that whatso-ever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you.” John 16:26, 27; 15:16. But to pray in the name of Jesus is something more than a mere mention of that name at the begin-ning and the ending of a prayer. It is to pray in the mind and spirit of Jesus, while we believe His promises, rely upon His grace, and work His works.

God does not mean that any of us should become hermits or monks and retire from the world in order to devote our-selves to acts of worship. The life must be like Christ’s life—between the mountain and the multitude. He who does nothing but pray will soon cease to pray, or his prayers will become a formal routine. When men take themselves out of social life, away from the sphere of Christian duty and cross bearing; when they cease to work earnestly for the Master, who worked earnestly for them, they lose the subject matter of prayer and have no incentive to devotion. Their prayers become personal and

selfish. They cannot pray in regard to the wants of humanity or the upbuild-ing of Christ’s kingdom, pleading for strength wherewith to work.

We sustain a loss when we neglect the privilege of associating together to strengthen and encourage one another in the service of God. The truths of His word lose their vividness and importance in our minds. Our hearts cease to be enlightened and aroused by their sanctify-ing influence, and we de-cline in spirituality. In our association as Christians we lose much by lack of sympathy with one an-other. He who shuts him-self up to himself is not filling the position that God designed he should. The proper cultivation of the social elements in our nature brings us into sympathy with others and is a means of devel-opment and strength to us in the service of God.

If Christians would asso-ciate together, speaking to each other of the love of God and of the pre-cious truths of redemp-tion, their own hearts would be refreshed and they would refresh one another. We may be daily learning more of our heavenly Father, gain-ing a fresh experience of His grace; then we shall desire to speak of His love; and as we do this, our own hearts will be warmed and encouraged. If we thought and talked more of Jesus, and less of self, we should have far more of His presence.

If we would but think of God as often as we have evidence of His care for us we should keep Him ever in our thoughts and should delight to talk of Him and to praise Him. We talk of temporal things because we have an interest in them. We talk of our friends be-cause we love them; our joys and our sorrows

are bound up with them. Yet we have infinitely greater reason to love God than to love our earthly friends; it should be the most natural thing in the world to make Him first in all our thoughts, to talk of His goodness and tell of His power. The rich gifts He has bestowed upon us were not intended to absorb our thoughts and love so much that we should have nothing to give to God; they are constantly to remind us of Him and to bind us in bonds of love and gratitude to our heavenly Benefactor. We dwell too near the lowlands of earth. Let us raise our eyes to the open door of the sanctuary above, where the light of the glory of God shines in the face of Christ, who “is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him.” Hebrews 7:25.

We need to praise God more “for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men.” Psalm 107:8. Our devotional exercises should not consist wholly in asking and receiving. Let us not be always thinking of our wants and never of the benefits we receive. We do not pray any too much, but we are too sparing of giving thanks. We are the con-stant recipients of God’s mercies, and yet how lit-tle gratitude we express, how little we praise Him for what He has done for us.

Anciently the Lord bade Israel, when they met together for His service, “Ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee.” Deuteronomy 12:7. That which is done for the glory of God should be done with cheerfulness, with songs of praise and

thanksgiving, not with sadness and gloom.

Our God is a tender, mer-ciful Father. His service should not be looked upon as a heart-sadden-ing, distressing exercise. It should be a pleasure to worship the Lord and to take part in His work. God would not have His children, for whom so great salvation has been provided, act as if He were a hard, exacting taskmaster. He is their best friend; and when they worship Him, He expects to be with them, to bless and comfort them, filling their hearts with joy and love. The Lord desires His children to take comfort in His service and to find more pleasure than hardship in His work. He desires that those who come to worship Him shall carry away with them precious thoughts of His care and love, that they may be cheered in all the em-ployments of daily life, that they may have grace to deal honestly and faithfully in all things.

We must gather about the cross. Christ and Him crucified should be the theme of contemplation, of conversation, and of our most joyful emotion. We should keep in our thoughts every blessing we receive from God, and when we realize His great love we should be willing to trust every-thing to the hand that was nailed to the cross for us.

The soul may ascend nearer heaven on the wings of praise. God is worshiped with song and music in the courts above, and as we ex-press our gratitude we are approximating to the worship of the heavenly hosts. “Whoso offer

Copyright © 2019 by Ellen G. White. All Rights Reserved.

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