On August 9th 2019, the Ministry of Health in St. Kitts and Nevis, in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister, officially launched St. Kitts & Nevis (SKN) Moves.

This initiative is part of the Caribbean Moves program which seeks to tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by focusing on healthy eating, physical activity, and age-appropriate health checks.

August 9th 2020, marks the first anniversary of the launch and the Ministry of Health’s Health Promotion Team is engaging in a week of activities from Saturday 8th to Friday 14th August 2020.

Events include:

• SKN Moves Health Walk – Saturday, August 8th at 5:30 am – Caribbean Cinemas to Frigate Bay Lawn
• SKN Moves Virtual Fitness Fest – Monday August 10th – Friday 14th at 6am & 6pm
• SKN Moves Health Fair – Friday, August 14th from 9am – 4pm- Independence Square

Everyone is invited to take part in this celebration so please do come out, take part and get moving. We’ll see you there!

On Saturday 18th July 2020, we were delighted to have assisted with the Global Fibroids Alliance’s first event which was a webinar on Fibroids and COVID-19. This webinar aimed to explore the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic may be having on women with fibroids and discussed what women can do to improve their physical and mental health during this challenging period.

Speakers on the day included:

• Dr Fanta Waterman, Managing Director, Serrette Brown Research and Consulting LLC who provided an overview of COVID-19, the latest information with regards to the pandemic, fibroids management during lockdowns and quarantine and re-opening considerations.
• Muku Qes Ua, Psychotherapist, Herbalist and Homeopath who discussed natural and holistic approaches to managing fibroids
• Olivia Haltman, Integrative Humanistic Counsellor, OH Counselling Services who discussed emotions, fibroids and the lockdown and highlighted the emotional impact of fibroids, how this intersects with the emotional impact of COVID-19 and strategies for coping and improving mental health.

If you missed the webinar, you can watch the recording below and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to send the Global Fibroids Alliance an email.

To keep informed of the work of GFA and to be alerted of future events, you can sign up to their newsletter here.

Today, we are delighted to publish the report of our My Healthy Heroes pilot project. This project ran from February to March 2020 and aimed to test our approach to promoting healthy eating in children.

Through our My Healthy Heroes project, we aim to educate and empower children to make healthy choices by tapping into their creativity to highlight the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

Our pilot was important in helping us test our resources and characters (Healthy Heroes, Sugary Drinks Assassins and Junk Food Villains) with children and teachers to see if we could successfully engage children and educate them about healthy eating, and more importantly, facilitate a change in their behaviour.

Although our project ended slightly early because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was very successful and demonstrated that with a little creativity, we can get children excited about healthy eating, to learn and retain important information about the harms of unhealthy eating, to reflect on their lifestyles,  to attempt to change behaviour and to rethink their food choices.

The main lessons learnt from this project were:

1. Children accept that they should be eating a healthy diet, but the depth of their knowledge of healthy eating, its benefits and the harms of unhealthy eating is low and therefore means this acceptance doesn’t translate into a change in behaviour or a motivation to eat a healthy diet.
2. The major factor that impacts children’s choice of what to eat, if they are given a choice, is taste, but children also recognise that some foods are more accessible and that the significant amount of marketing of unhealthy foods impacts their choices.
3. Students’ favourite foods vary. They selected both fast food and home-cooked meals as their favourite foods, and these were selected mostly based on taste. This means there is the opportunity to encourage more healthy eating if parents, schools and vendors explore creative ways to prepare healthy foods that children would deem to be tasty.
4. Children and parents overestimate how healthy children’s diets are; in reality, children are not eating a healthy balanced diet. Students are not eating the recommended 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables, and students are eating more unhealthy foods than they realise.
5. Children need constant reminders and nudges to make healthy choices.
6. A comprehensive marketing strategy for healthy food is required to compete with the marketing of unhealthy foods.
7. Creative approaches are needed to engage children and educate them on healthy eating. Our project has shown characters that children can relate to and are considered ‘cool’ will be effective at reaching children and creating an intention to change their behaviour.
8. Parents need support regarding time, knowledge and ability with healthy food preparation, and schools can compensate by ensuring there is a healthy environment in schools—healthy breakfast, lunch and snacks available in and around schools.
9. Healthy eating should be a core part of the curriculum in school and go beyond conveying simple facts; the approach should be interactive to create a long-lasting change in attitudes and behaviours towards food.

You can download our full report below to find out more about this project. In the meantime, we will be using the learnings from this work to develop this project further.

We would like to thank the Taiwan ICDF for funding this work and providing invaluable advice and support throughout this project.

We’re delighted to invite all women who have been affected by fibroids to the Global Fibroids Alliance’s first event, a webinar on Fibroids and COVID-19.

The Global Fibroids Alliance is a new network of organisations working together to raise awareness of fibroids and advocate for the changes that are required to improve the health, wellbeing and quality of care for all women affected by fibroids. Want to find out more? You can visit our campaign page from last year here

This webinar will be held on Saturday 18th July at 11am US Eastern Time (4pm GMT) and aims to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic may be affecting women with fibroids and will discuss what women can do to improve their physical and mental health during this challenging period.

Speakers will include:

Dr Fanta Waterman, Managing Director, Serrette Brown Research and Consulting LLC.

Muku Qes Ua, Psychotherapist, Herbalist and Homeopath

Olivia Haltman, Integrative Humanistic Counsellor, OH Counselling Services

You can register for this webinar here and if you have any questions, please email GFA2020@mail.com

We look forward to seeing you then.

Following on from the publication of our ‘Fibroids and COVID-19’ infographic, we’re delighted to notify you of the publication of our latest fibroids infographic.  

This infographic, entitled ‘What You Need to Know About Fibroids’ covers what fibroids are, the different types of fibroids, risk factors, symptoms and tips for women living with fibroids.

The aim of this resource is to provide women with a simple overview of fibroids and to address the concern that women expressed to us about the lack of accurate reliable information on this important women’s health issue.

We had the pleasure of working with newly qualified doctor, Sofia Miah, to create this resource. Sofia carried out some desk-based research in order to prepare the content and designed the infographic.

Sofia’s experience of working on this short project highlighted some very important lessons for those working in the healthcare field, with Sofia stating that:

“As a newly qualified doctor with clinical experience in women’s health, I was shocked by the higher incidence of fibroids among African-Caribbean women and how little it is spoken about in medical education and the workplace. Black women are disproportionately affected by fibroids and more likely to have hysterectomies. This is worsened by the lack of high-quality, comprehensive and accessible information out there on fibroids for patients. As healthcare professionals, we need to be more open and vocal about the impact of fibroids on patients and their quality of life. We need to be better.”

We are very grateful to Sofia for working with us on this project and to the experienced gynaecologist who reviewed the infographic. You can download the infographic below and if you have any questions or comments about this resource, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us by sending us an email

Produced and edited by Sheila Marshall and written and presented by Robert Beckford this insightful audio documentary explores the black pentecostal church’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The documentary discusses how the church should respond to this pandemic and assesses whether the response so far has been effective. It also seeks to answer the controversial question of whether churches should get involved in political and social justice matters, and how best they can do this without compromising their beliefs and perceived role in the community. There was the feeling that the church should move beyond its comfort zone and take the lead during global emergencies and lead the drive in moving the agenda forward to benefit the black community.

The documentary also looks at the power of contemporary gospel music and explored some of the gaps in the repertoire which prevents the genre from having a significant impact during challenging times. For example, there is a lack of music that articulates the current emotions that people are feeling and the reality of people’s lives. This point was expanded into a wider point of the church overlooking the powerful emotions, stress and anxiety many are experiencing by focusing on upbeat messages. It was identified that this denial of our emotions can lead to many questioning their faith, but can also affect the mental health of black Christians in general.

We thought this was an excellent exploration of the role of the black church, which is one of the most powerful organisations in the black community but hasn’t engaged effectively with political and social issues. During the current times, where racial inequalities and injustices have been fully exposed through COVID-19’s disproportionate effect on the black community, the white privilege so boldly displayed by Amy Cooper and the brutality of police racism, the church is needed now more than ever before.

You can listen to this audio documentary below.

Better Must Come! Black Pentecostals, the Pandemic and the future of Christianity from Aniku Ltd on Vimeo.

Many of us are at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are experiencing a range of emotions as a result of this health crisis. If you’d like to make sense of what you’re feeling, you can join Olivia Haltman of OH Services on Saturday 25^th April where she’ll be discussing the effect of COVID-19 on our mental health and how you can support yourself and others.

You can register for this webinar here

In addition to this webinar, Olivia Haltman will be delivering two free webinars as part of her “What is…?” series.

On Tuesday 28^th April, Olivia will be exploring ‘What is Sexual Abuse?” This is an issue which can affect anyone and this means we need to stay well informed so we can remain as safe as possible and keep each other safe and empowered. When an experience like this happens, it is bound to drastically shift the course of someone’s life as it impacts their mental health. It can be challenging supporting survivors of sexual abuse, but a huge part of the problem is being misinformed about this issue. So, this webinar aims to bring you relevant facts, information and knowledge so you can tackle this topic with confidence.

You can register here

Next month, on 26^th May, Olivia will be discussing ‘What is a Healthy Relationship?” She’ll be answering the question ‘What does a healthy relationship look and feel like?” In this webinar, you’ll analyse whether you have a healthy relationship with your partner, family, friends, employer and, most importantly, yourself.  Identifying the qualities of what a healthy relationship is crucial for our emotional wellbeing. This webinar will help you to understand why a healthy relationship is important and how you can set boundaries that will make you feel secure and safe, even when your relationships become challenging .

You can find out more about this webinar and register here

We hope you’ll be able to attend one of these interesting webinars. For more information about these events, you can contact OH Services here. 

KMT Rising is hosting a series of monthly online Zoom sessions dedicated to women’s health improvements around Fibroids.

The Womb-an Series is a safe and confidential platform for women to meet (in the comfort of your homes), to find out more about what contributes to fibroid growth and acceleration, what lifestyle choices and dietary factors impact on womb-wellness, what strategies can we incorporate into our lives to reduce fibroid symptoms, and what are the range of holistic approaches towards getting our health back into balance, and towards fibroid elimination.

The sessions will be facilitated by a qualified Holistic Health Practitioner and you will have the opportunity to ask questions regarding your own personal health challenges.

The sessions will include:

• Understanding Fibroids (Wednesday 20th May 2020, 8.30-9.15pm)
• Creating a space for healing the womb (Wednesday 24th June 2020, 8.30-9.15pm)
• Holistic Strategies to Womb-Wellness (Wednesday 22nd July 2020, 8.30-9.15pm)

You can register for this series here

Update: The State of Emergency that went into effect on Saturday 28th March 2020 has now been repealed and as of 31st March 2020 at 7 pm, St Kitts and Nevis is under a 24-hour curfew until Friday 3rd April at 6 am. You can read the new regulation here and view a news piece from ZIZ News about the curfew below.

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Today, Saturday 28th March 2020, the Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr the Honourable Timothy Harris announced a state of emergency to protect the public from COVID-19.  This means that effective from 7 pm today all residents are subject to a curfew from 7 pm to 5 am daily for the next 14 days, outside of these hours the public’s movements will be restricted and any movement during this period should involve social and physical distancing.

You can view the full COVID-19 Emergency Powers Regulations below for in-depth information about what is and isn’t allowed during the next 14 days.

If you have any questions, you can contact the COVID-19 hotline by dialling 311.

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SAINT CHRISTOPHER AND NEVIS

STATUTORY RULES AND ORDERS

Emergency Powers (COVID-19) Regulations

In exercise of the power conferred by section 5 of the Emergency Powers Act, Cap. 19.02, the Governor-General, makes the following Regulations:

1. Citation and duration.

(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Emergency Powers (COVID-19) Regulations, 2020.

(2) These Regulations shall come into operation once a state of emergency for the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 is declared by Proclamation, published in the Official Gazette.

2. Restriction on freedom of movement.

(1) A curfew is imposed every day from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. except as provided in these Regulations or as may be approved by the Commissioner of Police.

(2) Freedom of movement every day from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. shall be exercised in accordance with these Regulations.

(3) These Regulations shall not apply in the case of a medical emergency.

3. Work remotely from home.

(1) All businesses and offices may continue their business operations by allowing their employees to work remotely from home utilizing virtual means, unless they are permitted to work under regulation 5 or are designated as being essential workers under regulation 7.

(2) Where a business is unable to continue its business operations by its employees working remotely from home, the business shall cease its operations.

4. Public Service, Statutory Bodies, State-owned Enterprises and Courts.

(1) Subject to sub-regulation (2), all members of the public service shall work remotely from home, except as otherwise directed by the Secretary to the Cabinet.

(2) Where the Secretary to the Cabinet directs that specified public officers

attend work, the Government shall take reasonable steps to

(a) ensure safe transport of the public officers in accordance with regulation 13; and

(b) comply with the physical distancing protocols in accordance with regulation 6.

(3) Subject to sub-regulation (4), all employees of Statutory Bodies and State-owned Enterprises shall work remotely from home, except as otherwise directed by the Chairperson of the Board

(4) Where the Chairperson of the Board directs that specified employees attend work, the Statutory Bodies or State-owned Enterprises as the case may be shall take reasonable steps to

(a) ensure safe transport of the employees in accordance with regulation 13; and

(b) comply with the physical distancing protocols in accordance with regulation 6.

(5) Subject to any relevant the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Practice Direction, the Courts shall remain accessible, shall adhere to physical distancing protocols and the persons employed within the public service shall work remotely from home as far as reasonably practicable.

(6) In this regulation, “the Court” means the Magistrates Courts and the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.

5. Closure of businesses and exceptions.

(1) Every non-essential establishment or business shall remain closed except for the following businesses which may remain open for any period within the specified time

(a) wholesale or retail grocery stores; commercial bakeries; or fruit and vegetable vendors from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and for the first two shopping hours seniors, disabled persons and essential workers with identification shall be granted priority;

(b) doctor’s offices, hospitals and medical facilities;

(c) pharmacies and medical supply establishments;

(d) gas stations from 6:00 am. to 5:00 p.m.;

(e) hardware stores from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m;

(f) hotels, excluding any casinos, spas, gyms, discotheques and restaurants therein, however, such restaurants may offer takeaway or room service;

(g) banks, credit unions and money services business from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., on Mondays to Thursdays and 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Fridays;

(h) commercial ports and related businesses between 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., subject to any variation by the Ports Authority;

(i) airports subject to regulation 10(1)(a);

(j) commercial courier flights;

(k) businesses licensed to provide security guard services

(l) take away food vendors from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.;

(m) the National Caribbean Insurance Company or other health insurance companies;

(n) such other businesses or undertakings as may be specifically exempted in writing by the Commissioner of Police

provided that the owner or operator of an establishment specified in paragraphs (a) to (n) shall adhere to social distancing and physical distancing protocols pursuant to regulation 6.

(2) Subject to sub-regulation (3), all works of construction of any sort (apart from urgent plumbing, electrical, roof repairs or other emergency repairs for a home or business) shall cease.

(3) Where it is necessary for the purposes of health and safety and with the written approval of the Commissioner of Police, pre-existing works of construction may continue.

6. Social distancing and physical distancing protocols.

All business establishments shall make the necessary arrangements to facilitate social distancing and physical distancing and shall

(a) ensure that all customers and staff maintain physical distancing of at least six feet (6ft.) in or outside of their business if in a line to enter the business;

(b) determine the number of persons that may be permitted in the establishment at any one time by permitting one person for every thirty square feet of store space;

(c) place distance markers at least six feet apart, indicating where each customer must stand on a line at a check out point or other line;

(d) place distance markers at least six feet apart on the outside of the establishment, indicating where customers must stand while waiting to enter the establishment.

7. Shelter in place.

(1) Subject to sub-regulation (2) and in an effort to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus or COVID-19, every person shall remain confined to their place of residence, inclusive of their yard space, to avoid contact outside of their family, except

(a) essential workers, who are required to report to work;

(b) workers required to work under regulation 4 or 5;

(c) for essential travel to the doctor, grocery store, bank, credit union, money services business, pharmacy or to refuel vehicles;

(d) for outdoor exercise, whether alone or together with family members living under the same roof, between the hours of 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.,

provided that such person must ensure at all times to distance themself at least six feet (6 ft.) from any other person.

(2) For the purposes of this regulation, an “essential worker” includes essential officers of

(a) the Royal Saint Christopher and Nevis Police Force;

(b) the Saint Christopher and Nevis Defence Force;

(c) the Fire and Rescue Services Department;

(d) the prisons, correctional facilities, or other similar establishments;

(e) the Social Security

(f) the Department of Social Services;

(g) the Department of Environmental Health;

(h) the Department of Immigration;

(i) the Customs and Excise Department;

(j) waste disposal and sanitation companies;

(k) any hospital, health care or medical facility;

(l) Saint Kitts and Nevis Red Cross;

(m) Air and Sea Ports Authorities;

(p) Accountant General’s Department and Inland Revenue Department;

(o) any water, electricity or other sector encompassing the provision of electronic communications including print and electronic media.

(3) All essential workers shall at all times carry personal identification.

8. Education and religious instruction.

(1) All religious and educational places of instruction or worship shall remain closed.

(2) Subregulation (1) does not prohibit—

(a) any activity referred to therein by electronic or virtual means;

(b) individual attendance at a place of worship for private individual prayer while practicing social distancing and physical distancing

9. Restriction on social activities.

No person shall host or attend

(a) a private party which includes any person from outside of the immediate household;

(b) a recreational or competitive sporting event or other types of public entertainment;

(c) a wedding which hosts ten or more persons other than the bride, bridegroom, official witnesses and the marriage officer;

(d) a banquet, ball or reception;

(e) any other ceremony in any facility or public place which involves the participation of any member of the general public or a gathering of ten or more persons;

(f) a funeral, except 10 members of the immediate family and at least one officiant and essential mortuary;

(g) a meeting of a fraternal society, private or social club or civic association or organization that exceeds a total of 10 persons; or

(h) any other type of social event, for a nonessential purpose, where more than 10 persons are gathered together.

10. Restriction on international travel.

(1) For the purposes of preventing, controlling and suppressing the spread of the novel coronavirus or COVID-19, with immediate effect

(a) except with the prior written permission of the Air Ports Authorities, all airports including private airports and fixed-base operations shall be closed to incoming international flights;

(b) all sea ports shall be closed to regional and international seafaring and private boating; and

(c) a visitor shall not be permitted to enter and disembark for any reason, including transiting through Saint Christopher and Nevis.

(2) The restriction contained in paragraph (1) does not apply to

(a) outgoing flights or outgoing ships, as the case may be;

(b) cargo flights or cargo ships, as the case may be;

(c) commercial courier flights;

(d) emergency medical flights;

(e) emergency flights approved by the Air Ports Authorities;

(f) a flight carrying any diplomat.

(3) Notwithstanding sub-regulation (2), no crew member will be allowed or granted shore leave, unless for the purposes of operational difficulties and upon receiving permission from the Airports Authorities or the Ports Authorities.

11. Restriction on domestic travel.

No person shall offer for hire or seek to travel on any inter-island private commercial sea transport, provided that the Ports Authorities may vary any of the requirements by an Order.

12. Restriction on road traffic

(1) No person shall drive a vehicle on any public or private road for a purpose other than stated in regulation 5, 7, 9 (c) or 9 (g).

(2) The Saint Christopher and Nevis Police Force and the Saint Christopher and Nevis Defence Force shall have powers to stop any vehicle and inquire as to the purposes for which that vehicle is being utilised, and to arrest anyone found in violation of this restriction.

(3) For the purposes of this regulation, “vehicle” includes a motor vehicle or motorbike.

13. Public transportation

(1) No person shall offer for hire or seek to travel on

(a) any motor omnibus unless there is or would be no more than one passenger per row in the motor omnibus in a staggered formation;

(b) any hiring car or taxi, unless there is not more than one passenger in the vehicle;

(c) any passenger ferry unless there is or would be no more than persons per row.

(2) In this regulation, “motor omnibus”, “hiring car” and “taxi” have the meanings assigned under the Vehicles and Road Traffic Act, Chapter 15.06.

14. Restriction on visitation.

(1) No person shall visit or be permitted to visit

(a) any place of quarantine or isolation station;

(b) a patient in a hospital or residential care establishment or facility, including an elderly nursing home;

(c) a detainee in prison.

(2) Notwithstanding sub-regulation (1) (b) but subject the protocol of the hospital, a patient of a hospital may be allowed one visitor per day.

15. Penalty.

A person who contravenes or fails to comply with these Regulations shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars or a term of imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 month or to both and to forfeiture of any goods or money in respect of which the offence has been committed.