by Devonne Cornelius
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): St. Kitts and Nevis has had a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in the last 72 hours, reporting 19 new cases in Nevis, which for the first time surpasses St. Kitts, forcing a shutdown of one local company.
Health officials confirm a total of 34 new cases Wednesday (St. Kitts 15, Nevis 19)
The results were made available after 11p.m. Wednesday, August 18 via the COVID-19 Situation Report No. 509.
Nevis’ Premier Mark Brantley while speaking on his talk show Wednesday at about 9p.m. said Dr. Judy Nisbett, Chair of the COVID-19 Task Force on Nevis advised him to brace himself “because they had been forced to test every single member of a company here [on Nevis] because the individuals that had been tested [before] and tested positive were all employees of a particular company,” Brantley said, adding that “the authorities have now shut down the entire company”.
Unconfirmed reports claim that the company is Lefco Equipment Rental and Construction Company Limited.
Premier Brantley said in a Facebook post that his cabinet will meet this morning (Aug.19) and determine the way forward.
COVID-19 cases in the federation now stand at 742 with 698 on St. Kitts and 44 for Nevis. As of August 18, a total of 590 people have recovered and three have died. Active cases stand at 149.
