How Covid-19 is affecting St. Lucia and the Caribbean

Our team here at Oasis has been closely monitoring the spread of the Covid-19 virus in St. Lucia. The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority, we have been following the safety guidelines from our local government to ensure your safety.

Firstly, we would like to express our sincerest sympathy for those affected by this virus and our heart goes out to those in the areas most affected.

We are offering unprecedented flexibility with our trip protection promise for all new bookings through our website. This promise is available for all new bookings until June 1st, 2020 and will guarantee a 100% credit for travel within a 2-year time frame. For any cancellation within 35 days prior to departure.

There has been a total of 18 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in St. Lucia. As of May 13th, 2020, all of the positive cases in St. Lucia have been declared resolved. This now places St. Lucia at a 100% recovery of all Covid-19 cases on the island. Laboratory testing for Covid-19 is still being conducted locally with the support of the Caribbean Public Health Agency Laboratory.

Here’s how the novel Coronavirus has affected St. Lucia and the Caribbean

Find more statistics at Statista

A timeline of Covid-19 in St. Lucia

The first confirmed case of Covid-19 in St. Lucia was a 63-year-old British female with travel history from the United Kingdom. The woman, alongside her husband, entered St. Lucia via British Airways Airline on March 7th, 2020. On the 27th of March 2020, St Lucia commenced testing in country, and as of March 20th, they commenced facility quarantine for those affected.

On March 20th, 2020, prime minister Allen Chastanet, announced St. Lucia was to implement social distancing and suspended all non-essential commercial activity from March 23rd to April 5th. On March 23rd the government of St. Lucia declared a state of emergency and the closure of airports for incoming passenger flights until the 5th of April. It was also announced that the local favorite jazz festival, hosted every year by Events St. Lucia Incorporated, has been cancelled. The Annual Jazz Festival is visited by Travelers from around the world every year.

On May 13th, 2020 it was announced that all 18 confirmed cases on Covid-19 in St. Lucia have been declared resolved, and the two remaining cases who were in isolation, received negative test results and have been discharged from the hospital.

The state of emergency in Saint Lucia has been extended until May 31st, 2020. During this time only essential businesses with remain open. It is advised to continue to practice social distancing and frequent personal hygiene.

What’s next for St. Lucia

Covid–19 has undoubtedly impacted us all causing stress and panic worldwide, however, it also allowed us to see the very best of humanity, and let me tell you, it is a beautiful sight to be seen.

Local Lucian artists have come together, in collaboration with the CDF and the BHE, to create an inspirational anthem, using their Collective voices, to call for vigilance and personal responsibility in the fight against Covid-19. Local artists include Ronald “Boo” Hixson, Teddyson John, Meshach Nestor, Taj Weekes, Jennifer St. Louis, Christa Bailey, Werner “Semi” Francis, and Michael Robinson. The musical jingle was released on the 25th of March 2020, a Creola version is expected to be released in the coming days. The song is titled “Together We Can Win This War” and it is a great reminder of how connected we all are and that together, we will prevail.

The Caribbean is more dependent on tourism than any other region, however, in recent years the economy has demonstrated its ability to recover from such hardships including hurricanes and social media reputational damage brought on by crime against tourists. St. Lucia was saddened to announce the closure of three hotels on the island due to the economic impact brought on by Covid-19. While it is still too early to grasp the impact of Covid-19, we can stay strong and resilient knowing together, we will get through this.

Important to Remember

Continue to listen to your local government, the WHO, and your health officials to decrease the spread of Covid-19 and help flatten the curve. St. Lucia is continuing with the partial shutdown of the economy and we are on a 10-hour curfew from 7 p.m. until 5 a.m, for the safety of our residence. It is important to remember that these measures must remain in place to achieve low Covid-19 levels within the country. Some of the measures still in place in Saint Lucia include school closures, travel restrictions, closure of non-essential businesses, partial country wide shut down and maintaining a national curfew.

We are hopeful first some normalcy to return in the coming months, all of us here at Oasis are wishing you and your families Safety, health, and happiness.

From our family to yours, take care and see you soon!

Until our next adventure! Lisa – Oasis Team

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