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HM Customs would like to advise the public that their office at the Jamestown Wharf will close for business between 8.30am and 12 noon on Monday, 16 May 2022. This closure is to allow Customs staff to undertake training. Normal opening hours will resume from 12.30pm on Monday, 16 May 2022.
During this closure the Customs switchboard will be operational and any queries can be left with the admin assistant. The relevant officer will reply to your query on return to work.
Any inconvenience caused is regretted and HM Customs thanks the public for their support and cooperation.
SHG
11 May 2022
His Excellency Governor Rushbrook departed St Helena on Saturday, 7 May 2022, and will return on Saturday, 21 May 2022. Mr Greg Gibson has been sworn in as Acting Governor for this period.
Governor Rushbrook will be attending meetings in London with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and other government departments.
#StHelena #GovernorDeparts #ActingGovernorSwornIn
SHG
10 May 2022
The recent reduction of quarantine periods on St Helena are affected by a person’s vaccinations status. Please see below the current document providing vaccination requirements for St Helena:
Requirements for vaccination against coronavirus as determined by the Director of Health in accordance with the Public Health (Prevention of Formidable Diseases), (Coronavirus No. 2) Regulations 2020.
Unvaccinated person – means a person who is not a vaccinated person.
Vaccinated person – means a person who is fully compliant with the requirements for vaccination against coronavirus as determined by the Director of Health.
Vaccinated persons – entering St Helena will be required to quarantine for a period of seven days.
Unvaccinated persons – entering St Helena will be required to quarantine for a period of ten days.
Quarantining in groups – persons who quarantine together in the same location as a group, will be required to quarantine for ten days if the group consists of vaccinated and unvaccinated persons.
Children under the age of five years- Children under five years are not required to be vaccinated and are therefore not deemed unvaccinated persons. Therefore vaccinated persons who quarantine with unvaccinated children under the age of 5 years will be directed to quarantine for 7 days.
What are the requirements for vaccination against Coronavirus as determined by the Director of Health?
Persons are determined to be vaccinated persons if they have been vaccinated with the recommended dosage of an accepted COVID 19 Vaccine (Table 1 below) for at least 14 days, and they can provide Acceptable Proof of Vaccination ( Table 2 below)
| Table 1: Accepted COVID-19 Vaccines | |||
| Vaccines Approved or Authorised by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration | Vaccines Listed for Emergency Use (EUL) by the World Health Organization | Certain Clinical Trial Vaccines which Have Confirmed Efficacy | |
| Single dose | Janssen/J&J | Janssen/J&J | |
| 2-dose series | Pfizer-BioNTech Moderna | Pfizer-BioNTech Moderna AstraZeneca Covaxin Covishield BIBP/Sinopharm Sinovac Novavax/Covovax | Medicago |
| Table 2: Acceptable Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination | |
| Documentation Type | Examples |
| Verifiable records (digital or paper) | Vaccination certificate with QR code1, digital pass via Smartphone application with QR code1 (e.g., United Kingdom National Health Service COVID Pass, European Union Digital COVID Certificate) |
| Non-verifiable paper records | Printout of COVID-19 vaccination record or a COVID-19 vaccination certificate issued at national or subnational level or by an authorised vaccine provider (e.g., the CDC vaccination card) |
| Non-verifiable digital records | Digital photos of vaccination card or record, downloaded vaccine record or vaccination certificate from official source (e.g., public health agency, government agency, or other authorised vaccine provider), or a mobile phone application without QR code1 |
The QR code in a verifiable vaccination record links to information confirming the credential was generated from an immunization record in an official database and is protected from tampering.
All forms of proof of COVID-19 vaccination must have:
- Personal identifiers (full name plus at least one other identifier such as date of birth or passport number) that match the personal identifiers on the passenger’s passport or other travel documents
- Name of official source issuing the record (e.g., public health agency, government agency, or other authorised vaccine provider)
- Vaccine manufacturer and date(s) of vaccination.
How are the 14 days from vaccination calculated:
- Your last dose must have been given a full 14 days before the day you board your flight to St Helena
- You are considered fully vaccinated on the 14th day after the vaccination series was completed. (Completion means both doses of a two dose vaccine or one dose of a single-dose vaccine as per Table 1: Accepted COVID-19 Vaccines). For example, if your last dose of a 2 dose vaccine was any time on 1 October, then 15 October, would be the first day that you meet the 14-day requirement.
Do children need to be vaccinated?
- Children aged 5-17 years need to be double vaccinated to be considered vaccinated persons
- Children aged 5-17 who are partially vaccinated (one dose) are NOT considered vaccinated persons
- Children under the age of five years old are not required to be vaccinated and are therefore not deemed unvaccinated persons.
SHG
9 May 2022
An open session meeting of Governor in Council will take place on Tuesday, 10 May 2022, in the Council Chamber starting at 9.30am to discuss the proposed construction of a Workshop, Office, Carpentry Shop and Storeroom in Upper Rupert’s Valley.
Documentation for this meeting is available on the St Helena Government website: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/government/legislative-council/executive-council/.
Members of the public who would like to view hard copies of the documents should contact Secretary to Executive Council, Natasha Bargo, at the Castle on tel: 22470 or via email: natasha.bargo@sainthelena.gov.sh.
Governor in Council comprises Acting Governor, Greg Gibson, Chief Minister Julie Thomas and Ministers Christine Scipio, Martin Henry, Mark Brooks and Jeffrey Ellick. The Attorney General is a non-voting member of Governor in Council.
https://www.facebook.com/StHelenaGovt/
SHG
6 May 2022
Year 2 Funding Secured
Project partners are delighted to announce that funding has been secured to continue the St Helena Cloud Forest Project. This exciting partnership project aims to upscale cloud forest restoration activities for biodiversity, water security and socio-economic benefits on the Island.
The Cloud Forest is situated within the Peaks National Park and holds at least 250 unique species that are found entirely or almost entirely within the Cloud Forest fragments. Habitat loss and pressure from invasive species means this important site, teeming with biodiversity, is under significant threat. The Cloud Forest is also the principal source of our Islands water supply; the majority coming from mist and rainfall recharge within the Peaks. This Project will support our Island to become more drought resistant, mitigating against climate change effects that threaten St Helena’s precious water supply.
The Project is being managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) with local partners including St Helena Government (EMD – Environmental Management Division, Sustainable Development, Education, and St Helena Research Institute), Saint Helena National Trust, Connect Saint Helena Ltd, Met Office and international partners including Arctium, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and the University of British Columbia.
In Year 1 of the Project, £900,000 was provided by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). From April 2022 the UK Government has committed £1m for the second year of this long-term restoration project aiming to increase cloud forest habitat by 25% over five years and boost the water supply by a fifth. A further £1.8m for years 3 and 4 has been provisionally agreed.
Peaks National Park logo
The Project partners are also excited to launch a new Peaks National Park logo. In December last year, a competition was held to design a logo that represents the Peaks National Park and supports the efforts and actions of the Peaks Management Plan 2021-2026. With over 20 entries in the competition, Kurt Bowers designed the winning logo, which is already in use on promotional material and will be used to holistically represent the Project and all the partners’ involvement.
Jo Gilbert, Conservation Programmes Director for the RSPB, who provide overall project management, commented:
“Restoration of the St Helena Cloud Forest is important for global biodiversity and is a fantastic example of nature and people living in harmony through the improvements to the water supply that this will bring. The winning submission for the new logo shows clearly the importance of the National Park for its endemic species and also its beauty.”
Successes in Year 1 of the Project
There have been some exciting successes in Year 1 of the Project, from the setting up of a world-class micro propagation laboratory at the EMD Nursery at Scotland (St Helena) to the clearance of invasive species for the reintroduction of native habitat. Early success from the Project came with the renowned spiky yellow woodlouse being identified in newly restored areas of Cloud Forest habitat. Through their surveys, the Saint Helena National Trust has found that in a restored four-year-old corridor, cleared of invasive vegetation and replanted with native species by the EMD Habitats Team, this iconic species, along with other invertebrate indicator species, have moved in. The migration of these native invertebrate species shows the success of habitat restoration techniques, giving an indication of habitat health and the distribution of the species.
Funding confirmation for Year 2 of the Project will ensure this vital work restoring Cloud Forest habitat continues and is increased in scale considerably over the next few years.
Notes to editors:
The St Helena Cloud Forest Project is a highly collaborative multi-year project working to implement the Peaks Management Plan for St Helena’s ‘Peaks National Park’.
The UK Government provided £900k funding for 2021-2022 (Year 1), with matched funding through project partners and various Darwin Plus projects, taking the total Year 1 funding up to £1.3 million. Funding for Year 2 of £1m has been confirmed from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) with funding of a further £1.8m for years 3 and 4 provisionally agreed.
The Project is managed by the RSPB working with core local partners including St Helena Government (EMD – Environmental Management Division, Sustainable Development, Education, St Helena Research Institute), Saint Helena National Trust, Connect Saint Helena Ltd, Met Office, and international partners including Arctium, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and the University of British Columbia.
For more information, please email: Kirsten.Pritchard@RSPB.org.uk or Colby.Thomas@RSPB.org.uk or visit: https://www.sthelenatourism.com/st-helenas-cloud-forest-project/ or https://www.facebook.com/St-Helena-Peaks-National-Park-101494412559000
St Helena Cloud Forest Project
6 May 2022
Mental Health Awareness Week takes place between Monday, 9, and Sunday, 15May 2022. The theme for this year is ‘loneliness’ and the colour green is used to symbolise mental health and wellbeing.
During the week, green ribbons will be available in shops and various venues around the Island for persons to wear and raise awareness of mental health. It has also been planned for High Knoll Fort to be lit in green for the duration Mental Health Awareness Week. Members of the public who would also like to light up their buildings in green are encouraged to do so.
In the spirit of bringing people together, the Mental Health Team would also like to encourage organisations, businesses and the general public to assign a day during the week when individuals and teams can wear green in support of good mental health on the Island.
If anyone would liketo share a story or their experience of loneliness with the public as a form of encouragement and awareness, please submit your story to The Mental Health Team on tel: 22593 or via emails: ian.rummery@sainthelena.gov.sh, samantha.williams@sainthelena.gov.sh, gerald.abrahams@sainthelena.gov.sh, or gordon.dow@sainthelena.gov.sh.
SHG
6 May 2022
The new Meteorologist for St Helena Airport will arrive on St Helena tomorrow, Saturday 7 May 2022. The current Meteorologist will depart the same day. The Meteorologist will be legally required to quarantine for 7 days and it is therefore anticipated that the new Meteorologist will complete their quarantine period prior to the arrival of the next Airlink flight from South Africa.
Executive Council has given approval for the new Meteorologist to be exempt from the requirement to quarantine for such period or periods of time as required to perform meteorological services to support airport operations. This will only occur should the need arise.
The exemption is subject to the condition that, save when performing such work, the Meteorologist must remain at the location at which they were directed to quarantine by the Proper Officer and must at all times comply with all other requirements as directed by the Proper Officer or the Acting Director of Health.
The Meteorologist will be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival to St Helena and will perform daily Lateral Flow Tests; this will continue until the end of the quarantine period.
Relevant personnel have carried out risk assessments and all personnel involved have been briefed on the COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures that will be implemented should the meteorologist be required to exit quarantine for work purposes.
#StHelena #Meteorologist #QuarantineExemption
SHG
6 May 2022
The public is advised that with effect from Monday, 9May 2022, and until further notice, the Visitor Information Services at the Tourist Office will be available Monday to Friday, 8.30am – 12.30pm.
Should you have any enquiries during this time, please call: 22158. If you have an enquiry outside of this time, please call the Castle on tel: 22470 (between 8.30am and 4pm, Mondays to Fridays), and ask for the Sustainable Development Office, where a team member will answer your enquiry. For general tourism enquiries via email, please continue to use: visit@sainthelena.gov.sh. The Head of Tourism can be reached via email: matthew.joshua@sainthelena.gov.sh.
Updated travel information as well as where to stay, what to do, and other tourism services on the Island is available on the St Helena Tourism website via: www.sthelenatourism.com.
SHG
6 May 2022
A technical review of the Side Path Road (R2) Project in February this year recommended a change from constructing a bituminous road pavement to a concrete road pavement. The primary reasons for this change were a combination of technical matters, project completion date uncertainties, cost concerns, and health and safety issues, as explained during the Economic Development Investment Programme (EDIP) public information meetings held around the Island last week.
This change has been approved, and a variation to the existing construction contract has been negotiated and will be signed shortly. As a result, the concrete road pavement will be constructed within the original Project budget, and with a lower whole life cost to St Helena than the previously proposed bituminous pavement. This means that constructing a concrete pavement will cost St Helena no more money than currently budgeted, and will provide better value for money over the next 40 years. Completion of construction and opening of Side Path Road is now expected in October 2022.
Pending signing of the variation to Side Path Contract 4 (Road Surfacing), work on Side Path Contract 3 (Storm Water Management and Road Base) is now re-starting.
#StHelena #SidePathRoad #EDIP
SHG
5 May 2022
Councillor Karl Thrower will depart the Island on Saturday, 7 May 2022, to attend the Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24) Pacific Regional Seminar in Saint Lucia from the 11 – 13 May 2022.
During his absence, Councillor Andrew Turner will represent the Levelwood district. Councillor Turner can be contacted on tel: 23235 or via email: councillor.aturner@gmail.com.
Councillor Thrower will also remain contactable via email: Karl.thrower@shgcouncil.com.
Legislative Council
5 May 2022