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Executive Council will meet on Tuesday, 7 April 2020, at 9.30am, in the Council Chamber, to discuss the following Open Agenda items:

These papers (ExCo Memos) are available here.

Members of the public who would like to view hard copies of the ExCo Memos should contact Clerk of Councils, Connie Johnson, at the Castle on tel: 22470 or via email: connie.johnson@sainthelena.gov.sh.

Elected Members serving on Executive Council are Councillors Anthony Green, Lawson Henry, Derek Thomas, Russell Yon and Clint Beard.

Non-voting members of ExCo are Chief Secretary, Susan O’Bey, Financial Secretary, Dax Richards, and Attorney General, Allen Cansick.

#StHelena #ExCoMeeting

SHG

3 April 2020

The Social & Community Development Committee (SCDC) agreed an increase of 30p to the Minimum Income Standard (MIS) in line with current policy. This would increase Income Related Benefits to £71.80 per week for a single adult and the full Basic Island Pension to £74.30 per week. The Committee also approved the draft Social Security (Amendment) Regulations to be referred to Executive Council.

Members agreed that as the MIS Basket has remain unchanged since 2013 this would be discussed at a future meeting.

Updated Terms of Reference for a subcommittee to review the Elections Ordinance were agreed. Certain proposed appointments will need the consent of the Governor following which appointments will be made and announced.

Approval was given to a draft Framework Document which would form an agreement between St Helena Government and the St Helena Equality & Human Rights Commission. The document drawn up between the two parties outlining their working relationship and respective responsibilities, would now be presented to Executive Council for approval.

A submission by the Equality & Human Rights Commission regarding equality and disability legislation was discussed and will be taken forward.

#StHelena #SCDC

SHG

3 April 2020

Following last week’s announcement regarding an individual in self-isolation reporting a cough and a headache and testing negative for the flu we have received several concerns around the contact tracing process and the requirements of self-isolation. In this week’s update we would like to introduce some definitions, clarify these procedures, and address the concerns raised.

Definitions

Contact Tracing

A person who arrived from a country that is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO), since February 2020, as a country with local transmission of COVID-19 and who was in self-isolation since their arrival, displayed symptoms that can be related to mild COVID-19.

Due to our current inability to test for COVID-19 on St Helena, the Health Directorate is taking all necessary precautions to protect the public. After a risk assessment, the partner of this individual was advised to self-isolate. Individuals who were self-isolated at the same facility, have had their self-isolation period extended to 14 days after the individual reported a cough and headache.

When the partner of the individual also reported a cough and headache, a contact tracing was carried out. Additional public health measures were taken to widen the contact tracing, again due to the inability to carry out tests and the vulnerability of our Island population.

People in close contact with someone who has displayed symptoms of COVID-19 are at a higher risk of becoming infected themselves, and of potentially further infecting others. Closely monitoring these contacts after coming into contact with a person displaying symptoms will help contacts get care and treatment and to avoid any further transmission. The symptoms of COVID-19 are:

Following World Health Organization Guidelines on Contact Tracing the Health Directorate was able to contact all persons who had been exposed to these two individuals and therefore needed to be self-isolated.

A number of people have asked us why they haven’t been self-isolated through this contact tracing process.

The World Health Organization defines contacts as those who have experienced the following exposures during the two days before and the 14 days after the onset of symptoms of a probable case:

The public is reassured that all persons falling into these above categories were contacted and are now in self-isolation. These people are being monitored by daily phone calls from the Health Directorate to respond to any symptoms they might display.

Self-Isolation

Self-isolation or staying at home is an effective precautionary measure to protect those around you – your family, friends, and colleagues. It means taking simple steps to avoid close contact with other people as much as possible, like you would with the seasonal flu virus.

Those in self-isolation on St Helena have been provided with letters with the following advice:

If any member of the household develops symptoms of COVID-19 they are required to separate in a room and advised to call the Senior Medical Officer immediately on tel: 22500. If any individual required to self-isolate displays difficulty breathing or shortness of breath becomes worse the household is required to contact the Hospital stating a suspected case of COVID-19 and ask to speak to a doctor or a nurse. Please note, do not attend the Hospital, follow the advice of the medical practitioner.

Several individuals underwent risk assessments as they have been in contact with individuals who are in self-isolation but are considered not in close contact and were deemed from a Public Health perspective as not necessary to self-isolate. These individuals have been given advice on best practices including to avoid close contact with elderly, pregnant women, children and immunocompromised people over the next 14 days.

If you are concerned about contact tracing and being in contact with an individual who is in self-isolation please contact Kate Heneghan at the Health Directorate on telephone number 22500 or by email: kate.heneghan@sainthelena.gov.sh.

Quarantine

All new arrivals to St Helena will be subject to compulsory quarantine for 14 days. This will be at a location approved by a proper officer and will take effect from the next flight to St Helena.


All yachts arriving at St Helena are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine period from the date of arrival in James Bay. Within the 14-day quarantine period no landing of crew on St Helena will be permitted, unless there is an on-board emergency.


A calling vessel has requested for two crew members to come ashore due to health reasons (not COVID-19 related). In line with our policy decision and humanitarian obligations and following advice from the medical team, two people have been brought ashore and are now in self-isolation on St Helena for 14 days.


Policing isolation and quarantine


We are taking seriously the penalties related to self-isolation, quarantine and compliance. Penalties are being reviewed and increased and will be applied to people who violate the requirements.

Useful Contact Numbers


If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early by calling the St Helena flu hotline on 25707.

StHelena #Coronavirus #COVID-19 #AltogetherHealthier

https://twitter.com/StHelenaGovt
https://www.facebook.com/StHelenaGovt/

SHG
2 April 2020

The monthly meeting of the Economic Development Committee (EDC) took place on Thursday, 26 March 2020, and the following is a summary of the main items discussed:

Enterprise Saint Helena presented a draft proposal for an Agricultural Intervention Programme to enable increased food production, which had been developed in partnership with the Agriculture & Natural Resources Division. Particular mention was made to the support provided by the Chamber of Commerce for facilitating two successful engagement meetings with the farming community during the process of developing this draft Programme. Members were of the view that further work was required to ensure that this initiative placed appropriate emphasis on those areas of the programme that were deemed of highest priority by the farming community, namely Water Security and Youth Support.

A presentation was made by the Chief Economist on the licensing of Permanent Earth Station and Receive Only Earth Stations Policy Statement. The Policy covers licensing of antennas which use space to earth and/or earth to space transmissions. The EDC was provided results from the consultation which occurred between November and January, and the updated Policy Statement. It was agreed for the Policy to go to Executive Council for agreement in April. The policy statement and

consultation responses can be found on the St Helena Government website at: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/registry/

#StHelena #EconomicDevelopmentCommittee

https://www.facebook.com/StHelenaGovt/

SHG

2 April 2020

Additional homework for extended Schools closure

As announced on 28 March 2020, all schools will remain closed for a further week until after the Easter weekend.  To support children in continuing their education during this time we have created additional homework packs for those children who have completed all homework previously issued.  These packs will be available from today, Thursday 2 April 2020, as follows:

Any parent who would like to request further homework from the School, can do so by calling 24290 and leaving a message with their name and contact number.  You will be contacted to make arrangements for collection. Alternatively, you can email the school via: enquiries@pas.edu.sh

Mrs Herne would like to remind her Yr 11 Child Development students to continue working at home, where possible, with their coursework.  Should you need to contact Mrs Herne about any aspect of your coursework, please call her on Tel: 24935.

We would be grateful if parents would kindly refrain from phoning any other staff member at their home.

Parents can email kurt.thomas@sainthelena.gov.sh or call the Education Learning Centre on Tel: 22607.  Please advise the Year Group that your child is in and make arrangements with Kurt for collection.

In addition to this children can also access educational activities online and through educational apps. Some suggestions are as follows:

Interactive educational game courtesy of the Marine Team from the Saint Helena National Trust in Apple and Google stores: https://apps.apple.com/app/id1500905722#?platform=iphone

Online Websites:

Apps:

St Helena Community College (SHCC)

The SHCC will be open for self-study and online studies from 8.30am – 4pm Mondays to Fridays but will continue to be closed for training and face-to-face taught courses. Students are asked to book a session prior to arrival to ensure social distancing can be practiced.   

Revised opening times for the Public Library

Due to staff shortages, from today, Thursday 2 April 2020, opening times for the Public Library will be from Monday through to Friday from 9.30am – 1pm.  The Public Library will not open on a Saturday.

The Education and Employment Directorate would like to thank all in advance for their support during this time and encourage all staff, parents, students and pupils to continue to practice Social Distancing.

#StHelena #Education #AltogetherSafer

https://www.facebook.com/StHelenaGovt/

SHG

2 April 2020

The monthly meetings of the Environment & Natural Resources Committee (ENRC) and the Highways Authority (HA) took place on Thursday, 19 March 2020.

The locations of the five road safety mirrors recently acquired by the Roads Section were discussed. Members felt that the areas identified by the Roads Section were practical and other areas will be considered when funding becomes available to procure additional mirrors.

The Roads Manager stated he would like to restore the signs on Ladder Hill Road which indicate passing bays. These signs were greatly appreciated by motorists as they enabled them to identify passing bays easily. The Roads Manager was given approval to undertake this work.

A review of the current Roads Policy has been undertaken with additional information such as access to public roads from private premises and other informative changes which will assist with planning decisions and allow individuals to access information for guidance when a contractor or home owner wishes to construct an access road. Also included in the Policy was access for emergency vehicles during planned or emergency road closures. The criteria for funding through the Community and District Roads Programme was amended to make it mandatory for individuals with mobility issues, irrespective of age, to be certified by a Medical Officer.

The Chief Environmental Officer presented supporting documents for the Plant Propagation Policy, which will assist with the collection, propagation and distribution of endemic/native plants. A request was approved to waiver the first application and licence fee for the Saint Helena National Trust for their patience and as a goodwill gesture in recognition of the significant delays in getting this process in place.

A further request was approved for the Diana’s Peak Grass – carex dianae – to be included in Annex 3 of the Policy pending DNA results to determine if we have three different distinct species or sub-species on-Island.

A member of the technical team gave an update regarding progress being made at the Comprehensive Development Area at Bottom Woods. Excavation works have been undertaken on Phase 1 of the Project and the team is now marking the alignment of the access road and demarcating the plots to be made available for Government Landlord Housing and also plots that will be made available to the public.

SHG

1 April 2020

We have all seen and heard of the global challenge of dealing with Coronavirus. Countries and places much bigger and better equipped than ours have been struggling to respond. Concerning as that will be for those of us who have loved ones overseas, St Helena is thankfully not in the same situation. It is my hope we can keep it this way.

As you may have heard, our situation now is that we have two people in self-isolation who have a cough and headache. They are being monitored by our healthcare professionals. Unfortunately we have a larger than normal number of older and less healthy people on this Island compared to other territories. So, to be extra cautious, contact tracing has been carried out and some people have been asked to self-isolate as an additional precaution.  

I know there has been concern about compliance with the terms of self-isolation. Those who have been asked to self-isolate are given strict instructions, which they are expected to comply with. Let me reassure you that the police have the authority to investigate reports of non-compliance. In talking to my fellow Governors, the penalties available on St Helena for breaching a self-isolation are possibly the most stringent of all the overseas territories.

The Governor’s Office and many in SHG have been working constantly with the UK Government to keep the Island’s basic public services operating and, importantly, to obtain essential medical supplies. Test kits for the Coronavirus are our top priority. A quarter of a tonne of protective equipment is currently on an RAF flight to Ascension this week and will be delivered here on the return voyage of the MV Helena. More medical supplies are being assembled in the UK to be air freighted as soon as possible in April. We are also working to finalise a way to get visitors back to the UK and beyond, through a charter flight via Ascension. This will take a little more time to arrange, but if all goes well, we should expect it in around two weeks’ time. The flight will also bring in supplies and have seats available for visitors to get to the UK. Availability of seats will be prioritised by the Governor’s Office. Visitors should contact Jane Roberts (jane.roberts@tourism.co.sh/+290 22158) to register your details if you wish to leave the Island.

Given reports of inaccurate test kits being used in some countries, it is important that we receive good quality test kits and the laboratory equipment needed to determine the results. Unfortunately the PCR machine we have on St Helena requires specific types of supplies to permit its use and these are simply not available. Other overseas territories are having the same problems sourcing these specialist supplies for their types of PCR machine. The UK Government has now identified test kits and an alternative PCR machine, but it is taking time for them to be delivered. I have asked London to prioritise these items for the forthcoming charter flight.

I was pleased to hear late on Tuesday the South African authorities will allow emergency medevacs. We are making sure that E24 and MSO logistics are aware and allowed to fly these essential operations. We are also working with South Africa and the British High Commission in Pretoria to establish whether cargo handling facilities (ports and airport) are still operational and whether, in the future, humanitarian flights can come from South Africa.

All of this has been possible because of a large number of people and organisations working together to support us, including Councillors, SHG, Governor’s Office, the FCO in London, DFID, businesses and St Helenians. We really cannot successfully prepare and overcome the risk of this virus without a unified effort.

Some may not agree on all of the measures being taken, some will want more and others less, but those that are now in place have the serious purpose to help you protect yourself and your loved ones. They are based on medical and scientific advice from Public Health England (PHE) and the World Health Organization (WHO). I am aware some people want to go further immediately. We have all seen that extreme measures in some countries, including the UK, have started. ‘Lockdown’ has become the most prominent word of the year in the media. On St Helena, lockdown is not where we need to be at this current time. The virus has not become established on the Island. However, the Incident Executive Group (IEG), made up of councillors, SHG officials and myself, is the controlling body overseeing the Coronavirus response. Rest assured, the IEG will not hesitate to escalate measures if or when it is appropriate to do so, based on the medical and physical evidence in front of us.

At times like these, it is crucial that we pull together as an island, using our good nature, compassion and resourcefulness for the greater good. It is a time to be wary of wild speculation and to challenge attitudes that undermine what we all trying to achieve together. We are all learning together, dealing with new challenges as they arise, so I am asking for your understanding as we all try to deal with the situation as best as we can and with the limited resources we have at our disposal.

We will not get everything right. No country can in such a fast-moving environment. I know everyone is doing their best and will continue to do so. But councillors, SHG and my team cannot do it without you. We all have a role to play, whether it is volunteering to assist, helping the vulnerable with their errands, going to work to help the public, or doing our bit through social distancing. We are also reliant on everyone complying with self-isolation, whether in self-isolation yourself or if you are a friend or family of someone in self-isolation.  Thank you and together we shall prevail.

Governor Dr Philip Rushbrook

1 April 2020

St Helena Government has announced enhanced Social Distancing Measures for the Island which came into effect from 12 noon today, Tuesday 31 March 2020.

We understand that a number of people within the community have been confused by the advice given and have asked for further clarification, which we have provided below:

All vulnerable people i.e. the elderly, pregnant women, children and people with underlying health concerns are advised to stay at home for the next 14 days and work from home if applicable or possible.

People falling into this category would be those over the age of 70 years along with people currently receiving chemotherapy or who have heart disease, uncontrolled diabetes especially with additional chronic conditions, uncontrolled asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

We are advising these people to stay at home but they are still able to go to the shop, collect their Benefits or take some exercise for example. Children can accompany their families to the shop as well as during any outdoor excursion.

Everyone staying at home should adhere to enhanced surfaces cleaning and practice good hand hygiene for both adults and children.

All Island Schools are now closed until after the Easter weekend. We are also advising Crèches to close but it will be at the discretion of the owner whether they would wish to close or remain open. Parents can decide whether to take their children to the Crèches that choose to remain open.

We are discouraging people from congregating in large groups. We haven’t put a specific number on this, as it will depend on venue and how closely confined people are. We would advise people to ensure that appropriate social distancing measures can be practiced.

Bars and restaurants can remain open at the owner’s discretion if they are confident that social distancing measures are possible. 

No one is allowed to visit any care facility without prior permission. If you are intending to visit a care facility such as the CCC or Cape Villa for example, please ensure you check with the facility beforehand to be advised as to whether you can attend or not. If you are permitted to visit, minimise physical contact with the elderly and wash your hands before you enter their room.

Support

A number of members of the public have also raised concerns around what support would be available to them if they work in the private sector but need to stay at home, either due to being a vulnerable person or to look after their children due to their Crèche being closed. 

Following the announcement of these measures SHG will be expanding the business support package available to local businesses. 

Support is now available to any company with an employee who is advised to stay at home due to vulnerability and are eligible for a one-time payment of £325 per full-time employee, provided the period is not counted against the employee’s sick leave and the employee is compensated at their usual rate for the period they stay at home. Vulnerable people are defined as stated above.  Sole proprietors who meet these conditions will also be eligible for a one-time payment of £325 if they can demonstrate that they are unable to work as a result of being advised to stay at home. Businesses or employers with employees who voluntarily stay at home and are not considered part of a vulnerable population will not be eligible for the support payment.

In addition to this SHG is introducing Business Closure Support as part of the business support package.  Any business that SHG advises to close will be eligible for a one-time payment per owner or full-time employee of £162.50 per week for the duration of the advised closure.  Businesses or employers that voluntarily close without an order or advice from SHG will not be eligible for this payment.

We are grateful to the public for the social distancing measures they have taken to date and would like to thank the entire community for their support including organisations and businesses who continue to take the necessary precautions.

A separate announcement will issue around clinic arrangements at the Hospital, country clinics and the Chemotherapy Service.

SHG

31 March 2020

The Blue Lantern Hotel and Restaurant in Jamestown has been supporting St Helena Government (SHG) and the wider community in providing accommodation to passengers arriving to the Island on Saturday, 21 March, who needed to self-isolate but couldn’t do so in their own homes.

While at the Blue Lantern these persons were self-isolating in their en-suite rooms upstairs and were not allowed into other areas of the Blue Lantern or to come into contact with anyone else.

The Health Directorate has worked closely with Hotel management and staff and all necessary precautions and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has been supplied and has and is continuing to be used when dealing with these guests along with practicing social distancing and good hand hygiene measures.

The public is reassured that the Health Directorate has not imposed any restrictions on the staff and management of the Blue Lantern nor has the restaurant been advised to close.

SHG would like to take this opportunity to thank the proprietor of the Blue Lantern and his staff for their support at this time.

SHG

31 March 2020

Executive Council will meet today, Tuesday 31 March 2020, at 11am, in the Council Chamber, to discuss the following Open Agenda items:

These papers (ExCo Memos) are available online here.

Members of the public who would like to view hard copies of the ExCo Memos should contact Clerk of Councils, Connie Johnson, at the Castle on tel: 22470 or via email: connie.johnson@sainthelena.gov.sh.

Elected Members serving on Executive Council are Councillors Anthony Green, Lawson Henry, Derek Thomas, Russell Yon and Clint Beard.

Non-voting members of ExCo are Chief Secretary, Susan O’Bey, Financial Secretary, Dax Richards, and Attorney General, Allen Cansick.

#StHelena #ExCoMeeting

SHG

31 March 2020