The government of St Kitts and Nevis has declared a state of emergency to tackle rising cases of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Governor-General Sir SW Tapley Seaton, in declaring the measure on Tuesday (June 15), said the twin-island nation had entered the community spread phase of the pandemic.

Taking immediate effect and lasting for an initial period of three weeks, the state of emergency is slated for review on Tuesday, July 6.

“The state of emergency comes about in the wake of a new wave of rising COVID-19 infections brought about by community spread that has seen to date 244 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 180 active cases, 64 recovered cases, and zero deaths,” the statesman noted.

Sir Tapley, in his proclamation, said the state of emergency was reasonably justifiable in the interest of public health and that an outbreak currently threatens St Kitts and Nevis.

St Kitts, one of the Caribbean’s three remaining territories without COVID-related deaths, has seen an exponential increase in active cases from late May into June.

The twin-island country—starting June with 68 confirmed cases, 23 of which were active—is now managing 180 active infections, a 682 per cent increase in just three weeks.

The St Kitts Ministry of Health confirmed 18 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the national total to 244.