 As of May 11, 2020, the World Health Organization reported a total of 4,006,257 confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally, with 278,892 deaths. There are now 1,702,451 confirmed cases in the region of the Americas. As of May 12, 2020, St. Lucia has recorded a total of 18 confirmed cases of COVID-19. 17 are fully recovered and have reintegrated into their communities, and one active case is currently in hospital care and recovering well. On Tuesday, May 12, 2020, the Department of Health and Wellness received into quarantine 20 St. Lucia's who are cruise ship workers on the Carnival Glory. These nationals shall be in quarantine for a period of 14 days as per the country's established protocol. Over the next few weeks, we will continue to receive other St. Lucia cruise workers and eventually we will receive the rest of our returning nationals. The Department of Health and Wellness implores everyone to cooperate during the current phased reopening of the country, which commence from April 13, 2020. The Department makes an urgent plea at the level of the community to adhere to the recommended six-foot physical distancing measures and also the use of a face mask or scarf. We do not see compliance at the level of the smaller communities. St. Lucia is still in a critical position in our response to COVID-19. To this end, we wish to implore the public to adhere to those measures. By maintaining the recommended six-foot distance, you reduce the likelihood of getting the infection or spreading the virus when people around you may cough or sneeze or make physical contact. The face mask or scarf should be used for sauce control by reducing the potential and the exposure risk from an infected person during the pre-symptomatic period. For face masks to be effective in reducing infection, they must be used properly. Some basic guidelines include ensure the mask is clean before use, wash hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer before touching the mask, and the mask should be held by the ties or the loops only. These measures, if adhered to by each and every individual, shall significantly slow down the spread of COVID-19. On its own, the virus is unable to spread, people spread the virus. As such, by remaining at home, avoiding mass crowd activities, the potential for an outbreak of COVID-19 is significantly reduced. Though keeping these physical distancing measures and wearing the face mask may be challenging for some and very different from what we know to be normal within the communities, its benefit in preventing the local transmission surpasses any inconveniences we may face. We continue to advise the public to focus on the maintenance of the standard recommendations to prevent the spread of infection. The Ministry of Health will continue updating you on COVID-19.