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PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister and Chair of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Silveria Jacobs hereby updates the general public for today, Monday, April 22, 2020, as part of the process to keep the community of St. Maarten informed about the latest developments and the Governments COVID-19 containment, mitigation and response measures.
COVID-19 Cases
Based on the latest available data, as updated by CPS Epidemiologist Eva Lista-de Weever, the counts for April 22, 2020 as of4:00 PM are as follows:
Today, April 22, 2020, the St. Maarten Medical Centre Outbreak Management Team has updated that the works on the Intensive Care Unit ICU tent have been completed and that the tent is ready for its first patients. Moving forward, any COVID-19 suspected or a confirmed patient requiring ICU care will be admitted to the tent which will be manned by Medical and Nursing personnel provided by the Ministry of Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport (VWS) via AMI Healthcare.
On April 22, 2020, a meeting was held with Prime Minister Jacobs and Emergency Support Function 10 to receive updates and further deliberations concerning the effects of COVID-19 on the business community. Considering that Governments stimulus plan was launched this week and that certain businesses cannot qualify for the payroll subsidy, ESF 10 is considering allowing these businesses to be open, through limited opening hours effective next week.
The Inspectorate of the Ministry of TEATT conducted controls today and closed businesses that were operating in contravention to the published National decree of April 18, 2020. The government urges businesses not to engage in such as they will be fined. Prime Minister Jacobs has decided to allow freight, shipping, and cargo companies to make deliveries to all their clients and not just emergency and essential services. Veterinary clinics and the St. Maarten Marine Trade Association (SMMTA) have also sent in their waiver requests to resume their operations in order to provide services to the public and these are being considered.
The Windward Islands Bank will have 3 branches open as of next week to facilitate the month-end traffic and payments of pension, social welfare & payroll. The third branch will be announced at a later date. Prime Minister Jacobs encourages persons to visit the branch closest to their home and to continue to practice social distancing.
Lastly, the waiver or Certificate of Exception also known as Form C is usually granted for persons traveling for work, urgent medical appointments, or doctor visits. Though it is not stated on the waiver, it is allowed for persons to travel across the border to Dutch St. Maarten for banking purposes as well They should state their reason.
I encourage each and every one of you to pray and continue checking up on each other virtually via the internet and phone. Use this time, to reach out to your neighbour, family, and friends. Let's be mindful that there is no one size fits all policy to address all the challenges associated with the COVID-19 virus and the challenges to come. However, rest assured that the EOC, Council of Ministers, and their respective teams are working tirelessly as one team; Team St. Maarten, to mitigate and contain this deadly virus. If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is that the people of St. Maarten love one another and are strong and resilient people. I cannot stress enough. Continue to be blessed St. Maarten, concluded Prime Minister Jacobs.
