SXMElections.com

MARIGOT:--- The President of the Collectivity of Saint-Martin, Daniel Gibbs, participated this Wednesday, September 23, 2020, in the cooperation meeting organized in the prefecture, in the presence of the deputy Prefet Sylvie Feucher, the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten Silveria Jacobs, the director from the Regional Health Agency of Guadeloupe and the Northern Islands, Valrie Denux and their respective teams.
Competent in matters of public health, the State and Sint Maarten authorities discussed the establishment of joint health protocols for both parts of the island as part of the fight against the spread of Covid19. The creation of a common screening center and the application of similar health rules animated the discussions. President Daniel Gibbs is particularly satisfied with the holding of this meeting and the desire for health cooperation displayed by the health authorities of Saint-Martin and Sint Maarten.

The president, who has been calling for this cross-border cooperation for several months, urged the health authorities to act quickly, by implementing this health cooperation protocol as soon as possible. Madam Denux has indicated that she will make a concrete proposal to the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten by the end of next week. Silveria Jacobs favored this method. Following the new restrictions announced by the Minister of Solidarity and Health, Olivier Vran, who placed Guadeloupe in the maximum alert zone and decided to close the bars and restaurants of the archipelago from Monday, September 28, President Gibbs recalled the socio-economic issues for Saint-Martin if such a measure were to be applied. For the President, as the positive cases have dropped significantly on both parts of the island, where restaurants on Sint Maarten are open, where protocols are already strict in establishments on both parts of the island and where a reflection is currently underway to harmonize the prevention protocols, it would be inappropriate to apply this restriction.
For the President, as the positive cases have dropped significantly on both parts of the island, where restaurants on Sint Maarten are open, where protocols are already strict in establishments on both parts of the island and where a reflection is currently underway to harmonize the prevention protocols, it would be inappropriate to apply this restriction.
The health authority has indicated that for the time being these new restrictions are applied only to Guadeloupe. The northern islands are therefore not concerned.
The president also insisted on the need to strengthen preventive actions and health protocols in our territory, on the one hand, to contain the spread of the virus and confirm the declining statistics recorded in recent days, and on the other share allow socio-professionals to stay in business to save their business.
"While we have been calling this cooperation since March, it is now urgent to fully enter into a phase of concrete health cooperation with Sint Maarten".
President Gibbs expressly calls for the parallelism of forms and the harmonization of screening protocols, in particular on the mandatory test deadlines for entry into the territory (72 hours for European countries, 120 hours for Sint Maarten). It also asks that the health authorities meet as quickly as possible to determine the technical methods of applying the joint measures (operating method, location of the screening center, financing of operations, setting up of a rapid test at the two airports. , Princess Juliana and Grand Case L'Esprance
Both President Gibbs and Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs recalled their joint priorities: protecting populations, reviving the economy without relaunching the epidemic!
On this last point, everything will depend on the behavior of our fellow citizens.
"If we want to prevent the new restrictions for bars and restaurants from being extended to Saint-Martin, we will have to act with full responsibility, be even more respectful of barrier gestures in public space and the family sphere, and thus prevent the epidemic from rising again, concluded the President of the Collectivit, who calls for everyone's vigilance in this tense health context.