MARIGOT:--- Due to the significant increase in the number of cases in Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy as of July 24th, 2020 1 new case has been detected in Saint Barthélemy, bringing the number cases to 2, and 4 new cases in Saint-Martin, bringing the number of cases to 7. In Saint-Barthélemy, the new positive case is linked with a cluster of people from Guadeloupe having stayed on Saint-Martin and frequented establishments in Sint-Maarten.
In Saint-Martin,
- 1 case is still under investigation;
- 1 patient is hospitalized in Sint Maarten and 3 positive contact cases are linked to it;
- 1 case is a contact of an indigenous case;
- 1 case was imported from the Dominican Republic on a repatriation flight from the United States that arrived
to Juliana.
The government of Sint Maarten announced today that it has counted 45 positive cases.
This active circulation of the virus is believed to be at the origin of the contamination of 6 people in Guadeloupe having stayed on the island and created a cluster still under investigation in Guadeloupe.
The need to slow down the spread of the virus by limiting movement due to the increase in the number of cases and limited health capacities, the Prefecture and the ARS,
after discussions with the Collectivity of Saint-Martin and in agreement with the Ministry of Overseas, decided to put in place a traffic restriction between the two parts of the island from Friday 31st July at 12 noon.
The Prefete spoke today about this decision this morning with the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten. Controls will be put in place at the Bellevue roundabout and at Belle Plaine by the staff of the Police at the borders and the National Gendarmerie. The border points of Cupe Coy and Low Lands will be blocked from this date.
Only people with a professional or medical reason will be able to cross the border. This pattern will be verified on the basis of the certificates already issued by the Prefecture in June during the previous limitation of circulation. These certificates may be reissued and collected from the Prefecture services.
Medical requests can be made to the email address covid19pref @ saint-barth-saintmartin. gouv.fr
Authorized travelers from Juliana airport (from mainland France, from the Schengen area or from the list of safe countries) will be allowed to pass by presenting their plane ticket, less their PCR test 72 hours with a negative result and the certificate of honor given by the company or present on the site of the Prefecture (undefined
sanitary-new-entry-procedures-in-Saint-Martin-French-part-Saint-Barthelemy-from-du-
18-July-2020).
These restrictive measures are essential to limit the circulation of the virus and avoid reaching the capacity limits of our health system. They will be put in place temporarily while
control the circulation of the virus on the island.
The health of the population is the only argument that should guide our decisions.
