PHILIPSBURG:--- Deputy Prime Minister Egbert Jurendy Doran, Minister of VSA Richard Panneflek, and Minister of TEATT Ludmilla de Weever announced on Saturday that all bars, discotheque, nightclubs, cigar lounges, and adult entertainment must remain closed as of Sunday, August 16th as a Ministerial Decree was prepared to order these businesses closed as St. Maarten continues the fight against COVID-19. Restaurants and all business establishments that sell alcohol are also asked to close off business by 10 pm. The Ministers said the measures taken to flatten the curve on COVID-19 are all temporary, she further explained that adult entertainment is also ordered closed even though they all closed voluntarily as of Friday.
St Maarten now has 150 active cases as of August 14th Minister Panneflek said, he urged residents to continue to apply the social distancing and hygiene guidelines.
Minister of TEATT Ludmilla de Weever also called on the residents to pay keen attention since the spike of increased cases of COVID-19 is alarming. De Weever said that more stringent measures may be added to the list if it is deemed necessary.
Deputy Prime Minister Doran said that the measures that will now go into effect are to protect the residents while the adjusted business hours are implemented to minimize social gatherings.
The Deputy Prime Minister a state of emergency is not yet declared however, the government of St. Maarten is urging the population of St. Maarten to adhere to the conditions that have been announced.
Doran cautioned that they have to continue with restricting the socio-economic activities then jobs and everyone's daily life will no longer be sustainable.
He urged the population to follow the guidelines that were set forth by the government of St. Maarten.
• Use a proper face mask
• Maintain a social distance of 2 meters or 6 feet away from other persons
• Continue washing your hands often
• Practice proper respiratory etiquette
• Limit physical contact such as handshaking, hugging, and kissing
• We must all do our part in the fight against COVID-19 and not become complacent.
• And ensure to prepare a disaster kit for the hurricane season
Minister of TEATT Ludmila de Weever National Briefing on Commercial Business Closures
Good Afternoon, Deputy Prime Minister Doran, colleague Minister Panneflek, the viewing public, and Ms. Roache,
This special National Briefing is regarding the recent spike in the number of active cases of COVID-19 on St. Maarten. The significant increase in active cases and hospitalizations is a matter of great concern. The number of active cases in one week rose from 74 to 150 on August 14, 2020. The rate at which the COVID-19 virus is spreading is very worrying. In the context of the health of citizens and medical capacity, government intervention is of urgent importance.
For this reason, we have decided per Ministerial Decree, whereby commercial premises with licenses for clubs, coffee house, and bars will be temporarily closed. Premises with a license for a restaurant must close at 10:00 PM, and we urge and request all other businesses with a right to a alcohol license to do the same. This decision will be in effect from Sunday, August 16, 2020 until August 31, 2020.
The last thing that I would like for us to do, is to close businesses. However, at the urging of our medical professionals, the increase in active cases has become increasingly worrying. We are trying to assist our medical professionals as much as we can in order to minimize these cases. Therefore, our way of assisting them is by implementing this Ministerial Decree.
Locations that must close include: bars, nightclubs, discotheques, lounges, such as cigar lounges and other lounges as well as "adult entertainment." On Thursday, I spoke to all the owners of the adult entertainment industry and I would like the public to know that they have cooperated with the government and closed in advance of this Ministerial Decree in order to assist the government in minimizing these active cases. This means that premises that require a license or permission pursuant to Article 2 of the National Ordinance License to be able to sell alcoholic beverages also fall under this decision.
Continuing business activity in a safe manner remains government’s top priority. I’d like to remind the public, that it is of utmost importance that we continue to practice the behavior that will allow businesses to continue operating in a safe manner.
St. Maarten is now open and we are welcoming people to our shores. However, we also need to make sure that our people are safe. This is the way that we can do it with as little impact as possible and this it is temporary. This is also our way to assist medical professionals in containing this virus. Do remember, that the spread of COVID-19, is all related to the manner in which we behave.
Thank you for your attention. I hope that everyone remains safe and responsible.
