MARIGOT:--- The Préfecture in a press release today states that they were informed that this weekend several unauthorized parties have been held on the beaches of Saint-Martin, so far as to gather more than a hundred people.
These events promote the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak and the emergence of clusters. In the health context we know, the Prefecture reports that these behaviors are dangerous and unheard of among the rest of the population, which is respectful of the barriers in place since the State of Emergency.
Measures taken in metropole (including cover fire) are based on the increase in the number of cases and hospital capacity. In Saint-Martin, the hospital is in tension. The number of hospitalized people are increasing every week, as of October 18, there were still 112 active cases and 12 hospitalized persons, including 6 in CPR at the hospital centers in Guadeloupe and Martinique. Last week 6 people had to be evacuated for a health emergency.
It is important to know that behaviors, such as those experienced this weekend, as they would lead to a deteriorating health situation on the island, and may require more restrictive measures.
The effort demanded by the state (wearing mask, social distancing, respecting barrier gestures, avoiding gatherings of more than 6 people, limiting festive events) is the only way to effectively fight the virus. These measures need to be taken seriously.
The Prefecture calls for everyone's responsibility. The fight against the virus is a common fight in which we are all engaged in the health of our countrymen, the economy of our territory, and the employment of young people.
