SXMElections.com

PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs said based on the data accumulated on St. Maarten there is nothing that shows the Heineken Regatta and SXM Festival contributed to the spread of COVID-19. Jacobs said the first 6 confirmed cases are from persons that returned home from areas that had the COVID-19 virus.
SMN News asked the Prime Minister if St. Maarten used all its local resources to flatten the curve and to also get the cooperation of the population, she said that that several persons were called in after they made their thoughts and opinions known. Asked if a former local epidemiologist was consulted since this person is very vocal on Facebook. Jacobs said that there is no known local former epidemiologist on St. Maarten she said since COVID-19 a lot of self-made specialists manifested and most of all she said persons that are mostly negative and are creating more chaos she prefers not to accommodate such persons.
With regards to the supermarket where one of the employees died due to COVID-19, asked if an investigation was conducted and what is the outcome, Jacobs said that in all cases where persons have tested positive or even died from COVID-19, CPS did all the tracing back with every contact these persons might have had including at the workplace.
Jacobs said of the 10 persons that died it is mostly among foreign nationals that were not living in the best of conditions, she said these people also do not eat healthy enough. Some of the cases also relate to undocumented persons that did not make the necessary contacts with CPS or consulted any medical facility in its early stages for treatment. One of the people she said did not die from COVID-19 but because that person tested positive for COVID-19 they were added to the list, while the other two persons had underlying conditions, she said at least one of the deceased returned home and had contracted COVOD-19 overseas. This person she said was recovering well but he ventured outside to do some work and got wet from rainfall, he got a relapse and subsequently passed away.
Jacobs made clear that St. Maarten is very transparent with its information regarding COVID-19 and the results of its tests. She said it was expected that St. Maarten numbers would have been high due to the number of people living on the island and its persons.

Jacobs said that the moment and the current trend based on data the curve on COVID-19 is beginning to flatten. At the moment there are 75 positive cases identified with 13 deaths, one of that died in Guadeloupe, she said because that person resided on St. Maarten he was added to the list.