~ Readying petition for Government and Parliament ~ SIMPSON BAY — The vendors on the parking lot at Kim Sha Beach, classified as the Kim Sha Market Place, are incensed with government over its latest move to put them out of business. The vendors reacted over the weekend to a Ministerial decision dated August 17, 2020, by Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs Ludmila De Weever that would set the max opening time of business for the vendors to 10pm daily and re-classify the area as a “re-designated marketplace.” This decision was made public by the Minister over this past…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG — The Employer Council St. Maarten issued a statement wherein it states that from the get-go, the SSRP was intended to enable employers to maintain employment relationships with as many employees as possible. It was anticipated that, without such a program, the number of lay-offs and bankruptcies would harm our economy to such an extent that it would be difficult to recover. The development of the initial program, applied for the months of April and May, was done by Government without any real consultation with the social partners. While it is understandable that the formal legislative process was not…
CAY HILL — St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) has taken note of a media report from Omrop Fryslan that was published today in which a recently arrived rotational specialist has made statements which are not accurate. SMMC hereby rectifies these as follows. Intensivist Dr. Rik Gerritsen stated in a telephone interview with the Dutch media outlet that SMMC does ‘not have experience with dealing with COVID-19’ and that the recent increase of positive cases is ‘St. Maarten’s first wave of COVID-19’. This statement is not accurate as SMMC has dealt with the prior increase in positive cases in April and…
We were asked the other night whether there will be another lockdown of the island. Our answer was that we do not think so. The good news tonight is that the number of active cases has further dropped to 198. See: https://news.sx/covid-19/covid-19-has-decreased-to-198-confirmed/ Some 39 people have recovered from the coronavirus infection since August 18th. Despite the number of hospitalized cases due to COVID-19 related medical issues still on the rise, as of yesterday, it stood at 15, the number of deaths remains stable at 17. See https://news.sx/health/smmc-halts-non-emergency-medical-procedures-policlinics-to-continue/ Indications are that the number of cases on St. Maarten is beginning to…
by Emsley D. Tromp I am writing this note risking stepping on toes. However, the only way to avoid stepping on toes is to stand still. Standing still will come at greater cost to the reputation and the credibility of the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten (“CBCS”), our financial system, and ultimately the Monetary Union and the well-being of its citizens than speaking out. I write now because we need to consider the financial and reputational puzzle the new president of CBCS will have to solve. I write as well because the CBCS has strayed so far from…
We recently interviewed a frontliner about what the consequences of COVID-19 infections among the staff entail for capacity issues in frontline organizations such as the medical center, the ambulance service and the fire department. Related: Fire department Chief addresses COVID-19 rumors We have not published this interview yet because we did not want to be seen as engaging in fear-mongering. However, since then, reports have been coming in daily of positive infection cases relating to frontliners in the police department, the Pointe Blanche Prison, and several government departments such as immigration and labor. Related: Two staff members at Prison with…
by Cdr. Bud Slabbaert Economic recession, pandemic, and potential natural disasters may lead to gloom, despair, agony, deep dark depression and excessive misery. When it sounds like a hammer and feels like a hammer, it may actually be a hammer. One single word describes the biggest hurdle for renewal and progress: ‘clinging’; trying to hold on to what once was, although the conditions are changing. In these difficult times, the Caribbean has to learn to develop and strengthen itself in new ways. What is a ‘new way’? Development from within the region! Not trying to do anything about finding new…
PHILIPSBURG – The PFP Faction submitted questions to the Minister of Finance, the Honorable Ardwell Irion, on Monday, 17 August 2020. The faction referenced the letter sent by State Secretary Raymond Knops to the Dutch Second Chamber on August 14, 2020. The State Secretary’s letter informed the Dutch Second Chamber that St. Maarten had not yet met all the conditions for the second tranche of liquidity support, which meant that no discussion could be held for a future third tranche of support. In their questions to the Minister, PFP queried the discrepancy between the State Secretary’s letter and the Minister’s…
~ No need for rules if common sense rules ~ PHILIPSBURG – The beginning of the new school year created a rather awkward situation, not only for the government, but also for schools and parents. While some schools want to open for business, others want to remain closed while parents threaten with legal action if they don’t open. StMaartenNews.com will attempt to make sense of all this by presenting an outline of the decisions and initiatives that were taken so far. Education Minister Drs. Rodolphe Samuel wrote a letter to parents and guardians on July 31, announcing the decision to begin…
In St. Maarten, the pandemic has made life very difficult for schools, teachers, and students. The choice is a familiar one by now. We must choose between safety for our children first and convenience. Or inconvenience, however you want to look at the options. Streaming live online classes into the homes of children until life is normalized will be a major challenge for parents of younger students. They are not old enough to go unsupervised. For the schools, the challenges are enormous. The Ministry of Education has produced an Education Continuity Plan, ECP, consisting of many pages outlining procedures for…
