Still Homeless

While exploring the supposedly deserted streets of Dutch St. Maarten for a media report, we encountered several homeless persons, some more aggressive in their approach than others, despite there being a complete around-the-clock 24-hour lockdown.

One of the homeless person was a man asleep on the sidewalk in the vicinity of the Kruythof roundabout in Cole Bay. We are equally shocked and saddened to see that despite the warnings of the prime minister to stay home, a homeless man was left to his own devices on the streets of St. Maarten.

We really hope this corona-crisis teaches our government to get its priorities in order. From a health standpoint and from a socially responsible and moral perspective, you can not honestly in good conscience have everyone under lockdown in their homes with restaurants, bars, shops and supermarkets shuttered while homeless people are left on their own accord to roam the streets aimlessly without food, clothing and proper shelter.

Even in a time of a complete lockdown when everyone should be in a home, it is heartbreaking to see that even the homeless are still homeless.