THE HAGUE - The corona situation on the Caribbean islands within the kingdom is now stable. The Dutch Undersecretary of Public Health Paul Blokhuis wrote this in a letter to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Monday. Around the holidays, things went south on Curaçao and Bonaire, but after strict measures the number of hospital admissions fell sharply. In Curaçao, the measures have now been relaxed again, Blokhuis writes.
Corona measures apply on all islands, including a curfew in Curaçao and Aruba. They want to start vaccinating from mid-February. The area is being hit hard economically. The islands are largely dependent on tourism. Curaçao, Aruba and St. Maarten receive hundreds of millions of euros in government support in exchange for strict reforms. Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius are special municipalities and can claim similar regulations that also apply in the European Netherlands.