WILLEMSTAD - 78 percent of the hospitality businesses that have been inspected in the past two weeks do not adhere to the rules that have been set to keep corona infections under control. This is according to the head of the Inspection Service of the Ministry of Economic Development (MEO), Ronny Cornelis.
"That is a worrying development," says Cornelis. He said Monday during the government press conference on the developments surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic in Curaçao.
MEO came to this conclusion after targeted checks were carried out from December 2 to 20, after stricter measures were announced on December 1. Cornelis says that the inspections are mainly intended to reduce the number of corona infections.
A total of 77 companies were inspected, of which only 19 acted according to the rules. A total of 16 companies were warned and 42 had to close for non-compliance.
According to Cornelis, 32 of the 42 closed companies are about not complying with the dry law, which means that no alcohol may be sold for direct consumption. This alcohol ban has been in effect since the beginning of this month.
Cornelis states that there is nothing wrong with alcohol in itself, but that problems arise when it is consumed. “People's character and behavior change, and they speak louder and come closer to each other,” says Cornelis. “People then become extra social with all its consequences,” he continues. "Instead of the number of infections going down, it will increase, and the total will remain high."
Cornelis says some companies need a tougher approach. As an example, he gives a catering company where the multidisciplinary team had to return four times this month. The owner sold alcohol to his customers through the back door.
The first time he was caught on December 8, measures were taken, and the business was closed. However, the owner reopened without permission not long after on December 14th. MEO then invited the owner to explain what is expected of him. This conversation was on December 15, and on December 18, that same owner was caught again selling alcohol through the back door.
“And we still have not proceeded to definitive closure,” says Cornelis. “We understand the companies that are currently in difficult times. They need to stay open so they can earn money to support their families, among other things. That is why the multidisciplinary team has closed the business temporarily instead of permanently.”
Cornelis, however, indicates that the bar is full at a certain point. “Our society does not benefit from food service bosses who try to bottle things up. The behavior surrounding alcohol sales in the catering industry is completely skewed and the government no longer accepts that.”