WILLEMSTAD - Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath has announced this morning during the briefing that no stricter measures are yet to be imposed against the spread of the corona virus. Rhuggenaath did, however, call for more social control of compliance with the current measures. He especially emphasized not to take to the streets unnecessarily, but only to do so when it is urgent.
“Another case was added last night, so we now have a total of 68 cases of which 32 are active, 35 have recovered and 1 is known to have died. Of course, we also keep an eye on daily developments. But from the moment we reopened our businesses, schools, and our borders, this was foreseeable. If you take more risk you can expect more positive cases but so far, the number of cases is such that we can control it,” said the Premier.
Rhuggenaath says that Curaçao still has it under control. “But we must strictly comply with the measures that have been taken. This concerns measures regarding hygiene and social distance. The government is prepared, we have an escalation model, and we are ready to take whatever actions and measures are necessary to prevent the virus from spreading further into our community and to save the health and lives of our people.”
The Premier also indicated that everything they do they also weigh up other interests, such as social, economic and life as is known. “We want to avoid having to move to a phase 3 or 4 and a complete lock-down, with staying home all day and the license plate of the day.”
“The government is responsible for this, but we cannot do this alone. You, citizen of Curaçao, employer, business owner, everyone has the responsibility to prevent things from happening, with the serious consequences that this can have for the economy and our social life. That is why I call on everyone to keep a social distance and to take care of ourselves, but also others.”
“In this context I would like to thank everyone because on the street I as a citizen can see that you have answered our call. We see that supermarkets, shops and restaurants comply with the written rule. We also see that most of us keep social distance and even wear face masks to protect ourselves and others.”
“Yet a full-hearted appeal to take good care of yourself, wash your hands, do not touch your face, etc. In this way you protect your own health. But also take care of others, think of your loved ones, your family, the most vulnerable people, including our elderly. Take care of yourself and them, and keep thinking about our customs here in Curaçao, which includes social control. If you see someone you know, a friend or family who does not take care of themselves or others, point this out to them. Tell him, listen, we have a shared responsibility to protect ourselves from the threat from COVID. So don't just think about yourself but others too and let's take care of them,” said the Premier.