WILLEMSTAD - Easing the corona measures in Curaçao is not an option at the moment. “We are dealing with the British variant, which spreads much faster than the original virus. If we relax, we can expect a lot more infections and we cannot handle that,” said Curaçao epidemiologist Dr. Izzy Gerstenbluth.
The epidemiologist spoke on Thursday during a press conference of the Curaçao government in which Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath announced that the lockdown in Curaçao will be extended until April 30. The island has been in a lockdown since March 24.
It was previously announced that an evaluation moment would take place on April 16. Especially in the catering industry there was hope for a relaxation of the measures. But according to Rhuggenaath and Gerstenbluth, Curaçao simply cannot do otherwise.
This is due to the high number of infections on the island (more than 3800 active infections on Wednesday, April 14), the situation in the hospital (100 corona patients, of which 40 in the ICU and nine patients in the ICU in Aruba) and the number of corona patients who died: 80. "We see in the figures a tripling of the number of deaths in three weeks,” said Gerstenbluth.
He emphasizes that the British variant works differently from the original virus. Many more people between the ages of 20 and 60 are now infected, and many more people in that age group die. According to Gerstenbluth, it is therefore very important to keep the contamination as low as possible. “And that can be done by extending the measures and vaccinating.”
That means that the curfew stays on from seven in the evening until 4:30 in the morning. The "Plachi di Dia" (license plate of the day) system also continues to apply. This means that, based on the number plate of their car, people are allowed to take to the street twice a week.
Furthermore, only vital shops can open their doors; catering may only deliver. Regarding the vaccination process, Curaçao seems to be on the right track. The aim is to vaccinate 85 percent of the 125,000 adult residents. By April 15, some 67,000 people had already registered; that is more than 50 percent of the target figure. More than 45,000 have already received a first vaccination, of which almost 13,000 people have received two vaccinations.
For the next two weeks it is mainly important in Curaçao that the population continues to adhere to the rules. Which means: staying at home as much as possible. Small changes are being made, such as the opening of banks and an extension of conditions for fishermen. Rhuggenaath: “For the rest, the motto is: hang on! And let's look ahead to when there will be some relaxation.”