WILLEMSTAD - The fact that the Netherlands has issued code orange for Curaçao was no surprise, according to epidemiologist Izzy Gerstenbluth. He said this during a press conference about the decision taken by the Netherlands last week to change the travel advice from code yellow to orange.
"It has been hanging over our heads for a long time and we have warned about this several times in recent weeks," said Gerstenbluth. The epidemiologist further explains that when determining a code, it is not the number of active cases that is used as a benchmark, but the number of cases that are added per day.
Gerstenbluth: “The number of active cases cannot be used as a yardstick, as these figures are generally not 'up to date'. In all countries in the world it takes a while before the people who are getting better are removed from the list. in Curaçao we are lagging behind, because we have a staff shortage. But we are working on that."
In addition to the number of additional cases of contamination, there are two other factors that are considered when issuing a travel advice. Gerstenbluth: "We look at the medical capacity and the extent to which it is loaded and we look at the measures taken by the country to prevent further spread."