It looks like St. Maarten’s business closure hour will be extended from 11:00pm to 1:00am as of Friday (see related story) if COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations keep going down, in time for the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day celebrations. However, people should still observe the necessary precautions including social distancing and wearing a facemask where appropriate.
After all, recent experience has shown that “super spreader” events can easily reverse such a positive trend and throw the country back into crisis mode, requiring stricter safety measures once again. That is a highly undesirable scenario, as the restrictions have already taken a heavy toll on many of the employers involved and their workers.
As the curfew on the French side was lifted since the end of last month, this latest development in any case confirms that the entire destination is gradually returning to at least some degree of normalcy. And that is exactly the message it wants to be sending out as international leisure travel continues to recover.
These relaxations are important for the tourism economy with the high season still in full swing, so that visitors can enjoy the local nightlife a bit longer and – hopefully – spend some more. It also creates improved prospects for the Heineken Regatta, SXM Festival and Carnival on both sides of the island.
A large part of the population deserves credit for getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and adhering to related protocols. Their actions are what helped make things better for everyone.
