The decision to close St. Maarten’s nightlife at 11:00pm (see related story), although inconvenient and no doubt tough for the businesses affected, appears understandable under the current COVID-19 circumstances. Infection numbers have been rising and hospitalisations are back in double digits.
The latter remains the biggest humanitarian concern, because when medical resources are over-burdened it can easily turn into a matter of life and death. The picture is similar on the French side, where a curfew is in effect between 10:00pm and 5:00am until August 20.
The “scaling back” of operating hours by bars and clubs south of the border is scheduled to end two days later. During these two weeks the entrepreneurs involved will work on control systems to allow only persons with proof of full vaccination or a recent negative test result inside.
While the current measures also have a negative impact on the already badly hurting tourism economy, any lockdowns or even travel bans with much worse consequences were avoided, at least for now. The importance of keeping it that way cannot be overstated.
The Delta variant is more contagious and increasingly being spread by young people, where the vaccination rate is especially low. This needs to change, so parents are encouraged to get teenagers injected particularly now that school has started again, to protect their families and others.
Wearing face masks, social-distancing and frequent hand cleansing where appropriate by all continue to be essential, whether vaccinated or not. It may seem a bit unfair to those who did their part by taking both shots, but is a sacrifice they must make for the greater good.
