PHILIPSBURG--Telecommunications Company Flow and the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor VSA have partnered to encourage vaccinations on St. Maarten in the drive to reach the 85-per-cent vaccination goal.
The telecoms operator will participate in the CPS Vineyard Office Park Vaccination Pop-up Fair this Saturday, and has committed to provide any persons vaccinated on the day with free Chippie top-up.
The effort is part of the company’s pledge to support the local communities it serves, and assist in the return to a stable economy. “Our team is part of our island community, and we want to do our part in increasing our vaccination rate to keep our customers, our friends and our loved ones safe,” said Flow Country Manager Eastern Caribbean Charlesworth Sydney. “With a higher vaccination rate, we can also look forward to more visitors retuning to our island because they feel safer deciding to do so. This will, of course, benefit us all because our island’s economy and livelihoods depend on our guests.”
With the Vaccination Pop-up Fair, the Vaccination Management Team (VMT) is also taking steps to make sure the public gets accurate information on vaccination, and to debunk any false rumours and incorrect information. “Medical professionals and other health experts will be on-hand Saturday to answer questions on vaccines and advise on other matters, such as boosting your immune system and overall health,” the VMT stated. “With this new approach we want to make sure that truthful, factual information is available so that the public can make informed decisions on their health and well-being.”
To date, the VMT has vaccinated 25,495 persons with the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.
“We applaud the ministry, the CPS team and our overburdened healthcare workers for their steadfast commitment to keeping our community safe,” said Flow’s Country Manager Sydney. “In talks with the minister, we saw an opportunity to support and didn’t hesitate to do so. We believe in the benefits of corporate citizens supporting local leadership and will offer our support when called upon. As citizens we all want what is best for our island, our families and our livelihoods, and the best way for us to remain the top tourist destination in the Caribbean is by making sure that our visitors know they will be safe when coming to our shores.”
VSA Minister Omar Ottley commented: “As Minister of VSA, I encourage everyone to come out and get vaccinated. I am extremely happy that Flow and other stakeholders came on board and offered their services. We hope that Saturday will be a success and we can continue working towards herd immunity; let us drive to 85.”
The vaccination fair at the CPS facility in the Vineyard Office Park in Philipsburg will run from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Aside from the free credit offered by Flow, the visiting public can also look forward to free pizza from Domino’s Pizza and information from various health experts.
