PHILIPSBURG--As of Friday, April 24, the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Inspectorate had controlled supermarkets and grocery stores 139 times and observed price violations on various items such as powdered milk, rice, corned beef, disinfectant “and even” sardines, Prime Minister and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Chairman Silveria Jacobs said Monday in her COVID-19 address.
Since the lockdown began, 28 businesses have been fined for price violations for the total amount of NAf. 7,000, she said. Thirty fines for a total of NAf. 3,400 have been issued to businesses that have opened illegally.
Jacobs said that 73 per cent of the supermarkets that were controlled were found to be open, of which 68 per cent were found to be implementing social distancing.
Three official complaints have been received by the Inspectorate on price-gouging. All these complaints were investigated, but no evidence of price-gouging has been found to date, the prime minister stated.
Jacobs said that all the inspectorates of the various ministries are doing their jobs. “We’re doing that to maintain safety, but when you reach to a supermarket, people of St. Maarten, and you see that the people are not properly spaced out, do not go in that supermarket,” she cautioned. “In fact, report them. They too will be fined.”
A video has been produced outlining the regulations supermarkets and grocery stores must follow. All supermarkets and grocery stores, as well as companies such as TelEm, GEBE, UTS and other businesses that are allowed to be open, should use and apply these practices, including two-metre distancing, Jacobs stated.
“The measures have been set in place to the best interests of all people to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.”
