Without exception, every flight I have ever been on from the United States to Curaçao has been sold out. And there have been many. Whether it was from New York, Charlotte, or Miami, the planes were always full regardless of the season.
Americans from the United States love Curaçao. If they did not, there would always be plenty of empty seats. Yet US air carriers and the tourists they would bring to the island are blacklisted.
The border opened July 1 for so-called safer countries, including the originator of the coronavirus and before that the SARS virus, China. Really? Is it due to the low coronavirus infection rate of the billion-plus populated nation?
Make no mistake, the state-run media of China will tell the world what they want them to know, and that is rarely the truth. Until China changes its inhumanity towards wild animals, another virus outbreak will surely arise from its exotic meat market. But that subject is for another time.
Italy, Spain, and France also make it on the “preferred” list, yet these countries reported the highest European viral infections. It is also worth noting that very few people from these countries ever visit Curaçao because they have their own former and current Caribbean territories to go to. Ever hear of Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe and Martinique?
As far as Italians go, they are not that interested in the Caribbean and prefer their own Mediterranean islands. Canada? It made the list, but their tourists only visit Curaçao in the winter.
Tourists from the United States come year-round. The same entry requirements could easily have been applied to US travellers wanting to visit Curaçao, but they are not due to politics.
Let us be realistic. All the countries on the list are there because no one in Curaçao came up with the list to begin with. This was decided across the Atlantic in Brussels as a tit-for-tat game with the United States.
It is unfortunate there do not seem to be any adult-acting decisionmakers on either side of the Atlantic. Moreover, this is a game no one wins. Such tactics only prolong the economic and social pain already inflicted by the coronavirus outbreak.
How sad that Curaçao’s government and its people are manipulated by hidden strings attached to the aid package from the Netherlands due to politics of the EU and US. Using the coronavirus as a political weapon helps no one and serves up nothing but more misery.
People do not elect children to lead their nations; they vote for what they hope are adults. There is an expectation with that vote of confidence that government will do what is good for the people. Sometimes that requires swallowing one’s pride and standing up for a greater good.
Whether it comes from the EU or the US, someone needs to take the social and economic high ground.
Gunsor Buther
Curaçao
