Sprenger has visited the six islands together with the RIVM and everything now seems fine. “All islands have shown that they meet the RIVM preconditions. The vaccination program can therefore be started”, he says. The vaccines will arrive in Aruba and Bonaire on February 16, Curaçao on February 17, and St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba on February 19, according to Sprenger.
Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten and Bonaire will receive Pfizer vaccines for healthcare personnel in the first phase. The AstraZeneca vaccine is likely to be used for the rest of the population between the ages of 18 and 60. Saba and St. Eustatius receive a first delivery of the Moderna vaccine.
Undocumented migrants will also be included in the vaccination process on Curaçao. Dutch people who stay on the island for a longer period, such as retirees, investors or hibernators, are also eligible, according to Sprenger, “on the conditions that they are still on the island to receive the second injection”. The goal is to have all adults who want it vaccinated before the hurricane season, which starts in June.
Support
The islands are largely dependent on tourism. The economy is therefore hit hard by the corona virus. Curaçao as well as Aruba and St. Maarten, independent countries within the kingdom, receive hundreds of millions in government support in exchange for strict reforms.
The corona situation on the Caribbean islands now appears to be stable. It was around the holidays not good on Curaçao and Bonaire, but after strict measures, the number of infections dropped sharply.
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