WILLEMSTAD - Curaçao has asked the Netherlands for help to deal with the consequences of the lockdown. Last Sunday, all shops had to close, except supermarkets and pharmacies, and there is limited room for maneuver. The airport has been closed to incoming passengers for three weeks.

Due to the decline in tourism and local activities - due to strict measures against the spread of the Corona virus - the Curaçao government says it needs nearly 400 million euros for the next three months.

That amount would then be used to pay unemployed people a monthly fee to support themselves. The Curaçao government also wants to finance compensation for companies that have had to cut more than a quarter of their staff salaries. Self-employed persons and small entrepreneurs without personnel should also be compensated in this proposal.

Curaçao says that it does not have the money itself and that it cannot borrow this on the capital market.