WILLEMSTAD - “There are people who do not follow the rules. So, every day we reconsider whether further measures are required, such as mandatory quarantine or a curfew.” This was declared by the Minister of Health, Suzanne Camelia-Römer on Thursday in a press conference about the corona measures on the island.
In the meantime, an eighth corona infection has been detected in Curaçao. It was announced by Dr. Izzy Gerstenbluth during today’s briefing. Last week, Curaçao reported the first corona death.
To prevent the virus from spreading further, all visits to the island have been banned since March 13. Curaçaoans who come back from abroad must voluntarily quarantine for two weeks after their arrival on the island. There are now about 1,355.
But also, according to Walid Elhage, chairman of the Curaçao General Practitioners Association (CHV), there is an identifiable group that does not comply with this rule. On Wednesday, the doctor met two people at a funeral who had returned from Miami earlier this week.
"I spoke to them about this, but they felt that this rule did not apply to them." According to Elhage, this is known to the authorities and something needs to be done about this.
Own responsibility
There is no strict supervision of the voluntary quarantine of Curaçaoans from abroad. This was also experienced by a Curaçaoan who prefers to remain anonymous.
Last week this Curaçaoan came back from a holiday from the Netherlands and Austria. “At customs, I had to fill in a note with my name and telephone number and promise to stay home for two weeks. I can go out the door to do the shopping.”
A taxi brought him home after which he voluntarily quarantined for two weeks in a separate apartment. "I take my own responsibility, for myself but also for my wife and children," he says.
In the meantime, he has been called twice by the Health Department (GGD) to check if he has any symptoms. These calls are made by random sampling, according to epidemiologist Dr. Izzy Gerstenbluth.
Borders closed for Curaçaoans?
As long as people keep coming back to Curaçao, experts say there will be a danger that the virus will spread across the island and part of the economy will remain idle. But closing the borders for Curaçaoans who want to return to the island is NOT possible, according to the Minister of Health.
Lawyer Achim Henriquez does not agree with this and sees legal possibilities. Aruba already did this a week and a half ago. "In the context of public order and other regulations, Curaçao can close its borders, even for its own citizens," explains the lawyer.
“In this case, the actual basis is the emergency that exists with the coronavirus. The emergency, in turn, provides a number of legal bases on which to act. One is to maintain public order,” says Henriquez.
On Curaçao, there is a far-reaching National Ordinance on Disaster Response that gives the Prime Minister the power to take decisions to combat a disaster.
Make quarantine mandatory?
And what about making quarantine mandatory for all Curaçaoans who return to the island?
"If it turns out that people do not listen to the voluntary framework of this request, the government will eventually have to switch to a mandatory framework," says Elhage.
Because Curaçao, according to Gerstenbluth, does not have the capacity to check all people whether they stay at home, the possibility could also be considered to accommodate these people in one of the vacant hotels or, for example, on a specially equipped cruise boat.
When asked whether Curaçao should switch to this measure, Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath says: “These days are actively discussed in the crisis team”. According to the prime minister, measures are being tightened further and there are more and more restrictions for returning Curaçaoans.
