PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister of TEATT Ludmilla de Weever announced on Wednesday that controls on businesses will be beefed up as there have been a lot of complaints against businesses that are violating the COVID-19 protocols.
De Weever said that businesses that are caught in violation will be heavily fined or closed for an indefinite period since the island is trying to bring down its COVID-19 numbers during this pandemic.
On Tuesday, January 5th St. Maarten registered 39 new positive cases which is the expected spike after the holiday season.
The Minister of Economic Affairs also announced that travelers planning to visit St. Maarten will have to purchase their health insurance for the period of time they will be vacationing in St. Maarten. The mandatory insurance policy will go into effect as of Monday, January 11th, 2021.
The Minister also verified that visitors that intend to visit the neighboring islands such as St. Barths will not be affected as long as they have valid travel insurance.