PHILIPSBURG--After living under a curfew for a month and a day, St. Maarten residents wake up today, Saturday, to freer movement with no curfew. The curfew in varying time spans, starting with 24 hours, has been in place since 6:00pm Tuesday, September 5, ahead of monster Hurricane Irma.
The curfew was placed by Government for public safety prior to and after the category five plus hurricane that made landfall on September 6. When the curfew ended, the restricted hours for residents were midnight to 6:00am.
The state of emergency, signed into effect by Prime Minister on September 8, also ended yesterday, Friday. That and the lifting of the curfew by the Council of Ministers were announced close to midnight via a release from Marlin.
The state of emergency came as a result of the widespread devastation of the country by the hurricane and the subsequent lawlessness of looters who ransacked and cleared out a number of businesses.
