AIRPORT--Karakter reopened its doors on Tuesday after correcting the violations it was found to be infringing.
Inspector General of the Inspectorate of Public Health Social Development and Labour VSA Dr. Earl Best confirmed that the establishment had been given the green light to reopen.
A supervisor at the establishment told The Daily Herald that the restaurant corrected all the “maintenance” issues as well as made some other improvements. The supervisor said he was now confident that Karakter is now “the cleanest restaurant on the island.”
The supervisor said although he saw no need for the establishment to be closed, “at the end Karakter came out better than before. We are happy that everything is fixed and everything is solved.”
When pressed about the specific violations the establishment had been accused of, he said there were some things that one will see in every restaurant and bar, but noted that these things are now rectified. “We even did things that government did not ask for.”
Karakter was closed last week Thursday for what the Inspectorate said had been hygienic violations. Best had said while it was not the Inspectorate’s intention to “put people out of business,” if the circumstances are “bad” and require immediate action, the Inspectorate has “to protect the health of our citizens and also of the many tourists.”
“We have to understand that it doesn’t do much good to the businesses and economy of St. Maarten if tourists or international health institutions provide negative information on the risk for acquiring diseases such as gastroenteritis or legionella on St. Maarten,” Best had said at the time.
