Dear Editor,
Day and night life in destinations where tourism is the largest contributor to GDP [gross domestic product – Ed.] is only a part of what makes up a nice place for tourists to visit. However, in a pandemic, while you are allowed to be open for business, you must be able to control your crowd, or risk getting shut down and after repeated offenses even losing your license to operate.
St. Maarten’s economy has since decades not been as fragile as it is today and as per April 5, 2021, our population is far from reaching “herd-immunity through vaccination”. If you and/or your patrons insist on being irresponsible in your public behaviour, you should appreciate that those of us presently without a job, or on reduced workweeks, or losing money every day we open up our businesses, are losing our patience with your recklessness and your “we-don’t-give-a-d**n” attitude.
Guidelines are to be followed. By failing to do so, you and your patrons are sending a message to the rest of the community that not only you couldn’t care less about us, you also do not respect the rule of law. And just in case you haven’t noticed: persons 40 years and younger are dying of COVID-19.
And then Government: it takes two to tango. If you issue rules and guidelines, but fail to enforce them, you are encouraging citizens and businesses to ignore authority! When are you going to show some teeth?
Freedom is not free!
Michael J. Ferrier
