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BERMUDA: In Full Recovery Mode after Passing of Hurricane Gonzalo

BERMUDA – Bermuda is bouncing back very quickly since the passing of major Hurricane Gonzalo on Saturday, 18th October.  Telecommunications is about 90 per cent restored, according to Digicel.  The Bermuda Telecommunications Company (BTC) says that many of its 15,000 customers who were without service after the hurricane have seen their service restored. 

 

BTC suffered extensive damage to its infrastructure throughout the island with serious impact to 150 main cables.

 

The Bermuda Electric Company Belco on Tuesday reported that less than 4000 customers still remained without electricity out of 36,000.  Restoration is moving at a fast paste.  Extra linesmen have been requested via the Caribbean Electric Utility Service Corp. and are expected to arrive later this week.  Crews have been working around the clock to restore service.

 

Almost all government schools will open today, Tuesday.  Some schools are still without electricity.

 

The Causeway is open to two-way traffic at the moment; however, at certain moments it will be closed where only one-way traffic will be allowed in order to continue with partial repairs to the main road link.

 

Bus service has resumed as normal while regular ferry service is operational.  The St. George’s route will resume on Wednesday.

 

It could also be several weeks before the final tally comes in on the costs of damage the insurance sector is reporting.  Hurricane Fabian caused about $300 million in damage; however some insurers are of the opinion that the damage from Gonzalo won’t be as high as Fabian.

 

The Bermuda Regiment (local military) remains operational assisting with clean-up and repairs.

 

The airport is open and fully operational it has been reported.  The first cruise vessels are scheduled to return on Wednesday, namely the Celebrity Infinity.

 

ARCHIVED: October 17, 2014 - Hurricane Gonzalo while passing across Bermuda transitioned from a category 3 to a strong category 2 hurricane.  The center of the hurricane passed around 9.30PM Friday evening.  Residents have been advised not to venture outside as the winds will come from the opposite direction as the hurricane moves away from the island.

From Friday afternoon around 4.00PM over 7,000 customers lost their electricity out of 36,000 and that figure nearly doubled to 13,000 by 5.30PM. 

On Saturday morning the utility company BELCO will carry out a damage assessment in order to start restoring electricity once clean-up efforts get underway.  Last weekend Tropical Storm Fay struck the island and up to Friday, October 17, approximately 1,500 customers were still without electricity after that storm has passed.

Damage has been reported to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital roof resulting in leaks and water damage to the inside of the building.

Firefighters were called out at 6.30PM to deal with a fire as well as medical incidents.

Norwegian cruise lines were forced to change its itinerary for Norwegian Dawn which was scheduled to call on Sunday.    

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Ebola: back from outbreak epicentre, UN official says survivors now helping with care

“I lost my parents to Ebola,” says survivor Tafala, at the Ebola Treatment Centre in Kenema, Sierra Leone. Photo: UNICEF Sierra Leone/2014/Tanya Bindra.

SINT MAARTEN-INTERNATIONAL – Survivors of Ebola who have developed immunity to the virus are being trained to care for children in Liberia and Sierra Leone, a United Nations official announced on Friday.

People who survived Ebola at these “interim care centres” can give small children the love they need in a world where touching is feared.

“It’s strange, a very unhuman experience,” Sarah Crowe, Crisis Communications Chief at UNICEF told journalists in New York following a five-week mission to Liberia, where “fear of contagion, contamination has eroded that sense of compassion.” Liberia, along with hard-hit countries Sierra Leone and Guinea, is on the frontlines of efforts to stop the outbreak.

The virus has “hijacked” every aspect of life and “changed the way people live...and how people die,” said the UN official, beginning her presentation by disclosing her temperature and showing a bottle of hand sanitizer to the gathered reporters.

The UN agency estimates that some 3,700 orphans are in the region, of whom 600 have been reunited with an existing or extended family member.

Among the moving survivors’ stories captured by UNICEF, four-year-old Amadou wakes up his sister, Mary, at 4:30 in the morning to ask where their mother is. He has asked almost daily since he was discharged from the Ebola Treatment Unit in Kenema, almost two months ago.

“I don’t know what to tell him,” 15-year-old MarytoldUNICEF. “How can I explain death to a 4-year-old when I barely just understood it myself? This wasn’t supposed to be my responsibility.”

Their mother fell sick after helping a woman in the neighbourhood. They thought it was malaria, but her condition worsened quickly.

“They called for an ambulance, and she was rushed away to the General Public Hospital in Kenema. It was the last time that I saw her,” Mary said.

Across West Africa, children face stigma and rejection from their communities and their relatives, especially if the children are survivors themselves.

A recent UNICEF survey of 1,400 homes across the country found that about 96 per cent of those households reported some discriminatory attitudes toward people with suspected or confirmed Ebola, and 76 per cent said they would not welcome someone who was infected with Ebola back into their community, even if that person has recovered.

“Children who have been in interim centres are often shunned,” Ms. Crowe said. She recalled the story of siblings living under a tree, chased out of their village by neighbours too afraid to have them near after their care-givers died.

However, she also told the story of survivors of the virus, who are reunited with their families. Among them, was Ann Marie, a girl Ms. Crowe met while visiting Montserrado and Loofah counties, which encompass Monrovia, and who has since returned home.

“They each have a survivor’s certificate. For them, it’s really like a new birth certificate,” Ms. Crowe said speaking about a photograph of the family with the documents.

In Kenema, Sierra Leone, 25 Ebola survivors met earlier this week to share their experience of the virus, learn how to deal with its psychological aftermath, and find ways to help infected community members, particularly children. The event was organized by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, with support from UNICEF and other partners.

“A key challenge that parents, care workers and many of us working on the Ebola response are facing is how to care for children who have been affected or infected with Ebola without putting their care givers at risk,”saidRoeland Monasch, UNICEF Representative in Sierra Leone.

“One creative way to address this gap is to work with Ebola survivors who can provide these children with the love, care and attention they so badly need.”

In New York, Ms. Crowe also spoke about make-shift quarantine centres created by communities where families stay for 21days, the incubation period for the virus, and which are sometimes set up in empty schools.

Classes have been canceled throughout the countries, leading UNICEF and its partners to pilot an “emergency on-air schooling” for children, many of whom have said they are frustrated at not being able to continue their studies.

The agency is also setting up water and sanitation stations, having shipped a record amount of chlorine from its depot in Copenhagen, Denmark. UNICEF has appealed for over $200 million to respond to the Ebola outbreak, which is part of a broader, six-month appeal for $987.8 million that governments and humanitarian agencies require to fight the disease.

“Our message is that we can’t be crushed by this,” Ms. Crowe said, encouraging every non-governmental organization “that isn’t there but who should be there.”

She noted, however, that the international community is in “totally unmapped terrain” without a template or protocols for such situations.

The death toll in the outbreak is now at 4,546 out of 9,191 known cases in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the latest figures from the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

Also in Sierra Leone, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners today reported the start of a food distribution in the outskirts of the capital, Freetown, to 265,000 people.

It is the biggest one-off food distribution in the country since the start of the Ebola outbreak, according to a UN spokesperson.

More than 700 aid workers are expected to be mobilized in just one day to distribute over 800 metric tons of food, including rice, pulses, vegetable oil and salt, to meet the needs of families’ for about 30 days.

The aim of the distribution is to stabilize quarantined families by giving them enough to eat so that they do not have to leave their homes to look for food.

Before today’s distribution, in the suburb of Waterloo, WFP and its partners had provided food assistance to more than 300,000 Ebola-impacted people across Sierra Leone.

The UN agency is scaling up to reach 600,000 people impacted by the crisis, according to a spokesperson.

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EBOLA: List of countries with travel bans growing in the Caribbean

SINT MAARTEN-CARIBBEAN – Ebola travel bans within the Caribbean Basin are increasing.  Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago have now restricted travel of persons from West African nations that have the Ebola epidemic.  Other regional countries that have implemented travel restrictions are Jamaica, St. Lucia, Colombia, and St. Vincent &the Grenadines.  Grenada is considering also implementing a travel ban.

The three countries where Ebola is an epidemic are Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. 

Trinidad & Tobago will quarantine any traveller who has visited one of the above countries as well as those who travelled to Nigeria or the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Other travellers who have visited any of those within six weeks will be quarantined for 21 days upon arrival in the country.

Jamaica’s travel ban comes after a U.S. couple was placed in quarantine at one of its international airports after screeners had discovered that one of the Americans had travelled to Liberia about two weeks ago.  Jamaican health authorities kept the couple in quarantine and then sent back to the U.S.

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Electricity Restoration: Anguilla receives assistance from U.S. Virgin Islands WAPA

ANGUILLA – The U.S. Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA) is assisting the island of Anguilla utility company Anguilla Electric Company Ltd. with the restoration and recovery in the wake of Hurricane Gonzalo that passed the islands on Monday afternoon and evening.

On Wednesday, Anguilla put out a request for assistance to help restore electricity.  WAPA responded by sending a crew of 10 men from two districts that includes linesmen, an engineer tech and a line superintendent.

WAPA and Anguilla Electric Company Ltd. are both members of the Caribbean regional body CARILEC where in times of need, the member islands would come to each other’s aid.   

The WAPA left the US Virgin Islands on Thursday.

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On World Day, UN spotlights handwashing as vital tool in fight against Ebola

In Conakry, Guinea, a mobilizer teaches children about proper handwashing techniques, which help prevent the spread of diseases, including Ebola. Photo: UNICEF/Timothy La Rose.

SINT MAARTEN/INTERNATIONAL – As the world celebrated the seventh annualGlobal Hand washing Day on October 15, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spotlighted how the simple practice not only saves lives, but is also instrumental in the fight against Ebola.  This is also very relevant to Sint Maarten to protect the community against various diseases and viruses.

“Hand washing with soap is one of the cheapest, most effective ‘vaccines’ against viral diseases, from the seasonal flu, to the common cold,” Sanjay Wijesekera, head of UNICEF’s global water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programmes, said in a statementon the day.

UNICEF is using this year’s Day to raise awareness about Ebola in the affected countries, counter misconceptions and promote hand washing to combat the further spread of the disease. The agency has distributed protective supplies such as gowns, gloves, and bleach – as well as 1.5 million bars of soap in Sierra Leone alone, and millions more in Liberia and Guinea.

“Our teams on the ground in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea are stressing the importance of hand washing as part of a raft of measures that are needed to halt the spread of Ebola. It is not a magic bullet, but it is a means of additional defence which is cheap and readily available,” said Mr. Wijesekera.

Apart from Ebola, figures released recently by UNICEF and the UN World Health Organization (WHO) say in 2013 more than 340,000 children under five – almost 1,000 a day – died from diarrhoeal diseases due to a lack of safe water, sanitation and basic hygiene.

These viral diseases can be easily prevented if children are taught to wash their hands with soap before eating and after using the toilet. UNCIEF says that when hand washing becomes an ingrained habit, it could save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention, cutting deaths from diarrhoea by almost half and deaths from acute respiratory infections by one-quarter.

This simple act is critical to meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing deaths among children under the age of five by two-thirds by 2015.

The recent outbreak of Ebola virus in West Africa has taken its toll on the health services in the affected countries, making the practice of hand washing even more important in warding off these common diseases, UNICEF says.

“It is clear there is no simple fix, and it is going to take a massive international effort to stem the tide of this disease,” said Mr. Wijesekera. “But it is crucial to get the word out on what measures can be taken now in the hardest hit areas, even as additional help continues to arrive from the outside. Hand washing is one of those measures.”

Each year, over 200 million people are involved in celebrating the Day in over 100 countries. For instance, in Sri Lanka, more than 38,400 students in 96 schools will take part in hand washing events, along with politicians and members of the public.

In Lebanon, the SMS message, ‘Save your health; wash your hands’ will be sent to hundreds of mobile phone users. And in Mali, there will be a nationwide media campaign with hand washing events and soap distribution in dozens of schools.

Major events and celebrations are also scheduled in The Gambia, Nigeria, and Cambodia, among other countries.

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Ebola response in ‘high-gear’ as UN official warns ‘things will get worse before they improve’

A C160 German aircraft at Kotoka International Airport in the Ghanaian capital of Accra delivering needed supplies and material to countries in western Africa affected by the Ebola virus. Photo: UNMEER.

SINT MAARTEN/INTERNATIONAL – The United Nations continues to ramp-up its Ebola response, reaching more than 530,000 people with food assistance in hard-hit Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, and, in the latter country, gathering survivors for a meeting to help deal with the psychological aftermath and stigma they face re-entering their communities.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced that its logistical support to the global Ebola response is in “high gear” – with the latest supply en-route from Italy to Liberia.

The flight, carrying 58 metric tons of supplies including water tanks, washing units and generators, is one in a series of dispatches this week containing protective gear, emergency health kits, relief items and other equipment for use throughout the affected region.

“The world is mobilizing and we need to reach the smallest villages in the most remote locations. Indications are that things will only get worse before they improve. How much worse depends on us all,” said Denise Brown, WFP’s Regional Director for West Africa.

In addition to supply flights, the WFP is delivering 7,000 metric tons of rice by ship scheduled to reach Sierra Leone by the end of the week, before heading to Liberia’s capital of Monrovia. There, WFP is also running a logistics hub with plans to set up 12 more in remote areas in affected countries.

An additional 100 WFP staff – engineers, operations support officers and telecommunications specialists – have been mobilized across the region to support more than 360 WFP colleagues already on the ground.

Also on the ground, the first-ever UN emergency health mission, the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), is working to respond to immediate needs related to the fight against Ebola while supporting the operations of its partners in the Organization’s wider response, including WFP and the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

UNMEER chief, Anthony Banbury, welcomed the arrival of a German aircraft which will be delivering needed supplies and material to countries in western Africa affected by the Ebola virus.

"This flight is a welcome reflection of the international community's support for the efforts to stop Ebola and help those affected by it – this support is vital if we are to stop the virus," Mr. Banbury said. "I hope that we will see more of this in the coming days and weeks."

The C160 aircraft, from the German air force, arrived at Kotoka International Airport in the Ghanaian capital of Accra on Wednesday, where it was loaded with UN humanitarian supplies and equipment.

These include materials to construct warehouses that will be used in the logistics supply chain for future aid delivery in Sierra Leone and five tonnes of high-energy biscuits for delivery to people affected by the crisis in Guinea.

UNMEER liaison officers led the project that will use the UN humanitarian air corridor set up to help rapidly deploy aid to the field. The aircraft will make its first flight to Sierra Leone on Thursday and then return to Accra before flying to Guinea.

The ongoing UN effort to scale up the response and alert the international community to the breadth of the crisis was also bolstered today by the Security Council, which issued a Presidential Statement recognizing the strenuous efforts made by West African Member States, especially Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, to lead the ground-level response, as well as to address the wider political, security, socioeconomic and humanitarian impacts of the Ebola outbreak on community’s.

The members of the Council also affirmed the importance of preparedness by all Member States to detect, prevent, respond to, isolate and mitigate suspected cases of Ebola within and across borders. They also recalled the International Health Regulations (2005), which aim to improve the capacity of all countries to detect, assess, notify and respond to public health threats.

Meanwhile, later this week 35 Ebola survivors will meet in Kenema, one of the epicentres of the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, to share their stories on overcoming the scourge and discuss how best to deal with the psychological aftermath, UNICEF announced today.

The conference, the first in a series of similar meetings planned over the next six months, hopes to involved people who have survived Ebola and are now immune to it, involved in the regional response.

Survivors will also have a chance to meet mental health experts to discuss the many hardships that arise after they recover from Ebola, including being stigmatised and shunned by their own communities.

“A key challenge that parents, care workers and many of us working on the Ebola response are facing is how to care for children who have been affected or infected with Ebola without putting their care givers at risk,” said Roeland Monasch, UNICEF Representative in Sierra Leone.

“One creative way to address this gap is to work with Ebola survivors who can provide these children with the love, care and attention they so badly need,” he added.

People who have survived Ebola often face high levels of stigma, shame and discrimination from their own communities. UNICEF says children are particularly vulnerable, especially when they or their parents have to be isolated for treatment.

About 96 per cent of the 1,400 households surveyed in a recent UNICEF study reported some discriminatory attitude toward people with suspected or confirmed Ebola. About 76 per cent said they would not welcome an Ebola survivor back into their community.

According to WHO, more than 650 adults have survived Ebola since the beginning of the outbreak in Sierra Leone.

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INTERNET SERVICE DISRUPTS SOUALIGA NEWSDAY UPDATES

Dear Readers,

Internet service went down at 5.30pm on Monday, October 13, 2014 just before Hurricane Gonzalo caused havoc across Sint Maarten/St. Martin.  This is why the site has not been updated since then.  Our sincerest apologies.  Updates will be forthcoming as the country is in clean-up/recovery phase.  Publisher of Soualiga Newsday.

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ARCHIVED - TO BE UPDATED

SINT MAARTEN - TS Gonzalo is nearing hurricane strength, a category 1 hurricane.  As of 2.00PM Gonzalo is now 65 miles south east of Sint Maarten with 70 mile per hour winds with higher gusts.  It is moving at 10 miles per hour and is now moving west north west.  Sint Maarten is under a Hurricane Watch and a Tropical Storm Warning.

Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center.  Current weather on Sint Maarten at the moment is: heavy rainfall with gusty winds; and one can conclude that Gonzalo tropical storm force winds have reached the island.

ARCHIVED: Sunday - As of 5.00PM Sunday, the NHC reports that TS Gonzalo has strengthened with wind speeds now 45 miles per hour and further strengthening is likely.  Gonzalo is expected to become a hurricane early Tuesday morning as it approaches Puerto Rico. The storm is now 125 miles east of Guadeloupe and moving west at 12 miles per hour. A hurricane watch has been issued Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.  Sint Maarten remains under a Tropical Storm Warning.

On Sunday afternoon you could see several vessels from the island as well as neighbouring islands awaiting in the Simpson Bay for the bridge to open so they can enter the Simpson Bay Lagoon for safe shelter.

In the meantime Fay north of Bermuda has become a hurricane with winds at 75 miles per hour.  This system however continues out in the open Atlantic ocean and is no threat to land. 

TS Gonzalo continues to track westward at 12 miles per hour.  Gonzalo is expected to move through the Leeward Islands by early Monday morning. Tropical storm force winds extend outward from the center up to 60 miles.

ARCHIVED: Sunday 2.00PM - The NHC has upgraded the Low Pressure system 200 miles east of Guadeloupe/Leeward Islands to Tropical Storm Gonzalo (TS).  The storm is moving westward at 10 miles hour with 40 mile per hour winds with higher gusts.  Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours.      

Tropical Storm Warnings have been issued for all Leeward Islands (St. Martin, Sint Maarten, St. Barths, Saba, Statia, St. Kitts & Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda) while a Tropical Storm Watch has been issued for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Tropical Storm conditions are expected in the warning area within the next 24 to 36 hours.  Gonzalo is expected to move through the Leeward Islands by early Monday morning.  TS force winds extend outward from the center up to 45 miles.

ARCHIVED: Sunday:  Tropical Storm Gonzalo, the seventh storm of the season could be forming just east of the Leeward Islands.  The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has already stated that Tropical Storm warnings and watches could be issued within hours for the Leeward Islands (Sint Maarten included), Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Hispanola.

A Tropical Storm Warning is more likely for Sint Maarten which means that the country could experience tropical storm conditions within 24-36 hours.  Expected conditions are heavy rainfall of two to four inches and strong gusty winds of 40 to 50 miles per hour along with very rough seas.  

The Low Pressure (LP) system which is forecasted to become a tropical depression or storm within the next few hourrs is moving westward at 10 to 15 miles per hour.  Residents of the islands are asked to monitor the progress of the system very closely.

ARCHIVED: A Tropical Depression could form within the next 24 to 48 hours as a LP approaches the Leeward Islands from the east.  According to the NHC, whether the sustem develops or not, Sint Maarten and the other Leeward Islands could start to experience gusty winds and heavy rains starting early Sunday.

ARCHIVED: At 2.00PM on Saturday thunderstorm activity and cloudiness around a Low Pressure (LP, orange X on map) system several hundred miles east of the Leeward Islands has become better organized this afternoon-Saturday, and environmental conditions are expected to become better organized for possible tropical storm development according to the NHC.  A tropical depression could form early next week.

A Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to visit the system on Sunday afternoon.  Residents of the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are advised to monitor the system closely.  The LP is moving westward or west-northwestaward at 10 miles per hour.

ARCHIVED: As of 8.00AM Saturday morning there are two areas of disorganized shower activity east of the Leeward Islands.  The closest system has a 60 per cent chance of becoming a tropical system.  Environmental conditions are expected to become more favourable for this system to develop.

Interests in the northern Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico have been requested by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to closely monitor the progress of this system as it tracks west-north westward at about 10 miles per hour during the next several days.

Weather watchers based on some of the forecast computer models are of the opinion that this area could impact the Leeward Islands as a Tropical Depression or Tropical Storm Monday or Tuesday and be prepared for the possibility of tropical storm conditions from Monday.

The second system is behind the first one.  This system has a 20 per cent chance of storm development and is several hundred miles out in the open Atlantic Ocean. 

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Governor Holiday on Constitutional Principles the Cornerstones for Mandate Parliamentarians

HARBOUR VIEW – His Excellency Governor Eugene Holiday delivered the following speech to incoming parliamentarians who were sworn in on Friday, October 10, 2014 for the governing period 2014-2018.

Members of Parliament elect,

President of the Collectivité of Sint Maarten

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning.

And to all the people of Sint Maarten I am pleased to extend congratulations to you and to wish you a happy anniversary on this our 4th Constitution Day.

It is also my pleasure to welcome you to this oath of office ceremony and more in particular I extend a special welcome to the 15 elected parliamentarians seated alphabetically on my left and on my right for whom this ceremony has been organized.Congratulations to each of you with your election to parliament. You will in a few minutes take the oath required for holding the office as a member of parliament. But before doing so I shall share some words with you on the cornerstones of your mandate as parliamentarians.

On August 29th, 2014, the people of Sint Maarten in an expression of their will went to the polls and casted their votes to elect 15 members of Parliament. We are in keeping with the provisions of our constitution, gathered here at this hillside location overlooking our nation’s capital, to effect the expressed will of our people. That is to administer the oath of office for the elected members of Parliament who have been elected to serve in the 2nd term of Parliament. According to article 56 of our constitution members of Parliament shall take an oath or promise before the Governor prior to accepting their function; that is before accepting their function as representatives of the people of Sint Maarten. The end of this formal oath of office ceremony will thus mark the beginning of the term of office of the 15 of you present here this morning. In taking your oath of office this morning you agree to accept the serious responsibility to carry out the will of our people. That is you have agreed to serve for and in the interest of the people of Sint Maarten. That means that you have accepted the responsibility to contribute to the good governance of Sint Maarten in the following ways:

  1. First, by lending your support and confidence to the government to allow for the management of the affairs of our people;
  2. Second, by holding that same government accountable for their decisions and actions; and
  3. Third, by initiating and/or approving the laws that govern the affairs of our people.

As such you have a central and critical role to play in fostering good governance on Sint Maarten with due observance of the principles of democracy, the rule of law, the principle of the separation of powers, the dignity and value of the individual and the entitlement of all individuals to the fundamental rights and freedoms, as anchored in the preamble of our constitution.

Members of parliament elect, these important principles are the foundations on which the constitutional order and governance of our people are based. They are intended to foster and ensure that we are governed freely, honestly, fairly, justly and respectfully  in the pursuit of the building of our nation. In other words they are the cornerstones for your mandate as representative of our people.

It should be clear that your individual and collective mandate comes with expectations, high expectations. And it is no secret that there are questions among our people in regard to the commitment of parliamentarians. To meet the high expectations and discard questions about your commitment you must have high expectations of yourselves. The law acknowledges that and as a result requires that parliamentarians must take an oath. It is against the background of that legal provision that you are here today. Taking an oath or making a pledge as a representative of the people is therefore a serious legal but also personal and public matter.

In that regard I will like to call your attention to the four aspects  as stipulated in the oath, which you are about to take. Accepting the function of parliamentarian through the taking of the oath is:

  • First, your solemn expression of your commitment to perform your function independently and with integrity, that is that you have not accepted anything from or given anything to anyone in connection with your election as a member of parliament;
  • Second, taking the oath is your pledge of allegiance to the King and the Kingdom Charter;
  • Third, taking the oath is your sincere pledge or promise to always uphold the Constitution of Sint Maarten; and
  • And finally, by taking the oath you unconditionally swear to always dedicate yourself to foster the wellbeing of the people of Sint Maarten. 

In taking this solemn oath you accept and agree to our constitutional principles as the cornerstone of your mandate as representatives of the people of Sint Maarten. In that regard there rests on you individually as members of parliament and collectively as the Parliament of Sint Maarten a great responsibility to represent and serve the general interest of our people and meet the high expectations that come with the function which you are about to fulfill. I therefore recommend that you use the oath as a guide in the performance of your function to  fulfill your mandate aimed at addressing, among others, the education, employment, health care, cost of living, housing, and crime challenges which our people face. And I trust that in doing so, that you will embrace our constitutional principles and that you will act with purpose but with reflection, courageously but with due thoughtfulness, deliberately but prudently, self-reliant but with compassion, working together with honor and respect to continue to build this our beloved nation Sint Maarten.

With that trust, I hereby conclude by wishing  you strength and wisdom as you work to meet the high expectations of your function, to help realize the quality of governance necessary to address the challenges faced by and thus improve the wellbeing of our people.

Thank you, God bless you and God bless Sint Maarten. It is with these words of faith in God’s guidance over our Country that I hereby invite you to take your oath. 

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Curacao hospital prepared for EBOLA

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao – The St. Elisabeth Hospital (Sehos), in collaboration with other (health) authorities, has prepared a protocol in the event of an Ebola outbreak in Curacao. The Pan American Health Organization, however, has recently found that the risk of an outbreak in our region is very small.

The hospital has been working on the protocol for some time now. This was led by epidemiologist Izzy Gerstenbluth.

In the case of infection, the person is directly isolated in order to prevent spreading. People who have come in contact with this person, will be closely monitored for three weeks to make sure they don’t get sick.

All handlers receive special clothing and must abide by strict rules. In the event that an unprotected doctor or nurse comes into contact with blood or other body fluids, this will be reported immediately to the medical service at Sehos. (Curacao Chronicle)

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