The

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

in Sint Eustatius is part of the ongoing global viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was confirmed to have reached the

Dutch Caribbean The Dutch Caribbean (historically known as the Dutch West Indies) are the territories, colonies, and countries, former and current, of the Dutch Empire and the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean Sea. They are in the north and south-wes ...

island of Sint Eustatius on 31 March 2020. On 5 May all cases recovered. The island's first COVID-19 death was recorded on 19 January 2022. The patient died at the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMCC) where they had been transported for treatment according to the press release of the St. Eustatius government.

Background

On 12 January 2020, the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

(WHO) confirmed that a

novel coronavirus Novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a provisional name given to coronaviruses of medical significance before a permanent name is decided upon. Although coronaviruses are endemic in humans and infections normally mild, such as the common cold (caused by ...

was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019. The

case fatality ratio In epidemiology, case fatality rate (CFR) – or sometimes more accurately case-fatality risk – is the proportion of people diagnosed with a certain disease, who end up dying of it. Unlike a disease's mortality rate, the CFR does not take int ...

for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003, but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll. The island has a population of 3,139 people. The Queen Beatrix Medical Center run by the St. Eustatius Health Care Foundation provides the medical care on the island, but patients requiring intensive care need to be transported to

Sint Maarten Sint Maarten () is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. With a population of 41,486 as of January 2019 on an area of , it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the nort ...

. Testing for COVID-19 is also being performed in Sint Maarten, but due to the limited capacity, tests for people without symptoms are forwarded to Guadeloupe, which takes 3 to 5 days.

Timeline

March

On 16 March, the airport and harbor were closed to international travel from high risk areas like

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. By 26 March, there were no confirmed cases in the territory, with seven suspected cases coming back negative. Schools have also been shut on the island. Most international visitors are also currently banned from entering the territory. On 31 March, the first two cases were confirmed. The patients are young men from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

who arrived on 15 March and self isolated after arrival.

April

On 1 April, a €13 million support package for businesses, employees, and the unemployed was announced for the

BES islands ) , image_map = BES islands location map.svg , map_caption = Location of the Caribbean Netherlands (green and circled). From left to right: Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius , elevation_max_m = 887 , elevation_max_footnotes = , demographic ...

. On 2 April, it was announced that restaurants, bars, sport centres had to close and that gatherings of over 25 people are banned. On 7 April, Island Governor

Marnix van Rij Marnix Leonard Alexander van Rij (; born 25 October 1960) is a Dutch politician. As of 10 January 2022, Van Rij is State of Secretary for Finance in the fourth Rutte cabinet From 1999 until 2001, he was party chair of the Christian Democrat ...

announced that all non-essential business should close, in supermarkets a maximum of 15 persons is allowed inside including employees, and that Sint Eustatius will not implement a curfew yet.
Peter Glerum has been appointed as crisis management advisor by the Public Entity of St. Eustatius. On 17 April, a mobile intensive care unit was delivered from

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...

via Sint Maarten. The two positive cases were retested and are still positive. As of 19 April, 19 people have been tested and 15 people are in self quarantine. On 20 April, there was an unclear official statement that the number of cases went to 1, but it turns out that one recovered. On 22 April, a semi-permanent field hospital has arrived in Sint Eustatius, and will be used for COVID-19 patients in Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. The field hospital consists of six ICU beds, and is expected be operational on 8 May. On 23 April, it was announced that the person who was evacuated to Sint Maarten Medical Center on a helicopter on 21 April has tested negative. On 25 April, it was announced that in order to alleviate the economic hardship, the fixed tariff for electricity and water will be set to zero, and the price of internet will be set to $25.- from 1 May until the end of the year. The island will also receive €150,000 of food aid. On 28 April, Governor Marnix van Rij announced that repatriation flights for European and United States citizens stranded in Sint Eustatius were being planned. St. Eustatius started preparation with the Caribbean Netherlands Fire Brigade for a joint hurricane COVID-19 strategy.

May

On 1 May, Governor Marnix van Rij announced that the schools will gradually reopen from 11 May onward. On 5 May, all cases recovered. There is still one test pending. The island is under an emergency ordinance which will expire 15 May. On 18 May, the Queen Beatrix Medical Center gradually reopened. There are still a number of conditions, but normal medical care will be provided once more.

References

External links

* Consulytic
Dashboard Caribbean
{{#related:COVID-19 pandemic in Saba 2020 in Sint Eustatius 2021 in Sint Eustatius Sint Eustatius Disease outbreaks in Sint Eustatius