Curaçao extends lockdown until April 30

The lockdown on Curaçao will be extended until at least April 30th. Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath announced this on Thursday, reports ANP news agency. With that, the curfew, which is in effect between 7 p.m. and 4:30 a.m., will continue to apply and the catering industry and all non-essential shops will remain closed. People on Curaçao are also only allowed to leave their home or accommodation two days a week until the end of April for necessary visits, such as shopping or to see the doctor.

Although the daily number of positive corona tests has been declining since this week, the island is still dealing with a severe corona wave. For example, there are a hundred corona patients in the hospital, of which 40 are in intensive care. Nine Curaçao IC patients have been admitted to the neighboring island of Aruba, because Curaçao itself has more than thirty beds in intensive care.

Rhuggenaath again called on islanders to stay at home as much as possible and to register for vaccination. Currently, about 67,000 people on Curaçao have registered for a vaccine and 45,000 people have had a first shot. The island has more than 157,000 inhabitants.

This article is also part of our live blog: De Jonge: willing to look at AstraZeneca vaccine freedom of choice

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