Bonaire’s COVID-19 measures have been extended until November 1, 2021.

In the latest press conference Thursday, Lieutenant Governor Edison Rijna discussed extending Bonaire’s COVID-19 measures until November 1, 2021. For the time being, Bonaire will stay at risk level 2.

Here is a transcript of the speech from Lt. Governor Rijna.

The COVID-19 situation on our island is serious. A COVID patient has died two weekends in a row. We sympathize with the families of the deceased.

Since the weekend, we have seen an increase in the number of COVID cases, and not all sources are known yet. Public Health is aware that cases may increase. It is mainly unvaccinated adults who become infected with the virus. Today we have 120 active cases of COVID, and one person has been hospitalized. We may have to send patients to hospitals outside Bonaire in the future because we do not have the necessary care here.

Public Health is working hard to track the sources of the infections. Unfortunately, the department sometimes experiences people not wanting to cooperate in the source and contact investigation. These investigations are necessary to get the infections under control. If Public Health approaches you to participate in the source and contact tracing, please cooperate.

Together with Public Health, we are currently looking at whether the number of infections continues to increase and what that means for healthcare. After this evaluation, we will decide whether it is necessary to take further measures, and we will inform you about this. For the time being, we will keep the current measures until November 1, 2021.

I will mention some of these measures. A maximum of 50 people may attend private meetings. There is still a maximum of 100 people for events. If you are going to a sporting event, follow the rules during and after the event. Right now, we have to be extra careful and take responsibility. This way, we can prevent the number of infections from increasing. Make sure you live a healthy life, get enough sleep, and that you keep moving.

If you have not yet been vaccinated, get vaccinated. I want to make a special appeal to people in a risk group, such as people with diabetes, overweight, or people with heart problems, not to take any risks and get vaccinated. Let’s continue to take good care of ourselves and those around us.

Risk Countries have been updated.

Bonaire has updated the list of Countries as of September 27, 2021. Brazil, Venezuela, the United Kingdom, and the United States remain on the new list of very high-risk countries for the island. Haiti is included in the list for the first time and is considered a very high-risk country. Canada, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico are now also on the list for the first time, and they are high-risk countries. Some countries have been removed from the list because very few travelers come to Bonaire from those countries.