EZ Air brings medical supplies to Statia, Saba and St. Maarten

An EZ Air aircraft touched down at F.D. Roo­sevelt Airport in St. Eustatius on Wednesday with much-needed supplies for St. Eustatius, Saba and St. Maarten in the islands’ fight against coronavirus COVID-19.

With the airspace ban extended, only medical aircraft and cargo flights are arriving and departing St. Eustatius.

A mobile intensive care (IC) department was flown Thursday on a special flight from Maastricht/Aachen Airport in the Netherlands to St. Maarten, with Statia as its final destination, to expand the island’s IC capacity.

With the mobile units, three additional IC places can he set up for the time being. More flights will follow later, Dutch regional newspaper De Limburger reported.

The mobile IC department was transported by a Russian Ily­ushin-76 cargo plane. The impressive aircraft was first to make a stopover in the United States before flying to St. Maarten, after which the containers will be shipped to Statia.

The purchase and transport of this mobile IC department are paid for by the Dutch Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sport. There are currently 11 persons in self-quarantine and two in isola­tion in Statia. The number of persons tested for COVID-19 is 19, with a total of 12 persons testing negative for the virus, whereas two persons tested positive for the disease. The two positive cases of COVID-19 were retested and found to be still positive for the virus.

Wednesday, April 15, marked one month since these two persons have been in quarantine and in isolation. Currently, the govern­ment is awaiting the results of three pending tests.

The public entity St. Eustatius is reminding persons with flu-like symptoms not to go to Queen Beatrix Medical Centre, but to call hotline 912 for assistance or further instructions.

The Daily Herald.