Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Confirmed coronavirus cases grow in Caribbean

Confirmed coronavirus cases grow in Caribbean

The number of people in the Caribbean who have contracted the novel coronavirus continues to grow with the Pan American Health Organization confirming Friday an additional positive case in the Dominican Republic and eight new ones in the French overseas territories, bringing the total to 12.
French Guiana is reporting five cases of COVID-19 while Martinique confirmed two cases. The cases are in addition to three previous cases — two in St. Martin and one in Saint Barthelemy — that had been previously reported along with a previously confirmed case in the Dominican Republic. No information was released on whether any of the 12 patients have died.

Dominican Republic health officials are now reporting five cases including a 56-year-old Dominican woman who lives in Italy and a 12-year-old who recently returned from a European vacation with his family. Both are in quarantine at home. There are now a total of 15 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Caribbean.

Two individuals who live in St Barths, or St. Barts, contacted the Miami Herald to say that the two cases in St. Martin in fact originated in their island and they are concerned about whether the authorities at the Regional Health Agency in Guadeloupe have the capability to determine who else may be positive for coronavirus after coming in contact with the couple and their son, who also tested positive.

The couple quarantined in French St. Martin spent a week on vacation visiting their son in Saint Barthelemy during its annual Carnaval du Mardi Gras 2020 events, according to the residents. After they tested positive, the authorities went to find them to place them in quarantine but were told by their son that his parents had boarded a ferry to Dutch St. Maarten to return home to L’Oise France. This occurred on Feb. 28.

It was when the couple arrived at Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten, that they were met by authorities and transferred into quarantine into French St. Martin, both of the residents told the Herald.

“I can’t stress enough that it has been clarified that the parents presented ZERO symptoms when they were intercepted at Juliana Airport St Maarten — no flu-like symptoms whatsoever,” said one of the residents who did not want to be named for fear of backlash in the small community of St. Barths. “We are very concerned with our health and well-being and that of all of our residents and visitors.”

The island has several well-attended International events coming up this month, including a regatta. So far, officials have not said whether they will cancel. Stores on the island, one of the residents said, have been out of masks, anti-bacterial gel and hydro-alcohol since discovering the news. Where soap and water are not available to wash your hands, the gel and hydro-alcohol also help reduce bacteria contamination.

“We don’t have a modern hospital equipped to deal with any type of a crisis such as an epidemic. The island is completely incapable of taking care of a huge influx of tourists during a time of epidemic, while protecting their own resident population at the same time,” the resident said.

Neither Dutch nor French authorities have released the names of the French couple. But in a statement released on Thursday in relation to the two positive COVID-19 confirmed cases, authorities in St. Maarten acknowledged that the French couple had been at the Juliana airport.

“The Princess Juliana International Airport implemented its infectious disease protocols with respect to the two French nationals who were isolated and examined at the airport prior to being transported to the French side,” the statement said.

Dutch authorities said they have been working closely with their French-side counterparts prior to the confirmed cases and will continue to work together. There is no need to panic. Since Sunday, Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs had activated the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in connection with the cases, the statement said.

“There are zero cases of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 on Dutch Sint Maarten at this time,” St. Maarten said in the release. “Our screening processes at our ports of entry have been stepped up in cooperation with the airlines who are also following their own screening protocols based on World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations.”

Possible transmission of the flu-like illness continues to worry health officials and Caribbean governments, which have continued to expand travel restrictions in hopes of preventing transmission in their territories.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×