PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – On Sunday August 8th, the Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (VSA), Omar Ottley held an information session with the bus drivers association at the Milton Peters College, this meeting was initiated by Ms. Lisette Coffi. The Minister was one of the presenters for the session and delivered a message that could resonate with everyone present.
“I am not here today to force the vaccines on you, it is solely your choice” said Minister Ottley. The Minister went on to explain the benefits of the vaccinations and described statistical data, which compared the infection rate of the unvaccinated persons to the vaccinated persons on St. Maarten.
The Minister informed the association that persons who are currently not vaccinated and would like to be vaccinated can register on the spot. He advised persons who are not interested in being vaccinated for COVID- 19, to please consider getting regular check ups at their GP’s, follow a proper diet to build their resistance, do routine testing and follow the safety protocols for COVID-19.
Minister Ottley and the bus drivers association exchanged ideas on how to increase safety measures within the transportation industry. Ottley stated that he respected the fact that some bus drivers had taken responsibility for not completely adhering to the COVID-19 safety measures and he strongly advised them to do so moving forward.
The meeting was very informative and fruitful, said Ottley. We were able to get our message across about the vaccinations and also had a mature conversation on the pros and cons of being vaccinated. The Minister scheduled a meeting with the president(s) of the bus driver association for a later date, to collectively work on health protocols moving forward.
