Schools on Bonaire reopen thanks to vaccination of teachers

Schools and daycares will open again on the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire. Teachers on the island have now all been vaccinated, making it possible to lift the restriction, said Edison Rijna, the Lieutenant Governor of Bonaire.

Schools have been closed on the island since a lockdown began on March 18 to prevent the coronavirus infection situation on the island from worsening. ”It is important for the development of children that they can go to school to learn and spend time with their peers. That is why schools on the island are allowed to open their doors again”, Rijna said.

The schools will themselves decide the best moment to open their doors to in-person lessons. Social distancing will not be enforced at the primary school level, but teachers and students in secondary school will still be required to keep 1.5 meters of distance from each other. Parents are not allowed to stay at school longer than strictly necessary.

Vaccination campaigns have been underway for several weeks. According to figures from April 9, almost six thousand people have been vaccinated once, two thousand of which have also had their second shot of a two-dose vaccine. In total, almost ten thousand adults, out of a total population of more than twenty thousand people, have signed up to receive the vaccine.

On Sunday, 109 coronavirus infections were registered on Bonaire. Ten coronavirus patients are in hospital, including four in intensive care, reported Nu.nl. In addition, two coronavirus patients from Bonaire are being treated in hospitals in Aruba and five in Colombia.