Carnival 2021 in Sint Maarten was planned between April 13 and May 2, 2021, but the Council of Ministers decided to cancel everything due to Covid-19. Not just the Carnival but also the Heiniken Regatta, which was planned between March 4-7, 2021, at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club. Both events are essential for the country, especially for its tourism.
The Government of Sint Maarten does not think it’s responsible, taking into consideration its citizens’ public health. This decision was made after consulting with different vital stakeholders like medical professionals and the justice system. A plan for limited activities was presented for both events.
Still, in the end, the decision was made to cancel both events because even with limitations, there is no guarantee that there won’t be an agglomeration of people nor contagion between locals and tourists.
One of the aspects they took into consideration was the increase in the number of positive cases. They expect that this number will increase in the coming days and that it could worsen with the Carnival. The Government expects the community vaccination plan to start during that same period, so the authorities won’t have enough people to manage both events.
