Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

This Caribbean Leader's Blunt Coronavirus Message To Her Citizens Has Gone Viral

This Caribbean Leader's Blunt Coronavirus Message To Her Citizens Has Gone Viral

"I feel like all leaders should be talking to their citizens like this."

Silveria Jacobs, the prime minister of Sint Maarten, isn't accepting any of your excuses for leaving your house.

In wake of the threat posed by the global coronavirus pandemic, Jacobs ordered a halt to all nonessential movement in the small Caribbean nation of just 41,000 people.

On April 1, at the end of an hour-long briefing by officials, Jacobs had a simple message for her people about the importance of social distancing.

"We can stop [the spread of the virus]," she said. "Stop moving. Simply stop moving."

"If you do not have the type of bread you like in your house, eat crackers. If you do not have bread, eat cereal, eat oats, sardines," she said.

Jacobs told residents of the small island, which was devastated by Hurricane Irma in 2017, to treat the pandemic like a natural disaster.

"You're supposed to have a two-week supply for hurricanes, and at the beginning of this I said, 'Prepare your disaster kit as if you were for a hurricane.'"

She told people not to buy water or toilet paper but rather one to two weeks of food in the event of a full lockdown, which would mean grocery stores would close.

The prime minister said she doesn't want to order a full lockdown, so she is urging people to practice social distancing and remain home as much as possible.

"If the people of Sint Maarten do not adhere to the measures that the government of Sint Maarten is putting in place for your own safety, then I have no other choice," she said bluntly.

In contrast to briefings by US officials and President Donald Trump, which even some people in conservative media have found to be not useful, many people found Jacobs' straightforward tone quite helpful.



Many of the people sharing Jacobs' video are children of the Caribbean diaspora who could hear echoes of their own mothers and grandmothers in her address.




Others around the world are clamoring for her to-the-point leadership style.





Jacobs acknowledged that a lot of people in Sint Maarten are angry about the severity of the lockdown she's ordered, but she isn't backing down.

"Someone told me, 'You're starting to sound like the Suriname general,'" Jacobs said in reference to Desi Bouterse, the autocratic leader of Suriname who has been connected to the murders of opposition figures. "But it looks as if, at times, that is what is needed: a tough, hard exterior for people to listen."

Jacobs, who just took office in November, added that while many of the measures may feel extreme, there are unique challenges facing countries like hers. Sint Maarten welcomes a steady stream of tourists from around the world, boosting its exposure risk to the virus - but at the same time, the nation can only provide limited health care for its citizens.

"We only have two ICU beds," Jacobs explained. "That means two beds where a patient can be isolated and ventilated."

So let's all work to not disappoint the prime minister - because she's definitely coming for us if we do.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
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
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×