the latest case from aug 1st was not imported but was a community spread from a lively restaurant in gustavia on saturday night (july 25th)
our experience of the restaurants on st barts is that some are taking covid seriously and are asking you to hand sanitize on the way in, and seating people far enough apart that distancing is possible, and having improved ventilation or seating as many as possible outside.
whereas some, like this lively restaurant in gustavia (dont need many guesses to figure out which one), was acting like it was business as usual. tables packed close together to capacity. large groups of noisy people having a good time. poor ventilation (no windows open). loud music. dancing. singing. after the meal is over, it effectively turns into a dance club. and clearly, these are prime conditions for covid to spread in the community, especially with the influx of visitors in the last few days and weeks.
im also concerned about the level of contact tracing and the time taken to achieve it.
each person who booked a table was called (eventually, after a few days), and told to attend the covid testing lab. but how far did they go in ensuring accuracy of the contacts? did they ask each table booker who else was on their table and their contact details? did someone check off who was there, who got tested and who didnt?
its a worry whether they did full and timely contact tracing, and that few of those that ate and danced and sang in the restaurant that night have been in for a test.
Very interesting, aerobatic. I have a suspicion of the name of the restaurant (on the quay?), but cannot be certain . . . in part because I’m rarely at restaurants with tables packed together with noisy people, loud music, singing, & dancing. There was a time when I might have been found there, but it was wwaaayyy pre-Covid. And I definitely was not there Saturday night! These days (even before Covid reared its infectious profile), I look for serene settings.
Tonight, it’s L’Esprit . . . there’s no one within 6 feet of me, & the most revelry comes when lights are briefly dimmed for delivery of a cake, accompanied by a brief blast of recorded festive music, to celebrate a birthday with a sparkling Roman candle. It’s fun . . . then it’s quickly over for the non-celebrants.
Tonight’s dinner, BTW, is exquisite! An amuse bouche of fresh tuna tartare, followed by the very best foie gras that I know, & some really succulent pink veal, accompanied by creamy risotto where each bite has a tasty crunch! (Great wine, as well . . . for anyone interested, it’s a 2014 Saint Estephe from Eclat Tour de Pez.)
Apart from rhapsodizing about great food, a beautiful setting, & the specialness that is found at L’Esprit, I guess that my post is meant to illustrate that there are wonderful, healthy-respectful alternatives to the nightmare that you described.