SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - Party for Progress (PFP) Member of Parliament (MP) Melissa Gumbs sent a letter with questions to Prime Minister (PM) Dr. Luc Mercelina, asking for an update on the maintenance of the Government administration building. Gumbs submitted these questions due to reported issues by several civil servants about breathing and other respiratory issues they’re facing due to what they believe is the presence of mold in the building’s air-conditioning system.
Gumbs asked the Prime Minister to clarify who is responsible for the maintenance of the Government building, and asked for an update on the last time the building’s facilities department investigated and tested the building’s systems to determine if civil servants were breathing clean air.
“Large buildings often face challenges when it comes to humidity and condensation, particularly in these types of climates,” Gumbs said in her letter. “These challenges can lead to there being the presence of mold inside vents and cooling systems. I’ve asked the Prime Minister to share if this may be the cause behind the many complaints that especially ground floor civil servants have, regarding issues with breathing, brain fog and other respiratory-related problems.”
MP Gumbs continued by asking the Prime Minister to clarify what solutions were available for those civil servants who were proven to be experiencing respiratory complications, considering that prolonged exposure to poor environments would lead to delayed recovery.
“For some persons, the impact of breathing poor quality or contaminated air will be immediate,” Gumbs said. “For others, issues may develop later in life, long after they’ve left the building(s) they were in. This is why it is critical to continue to scan buildings, particularly after hurricanes or tropical storms, where damage may have brought moisture into the space and ensure there is no infestation that could impact our people.”
Gumbs noted in her statement that in the future, she advocates for there being an in-depth assessment of the impact of long-COVID on not just civil servants, but on the bulk of the country’s workforce, knowing that it can be the cause of heart, lung and nerve issues. She expressed to the Prime Minister that she hoped to receive his responses as soon as possible.
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