Like every other region on earth, countries across the Caribbean are doing all they can to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

As of Tuesday, Pan American Health Organization Director Dr. Carissa Etienne said there were at least 385,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 11,270 deaths across the Caribbean and parts of Latin America, making it one of the least hit regions on earth, the Miami Herald reports.

Etienne and other experts have noted that these relatively low numbers are due to the lack of coronavirus tests, but that isn't stopping countries from taking steps to slow the pandemic.

Earlier this week, Sint Maarten Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs issued a tough but firm address to the country, with many in the United States wishing they had a leader taking the crisis as seriously as she is.

"Simply stop moving," Jacobs said. "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."

This is Silveria Jacobs, the PM of Sint Maarten & her speech says it all. She’s not playin games!!! pic.twitter.com/EObJKnpm8j

— Amaka Ubaka (@AmakaUbakaTV) April 10, 2020

Millions of Caribbean Americans joked that Jacobs' tough words reminded them of their own mothers and aunts.

Girl, you me and every child of the Caribbean.

I sent this video to my sister and our cousins and we’re all cleaning our rooms now.

— Patricia Gillett (@PattieGillett) April 9, 2020

My family is from the Caribbean. She means business. And if you don’t listen, “you will feel” as my elders use to say…

— Willdog (@Willdog476) April 9, 2020

Her speech also highlighted the steps many of the small nations are taking to deal with the crisis as experts predict the number of cases to grow.

Jacobs, along with dozens of other Caribbean leaders, has ordered people to stay home, putting in place strict social distancing measures to stop the virus from spreading.

"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.' … 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," Jacobs said.

"Someone told me, 'You're starting to sound like the Suriname general.' But it looks as if, at times, that is what is needed: a tough, hard exterior for people to listen. We only have two ICU beds. That means two beds where a patient can be isolated and ventilated," Jacobs added.

Most of the islands have been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic because of deep economic ties to the cruise ship industry since all trips have been canceled, ABC News reported. Some people in the United States were alarmed when they first learned of the coronavirus crisis and the publicized problems with cruise ships repeatedly being denied entry into ports because of passengers contracting the virus.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the situation has left more than 100 cruise ships and 90,000 crew members stuck at sea in or near U.S. ports and waters, ABC News reported.

Anguilla, Antigua, Barbuda, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Barthelemy, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines all had less than 50 confirmed cases and no reported deaths, according to the Miami Herald.

The Bahamas, Belize, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Guyana, Haiti, St. Martin, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos and U.S. Virgin Islands also had less than 50 confirmed cases but have reported at least one death.

Three countries had 100 or fewer confirmed cases: Aruba, Barbados and Jamaica, with Barbados and Jamaica reporting at least three deaths.

Five Caribbean nations had more than 100 confirmed cases, with Cuba reporting nearly 400 cases as well as 11 deaths and the Dominican Republic reporting 1,956 cases and 98 deaths. Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Trinidad and Tobago also had more than 100 cases and single-digit death counts.

"I've been and I continue to be a troubled parent.

My daughter is in ground zero in New York right now." pic.twitter.com/8NljLbXU8n

— Keith Rowley (@DrKeithRowley) March 23, 2020

Most nations have closed all air or seaports and are forcing anyone who has arrived by plane since March to quarantine for two weeks. The vast majority of countries are ordering people to shelter in place and have suspended all nonessential travel.

Leaders are instituting a variety of innovative measures to keep people safe, with some nations only allowing people to be outside on certain days and limiting all car travel to only two passengers.

Some countries, like the Dominican Republic, Aruba and others have even gone as far as instituting lockdown orders or curfews and arresting anyone violating the measures. Many prime ministers have set up specific hours when people can go to supermarkets or retail outlets.

Migration between islands has also been shut down, exacerbating issues between countries, particularly with Haiti and other nations. Haitian leaders were outraged when the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic forcibly removed Haitians, pushing potentially infected people into Haiti as the country struggles with political instability.

Silveria-Jacobs

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