November Trip

We haven't visited SXM in several years, not since the hurricane a few years ago. Question is, has the island rebounded from the storm, and what does it look like for traveling there in November with the Covid-19 virus? Interested in your opinions.

Thanks so much!

As far as recovery from Irma, in general, the Dutch side appears pretty much full recovered. The French side, not as much. As far as when tourists will be able to travel to SXM again, who knows?

I second Carol's summation regarding recovery on the Dutch and French sides of SXM, but the Orient Bay area was really coming along nicely with more beach bars and restaurants popping up until this COVID-19 thing arose. So, if your goal is to split time on both sides of St. Martin I might suggest focusing on the Orient Bay area for the French side experience, and the Simpson Bay/Cole Bay/Maho areas on the Dutch side. No one can be sure which places on either side will reopen after the virus has been cleared on the island, but the people of St. Martin are very resilient and my guess is that most places will be back.

As to when to plan your visit, it remains a guessing game at this time. With hurricane season lurking right around the corner, I would surely wait until mid-November at the earliest. Hopefully, another hurricane season will spare SXM and with another 7 months between now and then COVID-19 may have faded to the point where everything on the island is back up-and-running with only limited restrictions. Plus, air travel there should be back to some type of new normal. Of course, a surer bet for a visit would seem to be during the winter of 2021 and that's what I am presently planning at this time.

Agreed, Orient Village is looking very nice, or it was, before this business. Grand Case and Marigot, not so much.

Science and all health officials are of the opinion that if things calm down a bit this summer, another big wave is sure to come in the fall. This is exactly what happened in the pandemic of 1918. They are all saying now" bad in the spring, worse in the fall. This could be coupled with the regular flu then which will compound everything. I really feel it will be a long time before travel will open up to our favourite island destinations. It is a very sad reality!😪

Science would also say that the 1918 Spanish Flu was very different from the current situation. It was far more deadly, (including to the young and healthy) and testing did not exist. It wasn’t even known at the time that it was a virus-microscope technology at the time was not advanced enough. Fear took hold. Anyway, there aren’t many parallels between the two. None of us knows what the future holds, of course and there will certainly be more Covid 19 cases. Tourist economies cannot survive with no visitors, so economic need will likely lead to adaptations and innovation. It’s my opinion that travel to the islands will be opened up sooner than later. Hopefully for SXM and our Island friends,November will be possible !

Islandgem makes a very good point. However, what the second wave will consist of is going to be the question once summer winds down. The actual virus itself (SARS-CoV-2) will likely mutate to some degree in one direction or another: more virulent or less virulent. Throughout the summer of 2020 the hope is that higher humidity combined with greater exposure to sunlight (and UV rays) will begin to take a serious toll on the virus. If and when that happens, the likelihood of the virus mutating into a less deadly form is actually greater than the opposite happening. After all, a virus that becomes so deadly that it kills its host also ends it's own life cycle. The COVID-19 disease will most likely still be around this fall, but possibly in a form that mimics less virulent strains of other coronaviruses that produce symptoms no worse than the common cold. So, making plans now is definitely risky and I wouldn't recommend doing this without some type of travel insurance that covers interruptions and closures because of a virus. If all goes well, the possibility of receiving a vaccine in December for COVID-19 (along with the normal influenza vaccine that we all should get in the fall) would make a return visit to SXM next winter quite possible. It's okay to plan (and it takes our minds of this to some degree), but I would wait a bit before locking in any reservations or air fares.

We've come a long way since 1918. We're still planning on our usual November/December visit.

Agree. Things need to be partially operating by November. Really August.

If we don't get the economy operating at at least some highly reduced capacity asap, we are in for a harshly rude wake up call.

Very few , if any of us will be afford to get a ticket on the one airline that survives and still makes 1 flight a week to the island. Im talking after an irrecoverable depression that takes a decade to rebuild lost airlines, lost personal and corporate wealth.

We need to get back to working and traveling and if that all means we take a test at the airport and donning a head to toe tyvek onesy, n95 mask, gloves and face shield then so be it.

We cant take 6-12 months off.

That said, Those over 50 yo (most of us) need to take maximum precautions until a vaccine. Lots of clorox wipes and antisocial behavior.

Yes, we have come a long way Georgia but so have the viruses. They have become stronger and more lethal and more difficult to extinguish. I hope your November trip is possible, but since we are both considered in the high risk group, I am reluctant to make any plans for November just yet. I definitely don't want to be having to wear a mask and be physical distancing on vacation.😊

I was listening to a couple of doctors on a video sent to me, found it very interesting. They understand why everyone was quarantined in the beginning, and the frail and people who have underlying conditions still need to quarantine. But it is a disservice to the healthy people because they are not co-mingling with people and that is necessary to keep up your immunity to many viruses present. People talk about the second wave when medicines and treatments and equipment and vaccinations should all be better known, but the doctors in the presentation said that all heck will break loose due to no one having immunity anymore due to the quarantine, including young healthy people. I still think it is very important to strictly quarantine when you have multiple generations living together, but I also agree with the doctors that said get out, enjoy the sunshine, and start getting back to your regular routines so that everyone can start building up their immunity again. I have huge respect for infectious disease doctors, but they have used models that have not proven to come to fruition. So much to be learned from this outbreak, why some countries had so little trouble and others so much, why ventilators didn't do much to save people yet they were in so much demand, why so many people were asomptymatic yet the virus is present, and others got such a terrible strain. Hoping the world gets to know all the ins and outs of this virus so that future viruses will not lead to the total shutdown that existed with this one.

Well stated. The models have proven to be pretty inaccurate, which has been a good thing on one hand but not so good on another.

Thinking of a possible Nov trip myself but still too early to commit with all the unknowns still out there. Although the airline pricing would indicate a lot of demand, which I doubt there is.

I am also in agreement with Elizabeth with regard to wearing a mask on vacation. While on the plane is one thing but I would prefer a more "normal" atmosphere for a vacation.

Our flights have been booked for months, and our timeshare weeks are always ours, so we'll stay the course until something dictates otherwise. Hope we'll all be there enjoying our favorite spots!

See you on the beach mid November. We need our St. Martin fix.
Hoping it will be safe.
Stay well and smile. (It helps)
carib cheers,
doctorj

Same here. We have our tickets for July and our villa is secure with a deposit. If visitors are allowed we'll be there.

In a conversation a while back regarding making a reservation, , a very wise and fair-minded property owner once mentioned to me it’s far easier to cancel a reservation than it is to squeeze one in where openings are few and far between. Our November bookings are made and paid for, for both air and land. If I end up having to cancel I will but not happily. But when the time comes I will do the sensible thing based on conditions then. I refuse to live my life based on ‘what if’s’ when ‘why nots’ are far more to my liking. Not suggesting anyone else should follow my lead - merely stating what works best for us in these uncertain times.

Exactly!!

Thanks everyone!

You're welcome, SunnNC. Today, Gilead Sciences & Pharmaceuticals out of California (Bay area) announced encouraging results with their antiviral medicine Remdesivir (pronounced REM-dez-iveer) and this is a major breakthrough in the battle with COVID-19. Dr. Fauci has indicated that this drug can effectively block coronaviruses (such as SARS-Cov-2) though it was originally produced to deal with the far deadlier virus Ebola. It is part of a family of drugs called "nucleotide analogs" and when administered to a patient with COVID-19 disease Remdesivir inserts itself into the RNA chains and disrupts the RNA's coding, essentially interrupting and terminating the virus. It appears as if the FDA approved this medicine today, though I'm still searching for information. Clinical trials have shown when the drug is administered recovery for COVID-19 patients was much faster than those who received the placebo. This is not a vaccine, but rather an antiviral medicine that can shorten the duration of the illness. If it can shorten the time period that people are sick and get them off ventilators then IMO it signals the beginning of the turnaround against this pandemic. Plan to read much more about this tomorrow.

exactly

We have booked the first 2 weeks of November and have every intention of going if the island and airport are open. We booked our lodging last year at resort at the end of our trip. Airfare was booked several months ago at a good rate but if we waited a few more weeks it dropped to less than $300 per person round trip but that did not last very long.
I more than my wife am bummed out as we were supposed to spend the last two weeks of April and next week at Sanibel Iland Fla.