Travel report 8-6

Background: I am a property owner in Sint Maarten, from Florida, age 66 and this trip was to complete some remodeling of my home there. So it was not for vacation or a short stay. The supplies have been sitting on site since early July. I needed to travel now before or if the island might shut down again.

This trip was on August 6, 2020. Regulations are subject to change at any time. The only place in my opinion to see those regulations is on the Ministry of Health site, not the tourist minister site as she is not making the rules. And the people at the SXM airport work for the Health Ministry so they follow his rules.
Day of travel: Departure was from Orlando to Miami then to SXM on American airlines. At check-in in Orlando and at get in Miami the airline was requiring to see/check that you had a negative Covid test AND the online entry form from the SXM Health Ministry. The airline was looking for the paperwork but I don’t think they knew what it had to say. Flight to SXM was maybe 1/3 full.

Upon arrival you enter the arrival hall. First stop is one of 4 health ministry booths. Lots of people to guide you. This is where the check your test paperwork and online form. If you pass the next stop is the immigration booths to check your passport and immigration form. After that it is baggage claim and exit.
Now if your health docs fail you are sent to another line to pay to be re-tested. The cost is $125 and you can pay in cash or credit card. After payment you are directed to another line to wait for a nurse to administer the Covid test. This is the one with the deep nasal swap. (Not painful but a little uncomfortable). You provide an email and phone number for them to contact with results. You are told to remain at home/room in isolation until they notify you of pass or fail. Test result can be in 24-72 hours. They sent you an email right away asking you to take your temperature every morning and report it back to them via web site for the next 14 days. After the testing you are sent around to the immigration passport line.

After attempting to travel to SXM since June I have been following the rule changes carefully. I had done two separate test runs of tests and lots of research to see which test were actually done and how long. On August 3rd I had an rt-PRC test and a SARS-Covid-2 NAA test done (two separate places). The PRC being the one SXM wants. As expected the PRC test was not back within the 72 hours but the NAA was. I uploaded the NAA test to the island web site and got an email back in about an hour with clearance. Think it is an automated system with no real review of documents. The test did not pass at the SXM airport and I had to be re-tested. It was what I had expected and the gamble I was willing to take to get back on the island.

I discussed the test I had with the supervisor at the health desks to confirm what they were looking for. The test has to say it is an rt-PRC test, be within 72 hours AND not have the FDA notice on it. She was very friendly and kept saying it is OK you only have to be retest. I think she was just trying to be sure I understood I was not going to be sent back.

All in all travel to Sint Maarten is a risk right now if you don’t have EXACTLY the docs they are looking for. Both to your health and wallet. Everything is life is a risk. YOU have to decide what amount of risk you are willing to take.

Hope you find this report helpful. Regards and safe travels.

Thank you very much for posting your experience.

Are you still on island? Please post your experience upon return to USA, if you would.

Thanks for the update.

Question about your RT-PCR test, did it have the Emergency Use Authorization message on it?

Thanks for that detailed experience and explanation.

Gary--thanks for the report. Glad to hear you finally made it to SXM. Has your test you took in SXM come back yet?

Welcome back and thanks for the details.

Yes, that test as well as all the other tests I tried had the FDA notice on it.

Just got a call from SXM Health that my re-test at airport arrival was in and negative.
Less than 24 hours.
I am free to roam the Dutch side of the island.

Yes Ron, still on island. Will be here for 3-4 months.

Gary--Great! Glad you are able to get some things done there.

I am a property owner as well. Thank you for sharing your experience. I could have never thought this could happen. I have been an owner since 1990 and in my wildest nightmares could never have believed something like this! The Hurricanes were something I accepted as a possibility but NOT this. It must be a relief to at least have returned and secured the property. My biggest fear is a crime wave. Riots and civil unrest. I pray for my friends who live close by and hope this stays civil. The jumping through hoops for me is not possible in order to return soon. My blood pressure is very high and my health is not very good. Safe travels and let us all pray this will get better and not any worse.

Thanks GaryB. Very informative post. Where exactly on the PCR test result form is the FDA emergency use statement?
Thanks

Varies by lab but normally in the text part of the results. All the different test I took in Florida where clear and easy to read. But the FDA notice was only on the results. Never mentioned in any sites information about the type of test they were doing.

As of 8-11 the Health Minister has removed the statement about not accepting test result with the FDA emergency authorization statement.
So your test results CAN have that statement on it.

Gary--was there any official announcement of that, or is your statement based on what has been observed, that the no "EUA" requirement has been removed from the website?

Being removed from the website and acceptance at the airport might be two different things...

Correct. The "powers that be" are not doing themselves any favors with the constant changes and flip-flopping on what may or may not be required. There also seems to be a significant lack of communication down the line. Reading it on Facebook or other forms of social media should NOT be the official way to disseminate pertinent information.

I sent a message yesterday via the contact us on the stmaartenehas.com website. Still waiting for an answer.

Can't wait for the answer.

The requirement that if your test results had the FDA EU statement on it that the test would not be accepted by SXM has been removed.
See Ministry of Health web site (not a Facebook site or social media page) here: https://stmaartenehas.com/travel-requirements/
The staff checking the covid test results at the SXM airport work for the Health Ministry.
Not the airport or tourist bureau.

Been here 3 weeks and no issues other than have to report my temp every day for first 14 days via email notice from Health Ministry with web site link.
After the 14 days I have not had any new contact with them. :-)

One side effect of less tourists is that there is no traffic on the roads. But that benefit is NOT worth the cost to local economy.
Everyone has to judge their own personal tolerance of the risk of travel these days.
But if you are comfortable with that, come on down the beaches are fine.
Happy travels!

Thanks.

Yes, that is a good thing that requirement was removed.

How do you take your temperature? Did you bring yuor own thermometer does the resort do it? All we have is the old fashioned glass one.

Get one of those strips that you place across your forehead. Gives a quick reading.

Who is to stop someone from just replying 98.6 daily whether they took it or not?

Scubaman--absolutely. Ridiculous requirement.

Ya got that right. Just a big inconvenience to have to do that with no purpose.

Yep, another false sense of security.

And they are highly inaccurate.

LINK

We have one of those forehead scanners from Amazon. Easy to use and travel with.

Has anyone accidentally (or on purpose to test it) NOT done the daily reporting? Did anything happen? Knocks on the door? lol

A forehead scanner is much different from the strip type you place across your forehead.

Correct. They also have a varied degree of accuracy. Had to have temp taken this morning for a massage appointment. Read 2 degrees low. When I told the receptionist she agreed it sometimes did.. Lot of good that does.

Yep, and when this first started, some places (perhaps mostly outside the US) were using asphalt type thermometers that had a 7 degree variation.

While visiting a friend in assisted living, the person doing the temperatures knew daily if the scanner thermometer was reading high or low and usually 2-3 degrees off normal. I guess some think doing something is better than doing nothing but if the relative accuracy is not there, it really does little or no good.