Border open

Border open and it appears to be without violence. Great work people! Hoping for January!!

Link

Very good news! There is hope!

So excited to get there end of October.

Fingers crossed that it doesn't change.

So happy. The closed borders policy made little sense.

I've been trying to keep up with all of the changes, so I apologize if I have this wrong.

For now, the French side is open and there are no additional requirements to cross from the Dutch side and stay on the French side of the island. Also, to make it into SXM and onto the island initially, a negative PCR test within five days of arrival is required. Does that sound correct?

Other than the possibility this may all change in the future, is there anything else right now that might impact our ability to travel in December and stay in Orient?

Here
is a link to the current requirements. You should read them and check back on them periodically to make sure nothing has changed. In general, the 120 hour PCR test (look specifically at the requirements for it!!), and you are required to have health insurance, and COVID insurance is highly recommended, although not currently required. You are supposed to check in by email every day, and take your temperature and send it to Dutch authorities, although it's unclear what happens if you don't do that. There has been TALK of requiring a second test on island, after 7 days, although that is not required as of yet.

CAUTION----- 1) the Dutch side PM is supposed to meet with French counterparts TODAY, so some change could come out of that and 2) Most anything can change at any time with the requirements, it seems, based on past experience.

As of NOW, no additional requirements to pass to the French side, no.

Carol the PCR test is 120 hours prior to your last departure flight to SXM. Not 72hrs.

"a negative PCR test within five days of arrival is required. Does that sound correct?"
No. It's 120 hours prior to your last departure flight into PJIA. Not arrival.

Duh, fixed it..

Yeah they swapped back again, it was 72 hours before the day of arrival, then it went to 72 hours prior to arrival, now it's 120 hours from your last departure time, they will make their minds up how they want to calculate it one day!

Carol, You mention Health Insurance. We have Sky Med - Does that qualify and if not do you have any suggestions where the required Health Insurance for
St. Maarten is available? We are in the New York metropolitan area.

Any health insurance coverage you have is good enough. Medicare, private, insurance from work etc. Just have to show you are covered for medical issues.

As Scubaman said--REGULAR health insurance. Sky Med is JUST medical evac.

Medicare does not cover out of country (USA) care...So I would not consider that as fulfilling the insurance requirement

This may just be an attempt to sell more insurance, but when I search for international coverage with BlueCross BlueShield, I keep getting pointed toward an international add-on called GeoBlue. I don't know if we really need it or not, but it was about $40 total for three people for the five days we're considering. There may be something similar for other insurance providers.

Medicare doesn't but some Medigap plans do.

ETA: As do some Medicare Part C plans.

From another website I found

www.insubuy.com

which seems like another reasonably priced insurance. And to the best of my knowledge, those of us on straight Medicare are NOT covered outside any of the fifty states and/or U.S. territories and the onus is on us to provide additional medical coverage when traveling.

Don't most of us on Medicare have a supplemental policy? I know I do.

Yes. We have supplemental policies too and have used it in SXM. You just have to pay while there and submit a claim when home.

Not if you still carry regular health insurance along with Part A.

Before I went on Medicare my regular private insurance covered us with a situation out of country. Same thing. Just had to pay there and submit claim back home.

I'm not sure exactly what that means? We have Medicare, and then a supplemental that covers pretty much everything that Medicare doesn't cover. I believe that our supplemental would cover us outside the US.

GaKaye you are correct. Just have to pay while there and submit claim back home.

I know several who are on Medicare but can still carry other or previous employer health insurance at a somewhat reasonable price. In these cases, not a lot of need for Part B and/or supplements. I have no idea on the out of country coverage on Medicare supplements.

We have Medicare plus part B along with medical though my wife's teachers retirement policy. We are in our 70's and happy with coverage.