Are entry requirements changing March 1 or not:

Scubaman posted a link to the Daily Herald story yesterday about the nightlife limitations going back to 3 AM. I personally could give a rats' you-know-what about that. But then Minister Ottley says " The minister also informed the local population and the rest of the world that as of March 1, St. Maarten will revert back to allowing persons who received their booster shot or two doses of an approved vaccine, two weeks or more prior to travelling, may enter the country without requiring a test. Persons who have recovered from COVID-19 up to nine months post infection, will also be allowed entry to the country without requiring a test."

What the heck does that mean?? Is it possible he doesn't know what the current requirements are? Or is he saying that you will no longer need to be boosted to be considered fully vaccinated and thus do not need to test?? A little more clarity would be a good thing.

According to this editorial, apparently neither the Minister nor the Daily Herald, is aware that boosted persons currently do not require a test to enter SXM.. Link

"From March 1 incoming travellers who received a booster shot or two injections of recognised vaccines at least two weeks before will no longer require a negative test result and the same goes for those who have proof of recovery no more than nine months ago. This is good news to the dominant hospitality industry, but hardly a reason for people to drop their collective guard."

Seriously?

Typical of how this has been handled all along. Conflicting and contradictory information which adds to confusion will prevent some from pursuing a trip. Clueless from the way it appears.

I don't see your problem with this. It says that if you had a two shot vaccination then you do not need a Booster to avoid the test. If you only had 1 shot, like the J&J, then you'd need a Booster. Pretty simple to understand.

Is THAT what it means?? OK, I surely didn't get that from what he said.

I think what he is referring to by the “rest of the world” is that while nothing changes as far as The US and Canada are concerned, the rest of the world can now follow the same rules, I believe Europe still needed to test prior to March 1.

No, that's not what the current rules are. The current rules are that travellers from ANY country do not have to have a test if they are vacc'd and boosted.

Link

Don't know how to copy and paste that red chart, but it says travelling from ANY country, don't need to test if vacc'd and boosted.

Screenshot and upload of the red chart and accompanying text:

Thanks. I didn't know how to do that.

Hello Scuba,
So if one completed the two shot vaccination in April 2021, this new rule means they will not require a booster or a test to enter SXM?
Thank You!
Liliana

Liliana, The answer to your question is YES.

Obviously it's not so simple since your statement about J&J is totally wrong.

Today, in correspondence with Minister Ottley, the Minister of VSA (Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor) he confirmed after a direct question that the Johnson & Johnson single shot vaccine qualifies as fully vaccinated and does not require a booster under the new rules.

After March 1st 2022, if you have had the single shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine than you will not require a Covid test in order to travel to Sint Maarten. Booster or no booster, under the new rules no Covid test required.


** As always, Sint Maarten can change things if the situation surrounding Covid changes.

If anyone wants public, written confirmation than I can point them to it on the web.

Thank you very much for a factual analysis. As always, SXM continues to muddy the water and confuse people. People need to get this booster thing out of their heads when it comes to what is currently considered "fully vaccinated"!

SXM can continue to change things but they really need to be consistent and concise with things like this.

Let's all deal in FACTS and NOT opinions.

THANK YOU!

bdeeley and ruralcarrier,

THANK YOU BOTH!!

bdeeley--do you have a link to this clarification??

As long as it's within 9 months.

Again, a link??

bdeeley. Thanks for clarification on the J&J.

A link to what? The 9 months?

Quote from bdeeley "If anyone wants public, written confirmation than I can point them to it on the web."

Ok. Wasn't sure as you directed it to me. All is well.

Minister Ottley's official VSA Facebook page. The question was asked directly by me, concerning J&J and the rules change, and answered by the Minister's account in the comments section of the official announcement. This transpired earlier today when there was so much confusion over the original posting.


Minister Ottley's Official Facebook page

Here I am again why in the hell don’t you un tag your two top post snd show the latest info on the requirements to entry St Martin.

No need to. If you go to the link it's current. Nothing changes till March.

Why so angry? It is very simple, go to the EHAS website and click on Travel Requirements. You will get the current policies you must follow for entry to Sint Maarten. It will not show you proposed or upcoming changes. The link below will take you there.


SXM - Travel Requiements

Give it a rest.

bdeeley--I don't really understand how Facebook works that well, but I don't see anything on that page that states what you say??

Scuba,
We were vaxed 1 April 21, that means 1 May 2022 is outside 9 months. My husband does not want another shot. He wants to cancel now. The confusion here is concerning us. Are there facts to be had?
Liliana

Liliana--you have a couple of months yet. I wouldn't cancel yet, for sure.

Liliana,

Under the propsed new rules, the 9 months that is mentioned is only in regards to those that have had a Covid infection and the time since that infection. As far as being vaccinated, there is no mentioned timeline in relation to how long since your shots. That does not mean there won't be clarification when when the new rules are published on the EHAS website. No matter what, worse case scenario is you would need a Covid test, prior to EHAS application, which is quite simple. I have posted the relevant part of the Minister of Health's announcement and also a link to the official announcement on the SXM Government website.

**********
The Minister also wants to notify the local population and the rest of the world that as of March 1st 2022, we will revert back to allowing persons who received their booster shot or two(2) doses of an approved vaccine, two(2)weeks or more prior to traveling, may enter the Country without requiring a test. Persons who have recovered from COVID-19 up to 9 months post infection, will also be allowed entry to the country without requiring a test.
***********


Minister of Health announcement

Bdeeley:
Thanks for your clarity. We will take a test as we always test negative, knock on wood. Carol, as for canceling or not that thought is driven cancelation policy deadlines and not wanting to lose money. We will hang in there as long as we don't need more shots.
Now we need a vacation from vacation planning. Praying for this to all be over with. 😴
Liliana

Liliana--you NEVER had to get shots, period. If you're willing to test, there's nothing to worry about. (other than testing positive, I guess..)

Not to be argumentative, but why would anyone rather take a test, risking a positive (real or false) result than get the shot(s)? They're effective, free and safe. And they make the entry procedure so much easier.

That wouldn't be my choice either, but they have the right to make that choice, if they prefer to test, versus getting another shot.

And last I checked; people still had a choice in this.

?

But their choice negatively affects the safety of others.

I believe the "choice" question was not in reply to your situation but a general vaccine opinion. You will not need a test to enter...assuming March 1 brings what what described

OK, let's get off this topic and back to the original question.

Bdeeley:
You helped me on a previous thread, much appreciated, we leave May 23 for SXM. We got the J & J single dose last April, we have not been boosted. Our vaccination will be over 1 year old by our May departure, does that disqualify us?

As I read it you will need to be tested.

mstngal--I would assume we will know on or about March 1, as whatever the newest changes will be, should be announced either on the 1st or just before.

mstngal,

I would recommend that you wait 1 or 2 more days until the official policies are updated on EHAS. The updated rule changes take affect on 1 March, so they should be updated no later than Saturday, so that the changes are reflective for those people wanting to enter on Tuesday or later.

Their original announcement did not include a limiting time period from your vaccination shot/s, but that could change with the published rules.

Anyone telling you otherwise, "as I read it", is totally making an assumption and we both know what " assume" means.

If it is like the last change it probably won't be changed on the site till the day of.

Today is three days before March 1, and as of now, there has been no change in the official rules online. So I suspect that since it is now the weekend, that the official site will not be updated until Monday. That is, if in fact the rules are changing at all.

Well, IF the requirements are going to change for arrivals tomorrow, the EHAS website has not been updated. I did not see anything in the full Daily Herald about it today either.

It would not surprise me if they posted it on facebook prior to the actual government site. Great way to run things!

The original article anouncement was on the Government site.

There's an article in the Caribbean Journal today about the changes that are to take effect as of March 1st.

The EHAS site now indicates Travel Requirements (March 1, 2022).

LINK

I find it confusing as they mention a "booster shot" on line 3 but on line 4, there is no mention of a booster to meet their consideration of being "fully vaccinated". Perhaps I am misreading it?

Looks like only PCR test within 48 hours for unboosted or unvaccinated. No Antigen tests.

I think where is says a/o means and/or?

I think where is says a/o means and/or?

I wouldn't bet on that.

Agreed--What does a/o mean??

OK, now it has been corrected. It now says "Fully vaccinated only OR combined with a booster shot" more than 14 days old.

So, booster shots are technically irrelevant, so not sure why they are even still mentioned. But if you are 'fully vaccinated' you don't need to test at all. The definition of fully vaccinated is

"You are considered fully vaccinated with an accepted vaccine :
2 weeks after the second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer, Moderna, Astrazeneca, Sinopharm, Sinovac/Coronavac and Covishield vaccines, or
2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine, or
2 weeks after the second dose in a 2-dose series combination of a single dose Pfizer or Moderna with a single dose Astra Zeneca, or
2 weeks after a single-dose of vaccine after a confirmed COVID-19 infection within 6 months before the vaccination (to be stated on proof of vaccination in absence of a digital COVID-19 infection certificate).
the accepted Covid-19 vaccines are: Comirnaty (Pfizer), Spikevax (Moderna), Vaxzevria (Astrazeneca), Johnson & Johnson/Janssen, Covishield (Astrazeneca), Sinopharm and Sinovac/CoronaVac."

Closing this one now.