TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Airport reopening to US postponed for two weeks

I understood he worked at a salon I just wonder what his clients had to do to enter. The no blow dry confused me.

Can you get a test if you have no symptoms?

Yes, although that may very by testing site, but you should have somewhere in your area that has asymptomatic testing.

Its going to be a long time I am afraid before we get in an airplane let alone returning to St Martin.It just is not logical with no vaccine.It is all going to just start again with out a miracle.

Not very easy on our state.

I hoping that my primary care physician will be able to arrange for a test before my trip in January

Anyone traveling first week of airport opening? We were suppose to travel July 3rd but still not sure if we should go. We can get the rapid test within 3 days

Let's hope you don't need it by then.

we are scheduled for July 16 and our friends on the 13th.

Have you looked into what will be required when you return to the US? Are our borders even open yet?

That's the grey area. Haven't seen what those requirements are.

Currently, we are working on a US alternative. Worse case scenario is that we stay domestic and we have AA and Airbnb credit.

Not to make a stupid comment, but would the airlines take you down island if you weren't allowed to return? Presumably, that would mean the pilots and flight attendants couldn't return either unless the flight down was repatriation flight??

First commercial flight from the United States into St. Maarten since COVID-19 shutdown is scheduled for Thursday, July 2, 2020.

The Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta, Georgia, is expected to bring 75 passengers to the destination. However, this may change due to government's new requirement of a negative PCR test.

Travelers must receive the test results at least 72 hours before travel to the destination. (Further explanation: Travelers do not need to take the test 72 hours prior to travel. Travelers must have results in hand no less than 72 hours before travel.)

(Source: Govt. of St. Maarten via the Council of Ministers Press Briefing on Wednesday, June 24, 2020)

Did they change the rules again today? As the previous rule was that the results had to be no MORE than 72 hours before travel.

A lot can happen from the time you take that test to getting results during that 72 hour window and boarding the plane. No guarantees that within that time you haven't been infected and are now a positive carrier.

That cuts the time down considerably for us west coast travelers with an overnight flight schedule.

Probably what she meant, but that is exactly what she said today. I heard her. This is a transcript.

That is definitely NOT what the TEATT minister said yesterday. That is a major change, and makes ZERO sense. To say the test has to be MORE than 72 hours before, you could get one this month and travel in November and that is definitely more than 72 hours in advance!!

But it is what she said today. Total confusion, everyone scratching their heads.

I listened to Minister de Weever yesterday on Island92, and I'm listening to a replay of today's press conference right now. What Prime Minister Jacobs just said (beginning around 26:30 into the replay) is, as has been mentioned by others, very different from what Minister De Weever said.

If I must receive the test results at least 72 hours before travel (Prime Minister Jacobs) then I could get tested today, and travel in July.

If I must receive the test results within 72 hours of travel (Minister de Weever), that makes more sense. I could get tested on Monday, get the results on Thursday, and fly on Saturday or Sunday - but no later than Sunday.

I expect that there will be further clarification.

I wonder whether the PM is confused, OR whether this is ANOTHER policy change, since last Friday, in which they stated that the Covid 19 test was 'recommended'. This change makes no sense. Everyone admits that a negative test result is good ONLY for that exact moment and the further it is in time from when the test was taken, the more likely that the person will get infected after the test. Why even require a test at all then?

Probably not. I wasn't suggesting you'd get there and not be able to get home, just that there's more to this equation than what SXM allows.

We just cancelled our Airbnb since we were about to charged for the final amount. We will hold onto our flights for now. Hopefully, there will be more clarity, ie an official document, on the required testing. It doesn't make me extremely comfortable that everything we are reading is either on FB or here, and not from an official government website. It will also give us more time to see what the US re-entry requirements are.


Also, we will be able to see how the first 5-7 days goes with the entry procedures. If all goes well, it will be easy to pick up either our Airbnb or another similar one.

I'm surprised there has been nothing in the Daily Herald in the past few days regarding this. This morning, I have not been able to get to the DH page.

Has anyone seen anything with clarification regarding the PM's statement yesterday that the Covid test had to be OLDER than 72 hours?

The DH has not been available all morning for me either. Official clarification would be nice.

I've only been able to bring the main page up and there are no stories listed on the main page about the reopening.

Same here.

To keep the confusion going, Minister de Weever, later in the Q+A period of the same press conference (around 1:04:00) essentially repeated what she said in the Island92 interview - within 72 hours. As a late arrival to the press conference, she was likely unaware of Prime Minister Jacobs phrasing.

OK, to me that means that either the PM was confused or just mis-spoke.

The Daily Herald

Dear e-subscribers and other readers. We are currently experiencing technical difficulties with our website, but hope to restore full online service within short. Thank you for your patience

Still not working but lots of their articles can be found on their Facebook with full text posted.

...which is a violation of copyright laws...

It's posted on their own Facebook page so no copyright laws are broken.

For those on Facebook here is their page.
https://www.facebook.com/heraldsxm/

OK, good, but your note certainly didn't give the impression that it was their own page..

I just edited it to include "their".

thanks

The Herald is up and running again.

To anyone flying American Airlines to SXM, as of July 1st, they will no longer be limiting seat capacity to maintain social distancing. All seats will be available and your flight might be full.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...lock-seats-social-distancing/3262862001/

That is a risk and a decision passengers will have to make if they elect to fly with AA. I look for other airlines to follow the same path.