PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – St. Maarten will open on August 1st, 2020, to travelers from the US. The safety of visitors and citizens remains the top priority for the country. In preparation, site inspections took place at all lodging facilities to ensure that the protocol and guidelines in place are followed. With these strict measures in place, St. Maarten re-opens to jump-start the economy.
Within the hospitality sector, six-core measures have been developed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on the island including physical distancing with proper floor markings, mandatory face mask usage, social distancing of 2 meters, proper self-sanitization procedure, the appropriate procedure for cleaning surfaces, a stay-at-home when sick policy, and the digital menus and messages.
Strict regulations are also in place for travel to the island. All passengers are required to complete a COVID-19 (PCR) test. The traveler must receive the test and the result within 72 hours before the arrival date. No other test will be accepted by the authorities of St. Maarten. Visitors, with the exception of flight crew, are also required to complete an online health declaration 72 hours before arrival via www.stmaartenentry.com. Visitors are required to travel with a copy of their health declaration. Travelers are asked to check their spam folder if they do not receive email confirmation.
Visitors whose COVID-19 test is found to be fraudulent will be in violation of St. Maarten’s Penal Code and will therefore, be fined or imprisoned and isolated. Visitors with an invalid test will also be tested and quarantined at their own expense. You must stay confined to your accommodation until you have received your PCR negative lab results, and show no sign of symptoms, except if you have to get urgent medical care.
All visitors are required to travel with their masks, hand sanitizers and wear their mask during their travel. Visitors are strongly advised to purchase all-risk travel insurance, ensuring that they are covered in any unfortunate situation while on vacation. Starting on August 1st, Princess Juliana International Airport will be expecting the following flights. American Airlines will resume flights daily from Miami and five times a week from Charlotte, except on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. After August 20th, they will fly once a week from Charlotte. Delta Airlines will operate three times a week from Atlanta on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Jet Blue will fly once a week from JFK Airport, and Spirit Airlines will fly once a week from Fort Lauderdale.
Since June 15th, International flights resumed to St. Maarten after a nearly a three-month lockdown
period. Private jets, Caribbean carriers, and European carriers such as Air France and KLM have
been landing at the airport once more. This phased re-opening approach has been extremely
successful thus far. For further information and updates, please visit www.stmaartenupdates.com
regularly.
