St. Maarten on schedule to re-open on August 1st, 2020, to the US, with a strict protocol

PHILIPSBURG -- St. Maarten will open on August 1st, 2020, to travelers from the US. The safety of visitors and residents remains the top priority for the country. In preparation of opening, 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 continues its phased re-opening. 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 in place for travel to the island as set forth by the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor. Visitors are required to complete a health declaration online 72 hours before arrival via www.stmaartenentry.com. Visitors are required to travel with a copy of their health declaration. 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 travel date. No other test will be accepted by the authorities of St. Maarten. Visitors who fail to provide a COVID-19 test will be tested and quarantined for 14 days at their own expense. All visitors are required to travel with their masks, hand sanitizers and wear their mask during their flight and at the airport. Visitors are strongly advised to purchase all-risk travel insurance, ensuring that they are covered in the event they fall ill while on vacation. As of 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 for 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 Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. 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 three months of closure to commercial travel. Private jets, Caribbean and European carriers such as Air France and KLM have been landing at the airport once more. This phased re-opening approach has been successful thus far. For further information and updates, please visit www.stmaartenupdates.com regularly. Source: sintmaartengov.org