Effective October 15th, COVID insurance becomes optional and St. Maarten residents no longer required to test

PHILIPSBURG — The Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (VSA), Omar Ottley announced that as of October 15, COVID-19 insurance will no longer be mandatory for travelers into St. Maarten. “We would like for this to be optional for our travelers,” said Ottley.

Also as of October 15th, residents of St. Maarten will no longer be required to test upon entry, regardless of their vaccination status. However, they will still be required to fill out the Electronic Health Authorization System (EHAS) application for data purposes. We would also like for this to go into effect on October 15th, 2022.

The EHAS project is slated to end March 2023. The project was an initiative by the Ministry of VSA to reopen the economy during the pandemic. Not knowing the extent of COVID-19 and it’s impact on the nation, the project was requested to have a lifespan of two years and possible extension for an additional year.

Minister Ottley would like to publicly thank all those who were involved in the project, especially the admins and nurses that worked tirelessly to ensure a successful outcome. St. Maarten is now in the endemic nature and after a thorough assessment, COVID screening will be removed from the airport.