The Dutch Caribbean island of St. Maarten will transition from pandemic to endemic status, relaxing COVID-19 entry requirements from March 1.
Effective next month, all visitors who are fully vaccinated or who have recovered from COVID-19 in the last nine months will no longer be required to show proof of a negative test upon arrival. However, unvaccinated visitors will still be required to provide a negative PCR test taken 48 hours prior to arrival or an antigen test taken 24 hours prior to arrival. All travelers, regardless of their vaccination status, must continue to fill out a health pre-authorization form as early as 72 hours before arrival at stmaartenentry.com.
To be considered fully vaccinated, individuals' completed vaccination date cannot be older than one year, unless they've received a booster shot prior to the ending of the one-year term. What's more, the booster shot must be at least 14 days old.
Additionally, as of Friday, February 25, all nightlife business hours in St. Maarten will be extended to 3 a.m. local time.
"This is not a hastily made move nor one to be confused with complacency about the situation. As we take steps towards normalcy, we will do so in a safe and responsible manner. With case numbers remaining low, our protocols have made St. Maarten one of the safest places to visit today," Omar Ottley, Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, said in a statement. "Declaring COVID-19 an endemic on our island is pivotal, and we will work for months to come to pioneer policies that prioritize everyone's health and simultaneously allow for easy yet safe travel to and within St. Maarten. We are confident that introducing these new protocols will help us smoothly transition back to normalcy and maintenance while welcoming an increasing number of valued visitors to our Friendly Island."
"We remain as united as ever in our efforts to further reposition St. Maarten as a leading destination and to restore our tourism prestige by adapting our processes to meet consumers' expectations and provide an easy travel experience to our beloved island," added Roger Lawrence, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunication (TEATT). "As we transition to normalcy, we will continue to promote safety measures to ensure a safe and fun environment for our residents and visitors alike throughout the transition period."
According to the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau, the destination's recovery is in full swing as the destination hosted nearly 30,000 visitors last month, signaling a 39 percent increase compared to January 2019 numbers.
Currently, travelers have many options when it comes to flying into St. Maarten, with major U.S. airlines such as American, Delta, JetBlue, Spirit and United flying to Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) from several major cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, New York and Washington, D.C.
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