Sint Maarten: No decision has yet been taken on the reopening of Juliana Airport and the Port

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The government has not yet decided when the country's external borders will be reopened to visitors and what health protocols will be put in place, said Ludmila de Weever, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (TEATT ) at the last Council of Ministers. L. De Weever also announced that residents returning from certain Caribbean islands will not be required to quarantine upon arrival in Sint Maarten.

Although the government has previously committed to disclosing the protocols that will be in place for the reopening of the country by June 15, no announcement has been made yet.

However, L. De Weever said that TEATT, the Department of Justice and the Department of Public Health, Social Development and Labor VSA are working "diligently behind the scenes" to develop the "best policy to reopen Sint Maarten to visitors and keep everyone healthy and safe. "

L. De Weever also specified that the government was still aiming to reopen the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) and Port Sint Maarten "in early July". She said that will depend on receiving enough test kits for the influx of visitors.

VSA Minister Richard Panneflek confirmed on Wednesday that health protocols for traveling through the ports of entry in Sint Maarten have not yet been approved by the Council of Ministers.

Although Juliana and the port of St. Maarten are closed to visitors, Ms. De Weever said that the residents can now return home in "repatriation" mode from: Saba, St-Eustache, Bonaire, Curaçao, Aruba, Anguilla, St-Barth, Martinique, and Guadeloupe. If a resident has stayed in one of these islands for 21 days before returning to St Maarten, he will not be subject to quarantine upon arrival.

If a returning resident has remained in this country for 21 days before the trip, he will not be required to quarantine himself upon his arrival in Sint Maarten.

Residents from countries other than these are not yet allowed to re-enter, said De Weever.

Editor's note: Should we interpret that flights from Europe and North America will be refused even if Juliana reopens in early July? No tourism this summer by Juliana?

“We are considering adding other Caribbean countries to this list to facilitate their travel to St Maarten,” Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs said on Wednesday.

(Editor's note: that means that if you have members of your family living in an island in the Caribbean, they will be able to visit you this summer, but if they are in mainland France it seems compromised by Juliana)

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