St. Maarten will lift all its remaining COVID restrictions starting November 1, tourist officials have announced.
Omar Ottley, the tourism minister for St. Maarten, reportedly told the Caribbean Journal that visitors would no longer need to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test result in order to visit the island.
International visitors arriving in St. Maarten will continue to be subject to customary border and immigration checks, and health professionals will continue to be present at Princess Juliana International Airport to guarantee that tourists exhibiting symptoms are adequately checked.
“St. Maarten has done exceptionally well in its fight against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 COVID-19,” Ottley told the Caribbean Journal. “The country is now fully engaged in restoring economic activity, and one key aspect of economic revitalization is the return of visitors in large numbers.”
“At the same time, while we concentrate on rebuilding our Tourism destination, our work will continue to protect the population, including our visitors,” Ottley continued.
The decision was made at the request of the St. Maarten Hotel and Tourism Association, which had asked for restrictions to be eased ahead of the usually busy winter travel season. The island nation thus joins Bonaire, Curacao, Aruba and other countries in the Caribbean that have lifted restrictions this year.
“St. Maarten must remain vigilant and be mindful that before COVID-19, hotels and the island dealt with other transmittable diseases that were harmful to the economy and the people,” Ottley said.