SBH To Reopen Internally on May 11, Border to Remain Closed

Le Journal de Saint-Barth is reporting that St Barth has been given permission to lift the lockdown as of May 11, and to reopen internally. Restaurants and bars will be permitted to open, but no details were mentioned as to any social distancing might still be required.

The border remains closed, and restrictions on flights will continue.

10 more days and counting!!!!!

I will be on the beach for hours, yes.........

Looks like Voyager is open for booking after May 11th. St Barths Commuter is requiring additional "paperwork" for travel between May 11-31. Does anyone know what the initial travel requirements entail?

Yes. Chances are that none of us on this forum qualify. I'll look around for the exact text, but my recollection is that travel is permitted for necessary medical purposes, family reunification (primarily students returning to their families), and for critical work purposes which cannot be deferred. Anyone arriving under these conditions must quarantine for 14 days.

Jeff, here in French, followed by a Google translation into English, is what was published in Le Journal on March 18. The SXM airport is also closed to most incoming flights.

[FONT=STselection !important]Partout dans le monde, des restrictions sur les voyages aériens. Dans nos îles, seuls les voyages impondérables sont acceptés. [/FONT][FONT=STselection !important]A compter de ce jeudi 19 mars, les vols commerciaux arrivant à l’aéroport de Saint-Barthélemy sont réservés uniquement aux personnes voyageant pour des raisons sanitaires, des motifs familiaux impérieux et des déplacements professionnels impossibles à modifier. Ces dérogations doivent faire l’objet d’une déclaration sur l’honneur. A partir du 23 mars, même chose pour ceux qui veulent quitter l'île par avion. Saint-Barth Commuter a cessé tous ses vols hier, Winair continue mais ajuste ses horaires, à l’instar d’Air Antilles et de Tradewind. Les vols privés sont interdits.
[/FONT]
All over the world, restrictions on air travel. In our islands, only unforgettable trips are accepted. As of this Thursday, March 19, commercial flights arriving at Saint-Barthélemy airport are reserved only for people traveling for health reasons, compelling family reasons and business trips which cannot be changed. These derogations must be declared in honor. From March 23, the same goes for those who want to leave the island by plane. Saint-Barth Commuter stopped all flights yesterday, Winair continues but adjusts its schedules, like Air Antilles and Tradewind. Private flights are prohibited.



I wouldn’t bet against Voyager being required to follow the same conditions.

Since the above information was published St Barth Commuter has taken over the 3 flights per week between SBH and SFG in St Martin, subject to the above conditions, which were being operated by another airline.

Kevin, thanks, I also sent an e-mail to St Barths Commuter, I will let the Forum know if they get me any additional details.

Anyone know the status of Winair flights for US tourists in July
AA still shows us flying NYC to MIA to SXM but cannot get status of SXM to SBH. And return

If the requirements for those traveling were to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, I think a lot of people would be willing to do that in order to spend a month or two on the island instead of their homes. One can dream of a summer on St. Barth.

FamilyTraveler said:

If the requirements for those traveling were to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, I think a lot of people would be willing to do that in order to spend a month or two on the island instead of their homes. One can dream of a summer on St. Barth.

Click to expand...

if that were allowed to happen, bet you would get a great deal on a rental.

Henry, there’s no word on when SXM will open to flights. As of now, the terminal building is “in hibernation for 2-6 months”, and the limited incoming traffic is being handled through the FBO. Only medical, freight, military, and possibly an occasional repatriation flight are permitted to land there.

sxm just extended their lockdown till may 17

Diana,
Does that imply that tourists can visit St. Maarten on the 17th? Do they have the same 14-day quarantine requirement?

At present, SXM has not announced a date when they will be accepting passenger flights. SXM currently has a 14-day quarantine requirement for residents who have been repatriated on a very limited number of special repatriation flights.

The border between St Martin and Sint Maarten is closed, except for those who have a pass, typically those who live on one side and work on the other.

KevinS said:

...Restaurants and bars will be permitted to open...

Click to expand...

...it may be even more difficult than before to ask patrons not to light up: French Scientists to Test Theory That Nicotine Combats COVID-19... reported here were their counterintuitive findings that led to this theory... Not yet a reason to take up smoking though...

dadto6 said:

Diana,
Does that imply that tourists can visit St. Maarten on the 17th? Do they have the same 14-day quarantine requirement?

Click to expand...

In my opinion, it would not be wise for either st. barths or st. Maarten to open their borders to tourists quite yet. with hurricane season coming up in June, the last thing either island needs is to deal with incoming tourists who may or may not be carrying this virus. some people with the virus don't have any symptoms, so they cannot just check temperatures.

Can you imagine that if they open the borders too soon and the virus starts to spread on the islands and then we have a hurricane on top of dealing with the virus, it would most likely finish off both islands .

what may happen is that the tourists will not be allowed into st. barths until sometime in october or november. sxm may choose a different route, but the wiser decision will be to wait until we are sure its safe. Mr. Magras is doing things correctly and I can only hope he will stay the course till the world gets a handle on this virus.

Diana - I agree with you that strong leadership from our government and health officials is so important! Hopefully Mr. Magras stays the course. I am afraid the virus will deal us another blow just when we think things are better.

Everyone stay safe! Masks and staying home makes a difference! :heart1:

Charlotte