COVID-19 testing before arrival -- but how?

This is aimed at US-based forum members...

The tourism policy that has been announced (and is very reasonable) requires visitors to St. Barts to present proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72-hours of arrival. From all of the research I've done in my region (Washington DC Metro area), it looks like the average turnaround time on tests is "two to five days."

While St. Barts is promising that test results will be ready within no more than 24-hours, and in many cases just a few hours, the obvious goal for both visitors and the island itself would be for us to all arrive with a negative test in hand.

Does anyone know of any major providers offering testing that delivers results guaranteed in one to two days at most in the US? I've checked through my concierge practice (One Medical), random urgent care clinics, etc. and all of them are stating that testing turnaround is up to five days -- which doesn't do much good here if the results arrive after you're already in St. Barts.

Hoping others may have already found solutions to this!

Seems the test on arrival and sequester for a day may be the way for most. I really feel for those who have weathered the storm on the island so far. Another storm is on the horizon due on the 22nd.

JEK said:

Seems the test on arrival and sequester for a day may be the way for most. I really feel for those who have weathered the storm on the island so far. Another storm is on the horizon due on the 22nd.

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Yeah, the testing situation here in America is unfortunate. Hopefully, the US dramatically improves testing turnaround time between now and our November visit that we postponed from May. It is safest for all parties if we know our results before we set foot on a plane. In a perfect world, we'd be able to get tested less than one day in advance and get results instantly -- I know that technology is available, but apparently is quite hard to come by.

I discussed with my physician at Vanderbilt yesterday and he told me it would take 24-48h to get it back. So doable for me.

Chipper said:

I discussed with my physician at Vanderbilt yesterday and he told me it would take 24-48h to get it back. So doable for me.

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I am very jealous! Everyone around here in DC is saying 2-4 business days. Everything is evolving so rapidly with COVID-19 testing, though, that it is perfectly possible that we'll have rapid tests readily available for all in the next 60-90 days. Just a few months ago, it was taking more than a week to get results processed, so we've made good progress.

Take the test a week before you leave and get the, Hopefully, negative results. And then quarantine. At least you won’t have any surprises when you test in SBH. Or at least less of a chance of a surprise. Test is 125€

I still feel that the risk of testing positive before you leave and the ramifications of that situation are being overlooked. What happens to the money that has been paid in full to your villa or hotel? flights that may not be able to be cancelled within a three day period? None of the rental agencies are providing any information that speaks to that scenario. Nor will they. They will not refund your money. Maybe in the next few months the risk of contracting covid-19 is smaller but what will happen in the Fall/Winter when the possibility of a second wave (with no vaccine yet available) is very real? I have brought this up previously in another post, but I am not sure if people are thinking this through. Real tourism to St Barths cannot be brought back until there are no restrictions to enter.

krand1 said:

I still feel that the risk of testing positive before you leave and the ramifications of that situation are being overlooked. What happens to the money that has been paid in full to your villa or hotel? flights that may not be able to be cancelled within a three day period? None of the rental agencies are providing any information that speaks to that scenario. Nor will they. They will not refund your money. Maybe in the next few months the risk of contracting covid-19 is smaller but what will happen in the Fall/Winter when the possibility of a second wave (with no vaccine yet available) is very real? I have brought this up previously in another post, but I am not sure if people are thinking this through. Real tourism to St Barths cannot be brought back until there are no restrictions to enter.

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No restrictions may take a while yet. I think what people have to understand is that the island is Covid-19 free right now, and that the population fought very hard to keep it that way since the lockdown on March 17.. we took it all very seriously. No one wants to be the one who brings the virus here and starts a spike in new cases. The hospital, while competent, is limited in size, and the best emergency doctor is off island until mid July. There are no specialists or epidemiologists here and the few GPs have no experience in treating Covid-19.

Even in France, there are still restrictions for people from outside the Schengen zone, even Spain and the UK for now, so the British who want to head to the Cote d'Azur this summer are still waiting with their bags packed for a green light to enter France: https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/ne...estrictions-remain-in-place-for-uk-and-spain/

Not to mention that the island looks like a war zone right now. There is road work of major proportions everywhere. It can take an hour to drive from Public to Pte Milou since the road from the Arawak statue to Public is one way going into town, and the road in town by the fish market is torn up. So from Public you have to go through town and out on the high road, then in St Jean you have to go around the back of the salt pond as the main road by the Eden Rock is closed for a few months to replace the bridge there. Then if you were going to Saline beach for example, you'd have to go all the way to Lorient and turn right at the Mini Mart and circle back to Saline as the road from Le Piment to Saline is one way at the moment from Saline to St Jean. So all traffic is heading to Lorient where the road is also closed and to get to Marigot, Pt Milou, Mt Jean, or Toiny you need to go around Grand Fond where there is still some road work going on. As well as a few other places where traffic is impaired by work putting in fiber optics cables etc. There are no visitors and the traffic is simply terrible, especially at noon when people are heading home from work for lunch.

Speaking of lunch, none of the luxury hotels are open at the moment, and Le Toiny Beach Club is now private for hotel residents only this summer. I think the beach places open for lunch at the moment are Shellona, Pearl Beach and L'il Rock. I assume Nikki Beach will open soon and perhaps the Sand Bar. Maya To Go is open, but not Maya's. Isola, QG, Santa Fe, Esprit, and Tamarin are all open, as well as most other non-hotel restaurants. La Langouste has been almost full both Sundays we have been there, with residents enjoying a quiet time on the island....

So for those who love Saint Barth and want to get here quickly as possible, please make sure you are not sick before you come! One solution might be to get a test two weeks before your travel date, then again 72 hours beforehand.... and wear a mask when you fly, then you ought to be able to enjoy a mask-free vacation without worrying about getting sick while here...

that's my two cents anyway.. I am sure others have other opinions, which of course I respect...

The testing after 7 days is a hard restriction to accept.

Elgreaux,
Please don't misunderstand me. I completely understand the reasoning behind the restrictions. I live in NYC. I am hyper aware of the devastating effects of the virus and the need to try to stem the introduction of it to the population of St Barths. I just get frustrated with the inconsistent messaging of "we are open, please come visit" with the but if you test positive, no one is going to give your money back so...It just seems to me that people seem overly worried about the mechanics of getting the test versus what happens if the outcome of the test prevents the visit from taking place at the last minute. I know I am beating a dead horse and will not keep hammering it. I understand how frustrating the situation is for everyone...tourists, business owners, and the powers that be that have to make these decisions.

andynap said:

The testing after 7 days is a hard restriction to accept.

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being locked down for another two months would be hard for the population to accept...

elgreaux said:

being locked down for another two months would be hard for the population to accept...

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:up:

elgreaux said:

being locked down for another two months would be hard for the population to accept...

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I completely understand but you're there already and we have to make a decision.

andynap said:

I completely understand but you're there already and we have to make a decision.

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Exactly, isn't that what this thread is about? The practicalities of testing for Covid-19 prior to travel to St Barths. That is the issue I am addressing. Being locked down for another two months would be difficult for ANY population to accept. But that's not what this conversation is about. The decision to plan a vacation with the possibility of that vacation being cancelled last minute with no monetary refund possible is what every tourist considering a trip to St Barths has to face at the present time.

krand1 said:

Exactly, isn't that what this thread is about? The practicalities of testing for Covid-19 prior to travel to St Barths. That is the issue I am addressing. Being locked down for another two months would be difficult for ANY population to accept. But that's not what this conversation is about. The decision to plan a vacation with the possibility of that vacation being cancelled last minute with no monetary refund possible is what every tourist considering a trip to St Barths has to face at the present time.

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Then why even consider it?

Why not just postpone until things are clearer?

krand1 said:

Exactly, isn't that what this thread is about? The practicalities of testing for Covid-19 prior to travel to St Barths. That is the issue I am addressing. Being locked down for another two months would be difficult for ANY population to accept. But that's not what this conversation is about. The decision to plan a vacation with the possibility of that vacation being cancelled last minute with no monetary refund possible is what every tourist considering a trip to St Barths has to face at the present time.

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Yes I agree with you completely. Visitors have to consider what would happen from a practical and financial point of view if one were to get sick here. Those who live here are facing the same issues, and worse case scenario we would end up on a ventilator in Guadeloupe after a medical evacuation there. However, what our visitors decide impacts what happens to the local population should there be a huge spike in cases....there are so many considerations, and yes the message is we are open, please come, but.... confusing at best!

krand1 said:

I still feel that the risk of testing positive before you leave and the ramifications of that situation are being overlooked. What happens to the..

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A positive screening PCR doesn't change disease status - it just makes the individual aware of being contagious, at high risk of developing symptoms within 4 days, are at a variable level risk of developing severe disease requiring hospitalization in the week following symptom onset. Yes, there are possible exceptions to this in the asymptomatic screening setting (mainly a false positive) but that is the reality of the person's situation.

Traveling is going to be risky for awhile. It seems more a question of how the risks associated with tourism are distributed...

Izzy said:

A positive screening PCR doesn't change disease status - it just makes the individual aware of being contagious, at high risk of developing symptoms within 4 days, are at a variable level risk of developing severe disease requiring hospitalization in the week following symptom onset. Yes, there are possible exceptions to this in the asymptomatic screening setting (mainly a false positive) but that is the reality of the person's situation.

Traveling is going to be risky for awhile. It seems more a question of how the risks associated with tourism are distributed...

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Exactly. In a perfect world, we can only hope to see testing capacity and turnaround time improve dramatically. We've seen a lot of progress on this front since Q1, so let's hope that we have legitimate rapid testing (or at least results in 24-hours or less) more widely available in the US in the coming weeks/months.

More and more countries are going to introduce requirements of this nature, especially as Americans increasingly become the international COVID-19 pariah.

We really need to see options to be tested with far faster results if we want business to return to normal in the US.

It does appear that other countries are far ahead of America on this. When reviewing a brochure highlighting COVID-19 measures aboard Ponant ships (a French flagged luxury cruise line), I noticed that they are requiring passengers to provide a negative COVID-19 test performed within 48-hours or less of boarding -- so clearly rapid testing is readily available elsewhere.

Unfortunately, there seems to be one other major thing that is being either overlooked or forgotten here. The reliability of these tests are crap! So many false positives (and false negatives) that someone WILL come to the island that has a negative test result in hand, but will be positive. Once the borders are open, it will come ashore, it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. We are booked for November, and hoping to actually be able to make the trip.

My impression is that the antigen test is 50 50 reliable but not the covid test.