The Big "What If".
- Thread starter TimHolly
- Start date
Divabella
SBH Insider
We were scheduled to arrive on Feb 6 too. We live in NY and were required to test before coming home for months now to avoid the 10 day quarantine. We were very concerned about testing anywhere but home. Our fear was being asymptotic and testing positive. Jet Blue made our decision easy as they cancelled our early morning flight and put us on a later one. We were scared of a flight delay and missing the last flight out and getting stuck in SXM for the night and then our PCR test would be expired. Too many what if’s so unfortunately we cancelled. Have a wonderful trip! I hope all goes smooth for you!
JEK
Senior Insider
I don't have all the answers, but here some facts to consider.
On-island hospital care is extremely limited - remember that expectant mothers must travel off-island to deliver. The Saint Barth hospital would send patients to a French system hospital in St. Martin or Guadeloupe.
MedJet does offer COVID patient return for hospiatlized patients near a jet-capable runway - not from Saint Barth.
On the question of treatment up to, but not including hospitalization, at one time I read of quarters for recovering COVID patients at the St. Jean sports complex. All the testing one reads about is drive-to and walk-in, but undoubtedly if one were ill other arrangements could be made. My guess is if one needs oxygen that would be prescribed at the Saint Barth hospital.
On-island hospital care is extremely limited - remember that expectant mothers must travel off-island to deliver. The Saint Barth hospital would send patients to a French system hospital in St. Martin or Guadeloupe.
MedJet does offer COVID patient return for hospiatlized patients near a jet-capable runway - not from Saint Barth.
On the question of treatment up to, but not including hospitalization, at one time I read of quarters for recovering COVID patients at the St. Jean sports complex. All the testing one reads about is drive-to and walk-in, but undoubtedly if one were ill other arrangements could be made. My guess is if one needs oxygen that would be prescribed at the Saint Barth hospital.
lvbookworm
SBH Insider
Does anyone have any concrete information about this? I raised this question in another post and didn’t receive much of a response. If there are official government guidelines regarding quarantine regulations, where can this information be found? I am still open to planning a trip, but I want to do so using the correct information needed to guide this decision.
Tiffany
Senior Insider
This was WIMCO’s answer when I asked about it September...
If you can't travel because of covid, we would roll your funds over to a future date of travel. If you're on St Barths and test positive, you are quarantined in place in your villa until you test negative (test takers come to the villa).
If you need some low level of medical assistance,you are housed in government owned cabins by the Sports Stadium in St Jean.
If you are in really bad shape then you are medivaced to Guadeloupe or Martinique which have major hospitals
If you can't travel because of covid, we would roll your funds over to a future date of travel. If you're on St Barths and test positive, you are quarantined in place in your villa until you test negative (test takers come to the villa).
If you need some low level of medical assistance,you are housed in government owned cabins by the Sports Stadium in St Jean.
If you are in really bad shape then you are medivaced to Guadeloupe or Martinique which have major hospitals
No plans for us to return to our beloved SBH any time soon, but I would check with your villa rental company again if you took that route or Airbnb etc. Get as many opinions & sources as you can. Your questions & concerns are certainly valid, and if those were mine too, I would opt to go in the future, right now too many unknowns & changing rules. And I say this after last week finding that amazing AA fare from SAV to CLT to SJU r/t 1st/biz class for $335.00 pp, no discounts or miles would have been used.
we have a trip scheduled for the near future....we will both have received our 2nd covid vaccine shots and will have the vac in our system for 5-8 weeks prior to arrival in St. Bart's. That's makes us feel good....but all of the "what if's" mentioned above plus other unmentioned "what if's" plus negative shots prior to departure, negative shots for admission back into the US and a 10 day quarantine upon arrival in the US will probably all add up to our cancellation. The trip is typically a fantastic "reward" but the risks, hassles, stress, etc associated with making the trip just puts one into a different frame of mind other than "I'm on vacation". We are very disappointed campers....but on the bright side if cancelling the trip is the worst that happens to us then we have no room or right to complain about anything. Hopefully next year will better....
sfbarts
SBH Member
We arrived last week and all was forgotten after the first glass of Rosé..... we have been coming for over 30 years and have never seen the island so busy - feels like Xmas week. Very impressed with mask wearing etc and feel very safe....
‘if you are nervous about the ‘what if’s’ you probably shouldn’t come, but for us this is a much needed dose of paradise. Hoping we make it home with no stories to tell but life is an adventure and reward usually involves a bit of risk....
‘if you are nervous about the ‘what if’s’ you probably shouldn’t come, but for us this is a much needed dose of paradise. Hoping we make it home with no stories to tell but life is an adventure and reward usually involves a bit of risk....
amyb
Senior Insider
I so enjoyed seeing your post, sfbarts. Keep having fun and I surely hope your travel home is uneventful.
didier
Senior Insider
If everyone thought like this Dennis, the world could be a much happier place.
I have been lucky enough to think like this 99 percent of the time. never let your fears stop you and as a famous person once said, you have nothing to fear but fear itself.
didier
Senior Insider
most fears are not unwarranted.
If one chooses to stay inside and not venture out because of fear, then one should just slap on an ankle bracelet and call it a day,
virtual prison could become your new reality as experts cannot agree when it will be "safe".
some "experts" say towards the end of the year, some say a couple of years, some say after millions are vaccinated, but are claiming the vaccine will only last a few months.
If one chooses to stay inside and not venture out because of fear, then one should just slap on an ankle bracelet and call it a day,
virtual prison could become your new reality as experts cannot agree when it will be "safe".
some "experts" say towards the end of the year, some say a couple of years, some say after millions are vaccinated, but are claiming the vaccine will only last a few months.
andynap
Senior Insider
Yes but age and pre-existing conditions defer to a different mind set Diana.
JEK
Senior Insider
I’ll defer to BIG DATA Izzy to answer what the experts are saying, or not saying.
I will say one’s perspective on this changes when you lose a family member to the disease(age and pre-existing) and have another who is extremely vulnerable. We have only seen our adult son from a distance since March. The current group of caregivers have been in his home 24/7 since October to limit any contact with their families. It is a sacrifice, but one we all feel is necessary. Not out of fear, but out of respect for the health of his housemates and staff. Hopefully the house and staff will all be vaccinated in February.
I will say one’s perspective on this changes when you lose a family member to the disease(age and pre-existing) and have another who is extremely vulnerable. We have only seen our adult son from a distance since March. The current group of caregivers have been in his home 24/7 since October to limit any contact with their families. It is a sacrifice, but one we all feel is necessary. Not out of fear, but out of respect for the health of his housemates and staff. Hopefully the house and staff will all be vaccinated in February.
ray1:
