Official opening of airport pushed back for two weeks

PHILIPSBURG — The highly anticipated opening of the Princess Juliana International Airport on July 1, has been deferred to July 15, 2020. The Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs and Telecommunications Ludmila De Weever announced this at a virtual press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

She said that the original plan was to open up to the islands of the former Netherlands Antilles, St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, the United States, Canada and the European Union. However, because of changes that took place in just a few days regarding the United States, they have decided to defer the opening two weeks to international flights. “This was a very hard decision on the economy but an easy decision for the health of the residents of the island,” De Weever said.

The decision was taken to delay the opening for flights from the United States for two weeks. This will allow them to assess the situation. The minister mentioned that there are several protocols, including a PCR test, that persons must take 72 hours before boarding flights to St. Maarten. All the relevant information is online at www.stmaartenentry.com, and persons can upload the form, which gives the information for entry to St. Maarten.

^{The Government of Sint Maarten is continuously monitoring global developments to ensure the safety of our visitors and citizens. We advise to regularly check our updates pertaining to entry requirements and protocols before your travels. (Updated: June 30th 2020)}

On Monday, members of the Council of Ministers visited the airport to have a final look at the facility. “It is not that we are not ready to open but not ready to receive the high cases from the United States,” said the Tourism Minister.

Minister De Weever has expressed her gratitude to the staff of the Princess Juliana International Airport for the work that was done and the airline representatives for all the advice in preparing for the opening of the airport. In lieu of opening, she stated that the new norms are wearing face masks and practicing social distancing.

The minister plans to send out more information to the general public regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and the guidelines for persons wishing to come to the island. She indicated that government is also looking at ways to repatriate students and residents who are stuck in the United States.

The minister pointed out that her focus was on revamping the economy since the island is losing about 3000 visitors per week. She has confirmed that there have been ongoing meetings with the government representatives on the French Side regarding the opening of the airport to the United States. She said that if the airport was opened to the United States, the French Side was strongly considering closing the borders with Dutch St. Maarten.

** TRAVEL ENTRY REQUIREMENTS **

To ensure the safety and well-being of visitors and residents, entry requirements will be in place for visitors to enter Sint Maarten along with other safety measures at the Princess Juliana International Airport.
– Health Declaration Form: https://stmaartenentry.com/

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Relevant links:
Entry requirement information online at www.stmaartenentry.com