TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin French Couple Taken off Airport/Checked for Coronavirus

I'm not usually a conspiracy theorist, but this smells of someone with a grudge. A "tip", no symptoms....

Very well could be.

Yes, very weird.

That was a strange event....

I would wonder if they mentioned not feeling well at some point to pharmacy, hotel, villa, taxi driver and why looking/feeling better as they travelled.

That wiuld be pretty dirty trick although in the 90s we had the airlines put passwords on our reservations to prevent competitors from calling up and learning/changing/cancelling them.

Pure speculation until details are published.

It's nice that SXM have taken preventative steps but let's be realistic. No symptoms showing. Expect more of this at other airports as the Media perpetuates this hysteria.

Hopefully more details will be provided about this. There must be some underlying reason behind their actions. Did one of them sneeze and freak out the people around them? We arrive on Tuesday and I'm going to do my best to look "extra healthy" when and after we land.

I see a family of 5 was removed from a Canadian flight because another passenger complained the young daughter was coughing. Paranoia setting in.

OH Great! I have post nasal drip and I'm always coughing. Now someone might think I have Coronavirus?

Nothing would surprise me.

I'll let you know in a little over a week if they stop me from coming to SXM!!!

Same here as I will hopefully be there a week from today.

If we get quarantined I'll get to know you better rural carrier lol.

I personally think, and I might be wrong, this Coronavirus has been blown out of proportion. In 2017 in the U.S.A. according to the official data from CDC, there have been 61000, read sixtyonethousand, deaths related to the "common" Flu!

This coronavirus has killed less people than the flu but has a higher mortality rate. 2% vs 0.095%. And that 2% is likely low because we can’t trust the numbers from China.

Arriving TOMORROW!!!! Yipee!

SXM News
"Coronavirus: three confirmed cases in the northern islands. Three cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed as positive in the northern islands by the Pasteur laboratory in Guadeloupe, which is now able to carry out the analyzes. He is a resident of Saint Barthélemy and his parents who came to visit, says ARS in a press release.

AGAIN, what don't you understand about not copying and pasting a whole news article?? Remainder of post deleted. Carol Hill

Same article in Herald.
https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islan...-in-st-barths-two-in-st-martin-suspected

It is one thing to have this in N.Y. where hospitals are prepared for something like Covid-19 but St. Barts! St. Maarten/ St. Martin hospitals if overwhelmed by this kind of virus would not be able to function.

Maybe the hysteria may have been well placed? Are the two in SXM the STB patient’s parents stopped at the airport?

No one knows where this goes but the attempt at containment is wise until corona vaccines are around for the masses to be another thing we can all get for free at Walgreens.

It seems to be easier to spread even without symptoms as those folks can have a heavy viral load that sheds.

Folks worldwide need to accept the quarantine inconvenience.

Ive heard some say let it go its just the flu or less. We dont really know that. And if 2.5% of the entire US population dies that 7 million people.

If you sick go to doctor and get cultured and stay home for as long as necessary.

I have 4 biz trips in next 5 weeks and thinking of having web mtgs instead. Nowhere good anyway.

I agree with you especially if they need to intubate patients who develop pneumonia from the corona virus. Do they have enough equipment and beds etc. I just arrived home from St. Maarten yesterday and its good to be home where I know the hospitals here are prepared for this virus.

I really don't believe that hysteria helps anything, because it leads to overreactions which in most cases don't work to contain the spread of a virus. But, I do agree that everyone should realize that the possibility of quarantine is a reality and that adequate measures to deal with this should be considered if that occurs. If an outbreak occurs on St. Martin that is extensive enough those of us visiting in the upcoming month(s) could possibly be looking at quarantine measures when we return to the states, Canada, wherever. I think this is unlikely, but nonetheless a possibility. Planning for this remote possibility would be a smart step.

The good news is that 86% of the people who have contacted this virus have a mild form of this. Equivalent to a mild influenza or even a cold. The people most at risk will be those who are immuno-compromised to various degrees, and possibly those with existing upper respiratory illness. We are not going to amend or postpone our upcoming visit to St. Martin based on what we know at the present time. But, I suppose I would think twice about getting on a cruise ship at this time based on the reactions coming forth from various countries. I would likely re-book for another time. A corona virus like this one should obviously be taken seriously, but it's important to remember that stuff like this makes sensational headlines on the news and stokes our innermost fears that leads to the assumption "what if it's me?"

I am not trying to promote panic, hysteria or overreaction but when I see something that is newsworthy for the island, this forum and the people who use it, I try to post a link to it and let people decide for themselves. Hysteria absolutely does not help anything.

For those of us who read and contribute to this forum, I believe most of us are very grateful for the information posted on here. That's why we come to this forum. In my opinion, it's really the news media that often blows things far out of proportion and causes anxiety and fear to build within people. I truly despise the term 'fake news', because the news media plays a vital role in keeping the public informed. But, they sometimes 'overcook the goose' and perpetuate the negative side of things as opposed to presenting the entire story. My hope is exactly what ruralcarrier pointed to above ... that people will look into things further and decide for themselves whether to keep with their plans to visit St. Martin, or choose to do so at another time. I've been going to the websites for the Center of Infectious Diseases (CIDRAP) and the CDC website to gain information about COVID-19, and I believe it helps learning as much as you can before making a decision about cancelling upcoming plans.

Very well stated.

Wow, what 35 days has done to this bag of viewpoints on/about the 1st of March.

So incredible how the world has changed...we were enjoying el Zafiro and the Heineken Regatta last month at this time...

We hear you. A month ago we were having breakfast at the yacht club and walking Simpson Bay Beach with drinks at Karacter's.Not a Care in the World.We left on March 8th.

We left on March 11th. Got home on 12th. Then all HELL broke loose. We felt the same way. Not a care. It was a wonderful vacation. We had been there in December as well. I have the Sunset Beach Cam on every day to watch the beautiful waves. Unreal.