TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Results in from traveler survey

Thanks for posting Carol....... Very interesting read . Now all we have to do is get things settled down here in the States .

And there you have it:

59 per cent agreed with social distancing; and 36 per cent said they would wear masks near other people.

Certainly not enough of a percentage to keep the island safe.

Would be great if the locals would do a better job of social distancing and wearing masks too. I see far to many pictures on Facebook of people on island ignoring this.

We see those pictures too. So we know who and where to avoid. We have three or four places we are comfortable with, all outside and no crowds. And if a crowd shows up, we leave. I expect in the near future Bill and I will be back to self isolation.

Always somewhat surprised when I see that visitors would agree to a 14 day quarantine upon arrival. But perhaps that is just based on our travel habits to SXM over the years. In this area, you can get very reasonable one week package deals all year round, with direct flights. We always came for just one week at a time, although usually 2 or 3 times during the year. If you were only planning to stay for a week, how would a 14 day quarantine work? I guess those great packages will not be offered for a while yet.

Your 14 day quarantine would not take place at one of your choosing. Not a vacation in my book.

On a related note - A Facebook group has a current poll asking if PJIA should be opened to US visitors on 8/1. The current results are 211 no & 69 yes. The main reason is the poor job we are doing containing the spread.

Yes the U.S handling is the problem.

From the article, though:
“ 39 per cent said they would agree to 14 days quarantine at the destination IF THEY TESTED POSITIVE” (emphasis added)

I’m not sure anyone would agree to quarantine otherwise, do you?

Not me.

So what happens if you test positive but you're only booked to stay on the island for 7 days? Are you forced to stay for 14 days? Or do they put you on a plane back home after 7 days? Don't think that would work. Or are they expecting that all travellers are coming for 14 days or longer?

If you test positive you are quarantined for 14 days at a place of the islands choosing at your own expense. Not in the accommodations you have already. Chance you have to take.