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Le Pélican Saint-Martin
t7Stpoansomored ·
Border checks maintained until October 1st

ARS has asked the Northern Islands Prefect to maintain border controls for another two weeks, until October 1st. A decision ′′ worth it given the efforts we have made ′′ and made to achieve a ′′ downward phase ′′ in the epidemic. Sylvie Feucher explains the situation.

Great. This news comes on the 14th.. We are scheduled to fly out on October 2nd. We could spend the money to get tested, only to find out afterward that it was a waste. I'm sick of this crap!!!!

freedomfighter--I get you. This needs to stop. There will be nothing left of the island's economy if this stuff continues..

If they can decide to do something different than France dictates they need to do so.
Humans are humans and it does not matter what your passport says.
Negative humans are equal.
For those happy with the border blocks and keeping negative tested Americans out the argument makes no sense.
For those fearful, isolate yourselves, but let the vast younger population live/make a living.
Negative testing prior to departure and on arrival is a sensible approach.
Those who pop positive go into quarantine.
Those who Don’t enjoy a vacation and keep folks employed

Border controls will remain
in place until October 1, 2020

MARIGOT—Border controls to French St. Martin will remain in place until October 1, Préfète Déléguée Sylvie Feucher confirmed at a press conference Monday afternoon, following a meeting earlier in the day with Préfecture, Collectivite representatives and regional health agency ARS Director General, Valérie Denux, on the health situation. Denux specifically insisted on the extension.
ARS assistant director Jean-Francois Cayet indicated the health situation is still very concerning although there are signs the second wave has hit a peak and the curve is flattening. He said efforts need to be “doubled”.
Currently there are 117 active cases in St. Martin bringing total confirmed cases since the epidemic began to 334. Some 75 new cases have been registered since the last report. In total, 21 persons are hospitalised, including three St. Martiners n the Guadeloupe Hospital.
Cayet said capacity in the Guadeloupe hospital is saturated with all 20 beds in the intensive care unit (ICU) in use. More beds are to be made available. He did not have the current COVID-19 figures for Guadeloupe to hand but there are clusters.
One item of good news coming out of the press conference was that rapid antigen testing has been requested by the ARS for St. Martin as a priority. It is currently being tested in Paris and maybe available in St. Martin in as little as two weeks, Préféte Feucher said.
The whole process from testing to the result takes about 30 minutes. Cayet disclosed another free polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing campaign will be starting from October 10.
ARS representatives will be meeting with their Dutch side counterparts on Tuesday to discuss joint testing, it was also disclosed.
Feucher said the following two weeks will be focused on continuing to bring the number of cases down. She added requests for “chômage partiel” (part-time working) has also gone down indicating a slight recovery in the economy.
Asked by the Daily Herald if the October 1 date could be extended to October 15 if there is little improvement, she said emphatically “No,” suggesting the next two weeks could be a last concerted push to bring cases down before the tourism season starts.
That is not likely to be any consolation for protest organisers such as Soualiga United which has signalled its intention to react vigorously if the border controls are not lifted today Wednesday.
“To open the border now is to throw away all the good work the health professionals have been doing to slow spread of the virus,” she insisted. “A free circulation will result in more cases and more deaths. And then how will the population react? It’s a very difficult decision to make. Opening the border now also has the risk of the Préfet of Guadeloupe severely restricting travel between the French islands, Paris and St. Martin. That can make the economic situation even worse for St. Martin.”
Asked how prepared she was for trouble based on the decision to extend, she said: “We are prepared. I don’t want to see violence, but we will see. I think it’s a pity if violence is used to solve a health problem.”

At the press conference Monday in the Préfecture were, from left: ARS Director Frederique de Saint-Alary, ARS Assistant Director Jean-Francois Cayet, and Préfète Sylvie Feucher. (Robert Luckock photo)

Promising to ease restrictions and then push the date another 14 days is playing psychological games with the people.
Enough is enough! I am with the protesters now! This all started in March and the 14 day bs is just that. They knew back then if the people were told this plandemic would be most of 2020 it would not be easily accepted.

Sounds to me like a reasonable plan if you read it in its entirety.

I thought the sentence on rapid testing potentially being accepted for use in SXM was interesting. If it will be good enough for SXM then they should in tern accept the same testing prior to travel for visitors.

...and I agree. I can't see how visitors can make plans when things change (or potentially change) every two weeks or so

But my read is that the rapid testing was a French St. Martin initiative.

I wish it would open now but at least according to the report the border will open Oct. 1st which should allow visitors and residents to begin to make plans.

Not really. It could still be extended another 2 weeks or months.

I would NOT count on that. They have been playing this 2 week game for some time now. I am all for being safe but not at the cost of totally killing the island economy, especially for the locals that live on one side and work on the other. That is WHEN there is work.

From the article "Asked by the Daily Herald if the October 1 date could be extended to October 15 if there is little improvement, she said emphatically “No,” suggesting the next two weeks could be a last concerted push to bring cases down before the tourism season starts."

If we are to believe what she says in the article there will not be another extension past Oct. 1st.

BTW- I think it should have been opened long ago, can't make the cure worse than the disease.

If they stick with it, yes. The most interesting part of this article is the rapid antigen test! If adopted by both sides of the island (and is proven to be reliable) it could be a game changer.

Fingers crossed because this current situation isn't sustainable. Closing the borders without cracking down on the things we know are causing community spread makes little to no sense.

Angelface--are you still on island?

The thing is, "border" closure is only on the roads.

I know SEVERAL people who just take a boat to have lunch in Grand Case. Through the lagoon, right out the French side bridge and around. Poof.

They've also gone to Pinel.

Thats a long haul to pinel through the lagoon.

Nope, I'm back home. Was just there for 8 days

Oh, ok. Hope you had a good visit.

Big protest meeting will be held soon close to the border. Both sides involve . Tomorrow at 7.30am.

How wonderful for the island. NOT

I hope there is no violence, although I know that there is a lot of (justifiable) anger over this.

No violence .

Maybe I'm being a tad simplistic but.....it's one reasonably small Island...people move/rely on both sides every day. No difference between Cole Bay and Marigot....one Island...and should be treated as such

Thank you for being realistic .

It's not like it's France and Netherlands....it's one Island....with two nationalities. They need to get there sh*t together and cooperate to make a one Island economy for residents AND visitors

Sorry but it's Captain Obvious commenting

But it is two separate governments.

Not able to provide a workable link.

EDIT from Carol Hill---Scubaman--I have NO idea where this came from and whether it is copyrighted, so I am deleting the story. Do you understand the concept of copyright infringement???.


Motorcades to cross border in protest
against extension of controls to Oct. 1
MARIGOT—Motorcades departing simultaneously from the Bellevue roundabout and the Causeway roundabout on the Cole Bay side early Wednesday morning will pass through the Gendarmerie check- point, creating a two-way non-stop traffic flow in protest at the Préfecture’s decision to prolong border controls to October 1, at the same time sending a strong signal that the island refuses to be divided.

Good, make some noise get some attention/change.

No, It's France and St Maarten, TWO distinct Countries. Over a hundred nationalities.

Here is your pass...

Based on some live videos I am seeing on facebook, looks like a very good crowd and not violence that I have seen.

IO TV LINK

Mickey Mouse government entities with great beaches and vistas.

Barbados is giving the heave ho to the Queen to dump its colonial vestiges.

Time for St Martin to say au revoir to gay PARIS and Sint Maarten to dump the King.

One island

I don’t have a horse in this closed border race since we most regularly stay on the Dutch side of the island, but really? You think the existing governments should be over thrown and consolidated into one? They’ve pretty much coexisted peacefully all these years- and I personally hope they can continue to do so even if it sometimes becomes problematic or inconvenient to the occasional visitor. I enjoy making the occasional foray to the French side beaches but I AM ONLY A GUEST and I will deal with ‘whatever’ just to be on the whole island - either nation.

Remember the old ad campaign - one island - two cultures! Long may it last.

Not even worth a response. Perhaps you should find a "better" place to go.

I agree, pretty rough comments and self-centered thinking.

The two very distinct sides of the island and their way of life is part of their heritage and what many find unique and attractive about the island.

Thanks Elaine and J.D.

Mickey Mouse too strong. But it is silly two have two separate governments on a small space. Colonial and in my view colonies have been bad since 1776.


Elaine, You complain about the SXM governments all the time.....but clearly you like the virus isolation program that’s prevents most of us from getting there as we just can’t manage the virus well.........really USA the worst, NO.......but that isolation will hurt the island and people who have to work for everything..........I guess it’s situational with some on this forum.

I Don’t want hear any complaints about other Incompetent aspects of day to day SXM Govt. After all those with residency are an immigrant. Maybe take the last step and go for SXM/Dutch/EU/France citizenship. Renounce that USA one. I’m not a big believer in dual——pick one.

The two governments thing is neat but wasteful after All this time. And colonial. And maybe euro supremist and oppressive.


And JD, please, you repeatedly say you want nothing to do with the French side, your two cultures thing rings hollow.....repeatedly “I never set foot over THERE”. over during the troubles last fall. please