TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Return home

Hi all, on the island now, simply beautiful! Quick question, how many hours before departure do we need to get tested? Thanks

3 days

Quote from the CDC's FAQ regarding return testing "Why does the Order specify 3 days rather than 72 hours? What is considered 3 days?
The 3-day period is the 3 days before the flight’s departure. The Order uses a 3-day timeframe instead of 72 hours to provide more flexibility to the traveler. By using a 3-day window, test validity does not depend on the time of the flight or the time of day that the test was administered.

For example, if a passenger’s flight is at 1pm on a Friday, the passenger could board with a negative test that was taken any time on the prior Tuesday or after."

Thank you Carol!

gracie--you're welcome. I really wish that SXM--so long as they are going to continue to require testing, which I hope they do away with it soon!!--I wish they would have a similar policy. SO much easier than what SXM has now.

Agreed

So Friday is good for a Monday departure?

Yes. Figure three days before the flight. So the test is on Friday, so you have Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then you leave on Monday.. IF you can find someplace that will do a test on Saturday, you might think about getting it on Saturday, in case there is a problem with your return flight. I don't honestly know if the place there in Simpson Bay where we did ours is open on Saturday or not. If you're going home soon, you need to get an appointment ASAP, if you're going there.

Thanks Carol, I remember you posted a place, was it called Medwork?

Yes. Check out the link in the post pinned at the top of the forum..

We did ours at Maho hotel. Was very happy with them $60.00.