TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Vaccinate, test or lock down

Council of Ministers to meet today to decide whether to lock down. Link

If they do decide to lock down, what would that mean?

Other than groceries (esp Garden Market with hand washing rqmt) and pharmacies, we didn't really see/feel any measures in effect on either side of island.

Basic Things that might help……

1) more handwashing at more businesses
2) disposable ketchup/mustard/mayo packets
Kind of surprised it was business as usual at LOLOs and other places
3) restaurants using same old menus amongst patrons
SMYC had a chalkboard menu
4) bartenders opening beers and cokes with barehands now patron cant wipe it off as easy with disinfectant wipe.
5) same old dense seating in busy restaurants/bars
6) disinfecting tables between parties ( saw none)

Not sure where you were, but every place we go there are sanitizing stations, most have mayo etc packets, beers opened with opener, and tables wiped down. Places that don't do it, find another place. French side is off the radar for us because they don't.

I don't see how they can avoid a lockdown.

Sorry, which means WHAT, exactly??

Correct....what EXACTLY does "Lockdown" mean?

Closing nonessential businesses till this gets under better control and vaccine rate goes up.

Interesting article in this morning's Boston Glob -

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/08/05/business/here-come-vaccine-passports/

If the federal government is too intimidated by the anti-vaxers to provide a "vaccine passport" perhaps private industry will step up

We are supposed to leave for the island on Wednesday, fingers crossed!

What does that have to do with St. Maarten?

Remember the good old when you could eat ribs off a dirty steel drum barbecue under a tree at a table that is wiped down once a week? Times have changed. I remember at calmos cafe years ago the bathroom had a dirty hand towel to wipe your hands after using bar soap to wash up. The Lockdowns are coming but at least the experience from the last one has given them a better strategy to handle it.

If the Dutch Side PM initiates a lockdown, things will not go well. Last lockdown in March 2020, no one was able to leave their residence for 2 weeks. No food, no nothing: "They can eat sardines and crackers", the PM said.

Maria--At that time, there were ZERO tourists on island, so that kind of lockdown was theoretically possible. Not now. And I don't think that would even be proposed at this point.

But seriously, you REALLY dislike St Maarten/St. Martin, for whatever reason....

Carol - We were on the island when it was locked down. There were PLENTY of tourists that we know were on the island at the same time we were locked down. We love SXM but do not like the way the PM handled the situation at all then or even now.

Yes, I know that there were a lot of tourists that had a problem getting off island.

We are supposed to leave in early October. This would be the fourth time since this all started that we would have to cancel if it gets any worst. Just about ready to call it quits and head to the Jersey Shore instead.

We are scheduled to go around the first of October. Unless there is a lockdown that doesn't allow going out to eat, etc., I do not think we would cancel.

Tourism is the #1 source of revenue for the Island and if St Maarten and St Martin residents refuse to get Vaccinated ; the economy will fall into a depression and all will be the losers.
I don't understand the fear factor by many who refuse to get vaccinated as not getting vaccinated not only exposes them to the virus but also their livelihood as the economy fails.
Seems like and easy decision to make.

The impact on tourism was the reason I thought there might be vaccine requirements by certain employers dependent on tourists.

Government of Sint Maarten
9h ·
** Minister Ottley: Night life set to scale back to 11pm. **
The Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (VSA), Omar Ottley held a meeting with club night life business owners, beach bar owners, directors and managers from Dutch Sint Maarten.
The purpose of the meeting was to ensure a safe environment for patrons and to avoid COVID clusters within the respective establishment. Minister Ottley wanted the parties to understand the seriousness of COVID-19 and to give them time to establish the protocols moving forward. “ I will continue to say, we must work together to get through this pandemic” Minister Ottley stated.
All parties acknowledged and underlined the need for the measures to regulate business operations in a safe and responsible manner, in order to maintain public health safety.
It was agreed upon, that an 11pm curfew will go into effect as of Sunday August 8th for a period of two (2) weeks. During this time, arrangements can be made to put health management systems in place, via an app and QR codes.
Minister Ottley urges the public to remain cautious and be patient, as he puts the health of the community first by scaling back on the night life hours. If you have not been vaccinated, please consider doing so for the safety of yourself and your loved ones.

Johnson and Johnson sponsored a fleet of mobile vans to go out into the communities in NYC. The numbers at the time went down by big margins!! IMHO!!! This is what has to be done, these people in those areas where they need education, they are not going to come out for that or get a shot! I just read some poster say" how can they shut down"? EASY!! The government said we are shut down, that's it! Life as we remembered it is on HOLD! It happened twice in my area of Westchester county NY! TWICE! EFFEN ghost town!!!

Carol

i am with you, we are scheduled to visit early November for 13 days and i am fairly confident, barring a lockdown, that we will be there

Badbenni
Well said

This should wake some people up!! Bodies of Covid-19 victims are still stored in refrigerated trucks in NYC !!!

If it didn't wake them up when that was also reported many MONTHS ago it isn't gonna do it now because "It won't happen to me".....just read that a 16yr old male in the Jacksonville area with zero pre-existing conditions died from Covid ....so it's not just the oldies....160 deaths in FL ages 16-29 this year...7 under 16yrs old. (FOX 30 Jacksonville video)

The only way to convince them is AFTER they get seriously sick from the virus and then it's "I (or he/she) should have got the shot".....

It's up to the ones who the SXM residents respect to say that they should get immunized...and that is probably not the Gov't

We leave Monday for a three week trip. We are fully vaccinated. As long as restrictions do not worsen, we are good. We are generally in by or before 11:00 p.m. so doesn't really affect us.

Elaine--I have no idea how any of that is going to work. Sounds way to complicated to me. And frankly, if that's all they do, I think it will make zero difference.

As much as we love SXM, until the government AND the residents get their act together to fight Covid, we will stay away. We are vaccinated and have travelled out of the country. So, we are not afraid to travel. But knowingly going to a country where the government has no control or direction (especially re: Covid)., is too risky for me. Contrary to some posters belief, we were some of the tourists stuck during the March 2020 lockdown. It took me three days driving back and forth to the airport to get flights. At one time I had three flights. All were cancelled. We finally got a rescue flight home. I do not want to do that again. It is beyond my comprehension, how a country that survives on tourism, has lost its forcus.I do feel sorry for the wonderful business/restaurant owners we have met.

gary--the lockdown, where the grocery stores were closed etc., was a totally DIFFERENT issue than the airlines refusing to bring planes down to evacuate the tourists who were still on the island. Totally DIFFERENT issue. I know several people who were caught in that situation, which had to be one of the most scary situations ever.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=lNm31rnJauU

This is still on YouTube: PM telling the people there will be no food for at least two weeks...

I hope in 16 months they might have learned what DOES now work

Perhaps the US can provide the key to their winning strategies?

Is that sarcasm? The ills of social distance...

Mostly dutch but both. I didnt see any super measures and in many cases no measures.

The lack thereof didnt/doesnt bother me much on a great bacation as we didnt see any sick people and didnt get sick. But since we left they are talking like there is an emergency.

I think the island is running as well as possible.it looks like they are pragmatic about the risks. Which are low if healthy and young. Get the shot if you want/need it.

FWIW, there was a lot of talk when we were there in June and July about low vaxx rates, largely driven by how the island churches were against the vaccines and how much the local ministers were preaching against the vaccine.

It would be good if at least 80% are vaccinated. I hope the propaganda works to get everyone to roll up their sleeve and take the jab.

What propaganda?

The city of NY still has nowhere to store the victims of this deadly diseases . That photo is currant. In NYC and the five boroughs The pharmaceutical companies put together mobile units to go out into the communities. The numbers started to drop fast. Education and getting out into the field, not waiting for people to come out. "Oh if I stay home, I won't get the virus". That's not working and waiting for "walk-ins" that is not working either!