Come November 1, St Maarten will follow the action of several other Caribbean countries by dropping its travel protocols, including the Electronic Health Authorisation System.
This development comes as the island looks to bounce back economically and as it moves to another phase of living with coronavirus (COVID-19), according to the island’s Minister of Public Health, Omar Ottley.
“St Maarten has done exceptionally well in its fight against the severe acute respiratory syndrome COVID-19. The Country is now fully engaged in restoring economic activity, and one key aspect of economic revitalization is the return of visitors in large numbers.
“At the same time, while we concentrate on rebuilding our Tourism destination, our work will continue to protect the population, including our visitors,” he stated in a press release.
The St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) had been pushing for the removal of the Covid protocols claiming that it could stagnate the territory’s growth.
“While the global COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, it may shift from pandemic to endemic. We must therefore contend with the need to feed the population. That means putting our people back to work and welcoming visitors back to our shores in full force for the upcoming season, which is on target to be great,” Ottley added.
He stated further that the hospitality industry had done a good job in controlling the spread of the virus.
As of October 22, St Maarten had recorded 10,922 Covid-19 infections.
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