Since the country's reopening to the United States on August 1, many tourists have complained about the lack of clarity on St. Maarten's requirements for getting there. American tourists who had their negative test in their pockets were still tested for coronavirus when they arrived at Princess Juliana International Airport
They were angry to hear that the PCR tests they had performed 72 hours earlier were not accepted.
PCR tests of a tourist couple were declared invalid at the airport because they were carried out under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), while the tests met the requirements described on the site www.stmaartenehas.com, which stipulates that the test must be a PCR test obtained from a nasopharyngeal sample only and carried out within 72 hours of departure for Saint-Martin.
As of this writing, the two websites that set out the government's entry requirements do not mention that testing under the EUA will not be accepted.
The couple, along with half of the passengers, then spent $ 125 each to be tested. Several tourists who underwent retesting at the airport complained that the government should have warned them that they had the wrong tests when they submitted their health declaration online.
As the government approved their health declarations despite this exception, the pill was very difficult to swallow when told at the airport that they had "not followed the right protocol".
“The St. Maarten government has spent time creating information sites with details of the requirements. We followed them. But we were still penalized. It is unacceptable and it is a blatant act of extortion against travelers, ”said a tourist.
The government said earlier that those tested at the airport were to be quarantined until the test results were due that day. However, tourists said it took them up to four days to get the results, costing them additional accommodation costs and preventing them from enjoying their vacation.
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