PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (VSA), Omar Ottley hereby informs the public that effective Monday, November 29th, travel restrictions from South Africa will go into effect and new entry requirements for the Netherlands to follow.
Minister Ottley announced that he sent a request to restrict flights and passengers arriving or traveling from South Africa within a 14 day period. This decision was based on the new COVID-19 variant which could show immune evasion and enhanced transmissibility.
The new variant has been causing a surge in cases in many countries including the Netherlands. “In discussions with Dutch representatives, I was informed that the major hospitalization increase in the Netherlands was due to this new variant”. Said Ottley. This information motivated me to alter the entry requirements for travelers from the Netherlands.
As of Monday, December 6th, 2021, fully vaccinated travelers from the Netherlands will be required to upload proof of a negative 48 hr PCR test before traveling to St. Maarten or a 24-hour antigen nasal swab test will also be accepted from vaccinated travelers only. Unvaccinated travelers are required to submit a negative 48 hr PCR test before traveling to St. Maarten. At the moment our active cases, hospitalization, and deaths in St. Maarten have decreased significantly and it is our duty to remain proactive and do our best to mitigate the spread of the Mu variant.
