St Maarten will soon begin waiving pre-testing requirements for fully vaccinated travelers, Caribbean Journal has learned.
Beginning Nov. 1, fully vaccinated visitors will no longer require a test, antigen or PCR, to enter St Maarten.
It’s a major change for the destination, and St Maarten is now the only Caribbean destination to waive testing requirements for the fully vaccinated.
Several Caribbean destinations had been waiving pre-testing but reimposed it after a global rise in cases over the summer.
St Maarten will consider travelers fully vaccinated if they have received WHO-approved vaccines; full vaccination means it’s been more than 14 days since your final shot of a single or two-dose vaccine regimen.
Approved vaccines include Moderna; Pfizer; Johnson & Johnson; AstraZeneca; Sinopharm and Sinovac.
Unvaccinated travelers from the US will continue to have to show proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours or a negative antigen test within 48 hours before arrival.
“Research has shown that the viral load of a fully vaccinated person, who is infected with COVID-19, lowers much faster than a person that is unvaccinated. This means that while there are a few break through cases of fully vaccinated persons, the chances of these persons spreading the virus or becoming severely ill is tremendously low,” St Maarten Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, Omar Ottley said at a press briefing.
Ottley said the change was “something that the ministry has been monitoring for some time, and with proven research has decided to proceed in this direction.”
Ottley said that the death rate in St Maarten for the fully vaccinated was 0.04 percent, with a similar percentage for hospitalization numbers.
“This shows that the vaccine is highly effective and we can move towards allowing fully vaccinated persons to enter without requiring a test” Ottley said.
Delta Airlines is expanding its flights service to the Caribbean, headlined by a pair of major routes, Caribbean Journal has learned.
The carrier will be increasing its service to daily nonstop flights from New York to both St Thomas, US Virgin Islands and St Maarten.
Both of those daily frequencies will kick off on Dec. 18, according to a statement from the company.
Both of the routes will be operating out of New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
It’s part of a broader Caribbean recovery for Delta, which will be operating more than 20 daily flights to 18 different destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean this winter.
That’s about 85 percent of pre-pandemic levels, according to the carrier.
“We’re adding 25% more capacity this fall to meet the significant demand for business and international travel going into next year,” said Joe Esposito, Delta’s S.V.P. – Network Planning. “We continue to provide more choice and convenience while rebuilding our global connectivity and delivering what Delta does best – putting our customers first with exceptional, reliable service and a premium travel experience.”
And on Dec. 20, Delta will launch another new route to the region, with nonstop service from JFK to Panama City Panama (that’s along with a second Saturday flight to Panama out of Atlanta on Dec. 18).
Antigua and Barbuda has expanded its tourism opening with local vaccination rates continuing to rise.
The twin-island country has eased on-island restrictions, meaning “visitors can look forward to enjoying some newly re-opened tourism experiences,” according to a statement from the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority.
That includes the opening of water excursions, whether sailing to Barbuda or dropping anchor on a deserted beach.
The Keyonna Beach Resort in Antigua.
That’s along with kayaking, snorkeling and other water-based activities; land-based excursions have continued to operate.
Restaurants have also reopened for dine-in service after a brief hiatus, with fully vaccinated diners able to “completely immerse themselves in Antigua and Barbuda’s rich, culinary experience.”
On the hotel side, there are seven “beach chic” rooms, along with a pair of “Island Suites,” all with “sweeping ocean views.”
There are now two bars, one on each level of the property, along with a new open-air restaurant serving everything from ribs to seafood.
One of the two bars now on property.
That’s joined by a Saba Rock Boutique, an on-site dive shop and a home base for the kitesurfers for whom the North Sound is a Mecca.
It’s a big boost for the BVI, particularly its yachting sector; the little island has long been a sought-after stop on any maritime itinerary in the archipelago.
A master class in rare bottlings of Jamaican rum. A rum-and-cigar pairing with Davidoff. A blind-tasting competition of the Caribbean’s most sought-after rums. A journey through the world of the Rhum Agricole of Martinique and Guadeloupe.
It’s the Caribbean’s leading rum festival, and it’s back once again on the island of St Barth this November.
“Just when I thought 2020 even with CoPan (sounds better than Covid 19 or Pandemic) was an incredible year for the St Barth Rum Festival and Caribbean Rum Awards, 2021 rolls around and after a summer of furious activity we have an INCREDIBLE line up,” said Christopher Davis, co-founder of the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth and proprietor of the Rhum Room and Quarter Kitchen and Cocktail Lab.
The Rhum Room, host of the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth. the Caribbean’s largest rum bar.
“We have Master Classes from Master Distillers, Master Blenders, Ambassadors and the like from some of the most awarded Rum brands Barrilito, Bielle, Depaz, HSE, Karukera, La Favorite, Montebello, Neisson and of course Velier. The knowledge that will flow with the rum being judged and available at the Expo and Master Classes has never been assembled before in the Caribbean. Anyone who loves rum, wants to love rum or just plain is a connoisseur of Quality, and I mean from Champagne to Brown Spirits to Wine, should be here to learn and experience what this tremendous spirit has to offer. It is time for Rum/Ron/Rhum.”
The event kicks off Nov. 2 with a VIP Ti’ Punch cocktail by WIMCO, followed that evening by a cigar and rum pairing seminar with rare Davidoff selections.
The next day is the judging, which brings together 10 international judges from across the Caribbean and the United States for a blind tasting of rums in 10 different categories.
A WIMCO villa in St Barth. WIMCO is a presenting sponsor of the Caribbean Rum Awards.
That evening is a cocktail competition of St Barth’s top bartenders, presented by Veritas, the rum blend of Hampden and Foursquare.
Thursday is the event’s epicenter, a rum expo open to the public that lets guests try Caribbean superstar rums, from Marie Galante’s Rhum Bielle to Puerto Rico’s Ron del Barilito and Martinique’s Rhum Neisson, among others.
Each night from Thursday through Saturday is a multi-course rum cocktail pairing dinner (reservations required, to do so contact hello@25sbh.com)
And Sunday is a full-fledged Ti’ Punch brunch.
“This is an essential pilgrimage for those who love the finest rums of the Caribbean,” said Alexander Britell, editor and publisher of Caribbean Journal and co-founder of the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth. “It’s a week of fun-loving, indulgent events and a union of two of the Caribbean’s most famous exports: rum and cigars.”
