St. Barts orders vaccination campaign to reopen borders

Beginning April 19, 2021, the French Government will launch a vaccination campaign to immunize all eligible adults on the island. It is anticipated that the campaign will last 2 to 3 weeks.

1. Saint Barthelemy has set a goal to reopen its borders by the middle of May of this year.
2. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presently ranks the island of St. Barts with the highest level travel warning.
3. Borders on the island of St. Bart have been shut down since February 3, 2021.

The goal is to reopen St. Barts’ borders by mid-May. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rates the COVID-19 level in Saint Barthelemy as Very High (level 4), the highest warning level.

As of February 3, 2021, the French Government enacted preventive measures against COVID-19 “variants” to all overseas territories which entails the temporary closing of borders to all visitors (St. Barts residents, regardless of their nationality, are not included).

The CDC website urges travelers to avoid all travel to St. Barts at this time, but if one must travel, provides these recommendations:

• Before you travel, get tested with a viral test 1–3 days before your trip.
• Do NOT travel if you were exposed to COVID-19, you are sick, or you test positive for COVID-19. Learn when it is safe for you to travel. Don’t travel with someone who is sick.
• Follow all entry requirements for your destination and provide any required or requested health information.
• If you do not follow your destination’s requirements, you may be denied entry and required to return to the United States.
• During travel, wear a mask, avoid crowds, stay at least 6 feet from people who are not traveling with you, wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer, and watch for symptoms.
• Before traveling back to the United States by air, get tested with a viral test no more than 3 days before your flight departs. The test result must be negative. Keep a copy of your test results with you during travel in case you are asked for them. See Frequently Asked Questions for more information about this requirement. Follow all destination and airline recommendations or requirements.
• After you travel, get tested 3–5 days after travel AND stay home to self-quarantine for 7 days after travel. If you don’t get tested, it’s safest to stay home to self-quarantine for 10 days.

Also known as Saint Barthelemy, St. Barts is a French-speaking Caribbean island known for its tourist draw with white-sand beaches and designer shops. The capital, Gustavia, encircles a yacht-filled harbor and is filled with high-end restaurants and historical attractions.

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