MARIGOT:— The president of Saint-Martin Daniel Gibbs and the President of St Barthélemy Bruno Magras co-signed a letter, Wednesday, February 3, 2021, addressed to the Minister of Overseas, Sébastien Lecornu, asking for the immediate lifting of the new travel restrictions for St. Martin and St. Barthelemy.
President Gibbs delivered the letter by hand to Sébastien Lecornu, this Thursday, February 04, during his meeting with the Minister. Daniel Gibbs was able to speak out for the urgency of lifting these restrictions for the two islands.
The new health restrictions put in place by the government now impose a compelling reason for travel between Saint-Martin and Barthélemy but also from and to the metropole and to other overseas territories.
The two presidents indicate with one voice that the health situation of the northern islands does not justify such a measure, the hospital capacities being absolutely not under strain to date, recalling that this zero-risk strategy is not tenable, in their tourist islands which are currently in high season and even though it is very likely that this crisis will continue and that the problem of variant viruses will remain the same in a few months.
The two presidents, therefore, fear that this isolation measure will drag on and put a stop to their economy. They call on the government to reconsider the situation in the northern islands and restore the previous health protocol requiring pleasure visitors to observe 7-day prophylactic isolation followed by a PCR test. This measure had just been put into effect and the socio-professionals had already adapted to it.
As President Gibbs told Minister Lecornu “the lifting of compelling reasons (except for British nationals) is vital to save the economy of the northern islands”.
The Collectivity of Saint-Martin also recalls the constant efforts made by the local authorities in recent weeks to strengthen screening and vaccination resources and to step up prevention among residents.
“While tourism is the engine of our economy and there are two months of high season, it is for the sustainability of our businesses, some of which will not recover if these new restrictions were to continue”, indicate the two presidents in this joint letter, hoping that the appeal of the Northern Islands will be heard as soon as possible.
