Statia welcomes fully vaccinated tourists
Third phase of opening up effective as of August 2nd 2021.
The Public Entity St. Eustatius hereby reminds the community that as of upcoming Monday, August 2nd, 2021 the third phase of the Road Map will be effective. This means that fully vaccinated visitors including tourists can visit Statia.
Visitors from high risk countries must adhere to a strict 5 days’ protocol upon arrival which includes wearing a face mask, keeping social distance and not attending large organized events. Vaccinated visitors from very high risk countries are welcome but must go into (central) quarantine for a period of 5 days upon entry. Fully vaccinated visitors from low risk countries do not have to adhere to certain measures and do not have to go into quarantine.
Non vaccinated
Non vaccinated residents, family members, workers or persons who own a home in Statia and who were in a high risk country or a very high risk country prior are welcome as well but must go into quarantine for a period of 10 days upon entry. Non vaccinated tourists cannot yet visit Statia.
A list of very high risk, high risk, low risk and very low countries can be found on the following link Country list | Regulation | St. Eustatius (statiagovernment.com). This list will be updated on a regular basis.
More risks
Further opening up means that there is a higher risk involved as more visitors from (very) high risk countries can enter Statia and might bring the virus to the island.
In addition, the Delta variant of COVID-19 increases the risk level as this variant is more contagious. However, due to the enormous impact of COVID-19 on the economy of Statia, and the fact that social support packages of the Dutch government will no longer be provided, the local Government has no other choice than to further open up the island.
Vaccine
Due to the higher risk level, it is now even more important to get vaccinated. The Government will therefore keep on stressing the necessity to register for the vaccine. It has been proven that a person who was vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine is better protected against the Delta variant than someone who is not vaccinated. The vaccinated person has a lower chance to get infected. Even if this person gets infected, the chance that he/she gets severely ill or die is very low.
This does not mean that a vaccinated person cannot transmit the virus . This is still possible. That is why the hygiene rules such as wearing a face mask, keeping social distance and washing hands regularly is still applicable and becomes even more important while Statia opens up for tourists.
Impact and actions in case of an outbreak
The chance of an outbreak on the Island is appreciable . In this case, the Government will do its utmost to reduce the impact by taking strict measures as an outbreak could quickly lead to a high amount of infections. Strict measures could be for example a curfew, closing of restaurants etc.
The hospital is prepared for an outbreak but the capacity is limited and severely sick patients will be evacuated to Sint Maarten or elsewhere for intensive care treatment if necessary.
At least 50%
The condition to move from the current phase (2) to the new phase (3) is that at least 50 % (=1250 persons) of the adult population must be fully vaccinated. This is now the case. In total 1262 persons received both doses of the Moderna vaccine up till now. This is a bit more than 50% of the adult population consisting of 2500 adults.
In addition, 92 persons recently received their first doses which means that they will soon get their second shot. This means that in total 1354 persons (1262+92=1354) will soon be completely vaccinated.
Careful deliberation
The decision to further ease the measures was taken after careful deliberation and only after consulting the key partners involved. These are the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports in the Netherlands (VWS), the National Institute for Health and Environment (RIVM), the Island Council, the Central Dialogue, the tourism sector, the Public Health Department and the Crisis Management Team in Statia.