Travel and Quarantine policy of Statia from the 15th of June
The Government of St. Eustatius would like inform you about the Travel and Quarantine policy of Statia, starting the 15th of June.
As travel restrictions are gradually lifted on Statia, in the region and around the world, coming to the island by air is regulated, to keep our community safe. Travel over sea is still banned at this stage.
Countries where people arrive to Statia from, are divided in three categories, in accordance to the level of risk of Covid 19 infections. The category in which a country is placed, has consequences for concerning travelers. It determines if a person arriving on Statia will go in quarantine, must be tested before traveling or is screened upon arrival. A country can shift to another category, if the level of Covid risk changes and new infections have occurred.
This table shows which countries belong in category 1. low risk, 2. medium risk and 3. high risk:
| COVID risk in country of origin | Quarantine | Tests before entering | Screening upon entrance | Countries in this category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Low | No | No | Yes |
|
| 2. Medium | Yes - homebased possible | No | Yes |
|
| 3. High | Yes - homebased not possible | Yes | Yes |
|
The Government of Statia will continuously update this table in the time to come and inform the public about changes. For countries with a medium and high risk only, the following categories of people are allowed to enter Statia:
- Returning medical referrals
- Essential workers (both for government and for companies)
- Returning Statia residents
- Returning Students (after ending the school year)
Exemptions on humanitarian grounds, for instance to visit a funeral, can be made by Government Commissioner Van Rij.
Residents, medical referrals and essential workers returning from countries where no new cases have been established for at least 4 weeks, do not have to go into quarantine. At this time, Aruba, Bonaire, St. Maarten, Saba and Statia are part of the so-called Covid 19 free bubble, in which travel is allowed under regulation.
The Public Health Department has the mandate to screen any traveller on arrival and can impose a 2 week quarantine in a hotel or at home.
Only the costs for hotel based quarantine for medical referrals and returning residents can be partly paid by the government. In all other cases the costs are fully for the person, its family or its employer.
This relaxation of travel restriction means that travel for tourism purposes is possible, especially to low risk countries. Keep in mind that if new cases may occur while you are visiting a tourist destination, this may consequently shifts this country to a higher risk category.
On June 22nd the Government of St. Eustatius will update the table with Covid 19 risk per countries and inform the public further about tourism and the availability of flights.
