I have been a bit hesitant to post my blog during this horrible and unprecedented coronavirus pandemic. Many of you may have contracted it or know someone who has, and I felt it was insensitive to write cheery remarks during these uncertain times. If you are still not ready to hear about St. Barth, I apologize.
For those of you who are dreaming about going to St. Barth once it is safe to travel, I do have some upbeat news and a video below to watch whenever you are dreaming of going to St. Barth. First of all, there were only 6 cases of coronavirus on the island, and those originated from tourists from France who came to visit their son in St. Barth and local people who returned from a cruise. None of the sufferers were hospitalized, and all have recovered. The result? As of April 21, 2020, there are zero cases of Covid-19 on St. Barth!
The island has been under the same lockdown rules as was declared by President Emmanuel Macron for France. At this point in time, they seemed much too strict for a tiny French island in the middle of the Caribbean with no cases of coronavirus. The Collectivité is doing its best to distinguish itself as being much more prepared than France to slowly reopen the island, while still being very cautious, and pleading its case to the higher-ups. So far, the COM (Collectivité Outremer) has been able to allow the residents to go to the beaches for a swim and jog and walk for exercise.
The schools are scheduled to reopen on a gradual basis, on May 11, 2020. President Bruno Magras asked Emmanuel Macron to allow the island to reopen completely, including the restaurants. Last night, Macron gave the ok! The entire island reopens May 11, and the airport reopens May 12, 2020! Fantastic news!
My St. Barth Properties office in the US and well as my St. Barth Properties Sotheby’s International Realty offices on the harbor in St. Barth remain closed with everyone working remotely. The St Barth offices will reopen May 11, 2020. We are happy to say that no one has been laid-off.
We have been busy rescheduling clients whose vacations were canceled due to the lockdown. I am supposed to be there myself right now. They are, as am I, very disappointed and anxious to set new dates to travel. Many have already done so.
As I mentioned before, the airport is scheduled to reopen May 12, 2020, but almost every airline from the US has canceled flights into St. Maarten. Flights into San Juan exist, but many are no longer nonstop. Tradewind Aviation will fly from SJU to St. Barth again on May 12th, but the demand has to be there for them to resume their scheduled flights. We are anxiously awaiting the date when the island will reopen for tourists and learn the protocol to keep St. Barth Covid-19-free and safe for both you and the residents.
We are happily taking new reservations from people who are looking forward to getting out and about after this crisis is over and be able to dream about the future by booking their St. Barth vacation now. You can do the same by contacting me, [email protected], or [email protected]. In the meantime, we are getting ready for your return. I am in the middle of a project with my on-island staff to call every single villa manager and go over the details of the villas they manage to ensure that they match our files. They are all at home and happy to have the phone call! When necessary, I am updating the descriptions.
My next blog promises to be even rosier as things begin to return to the new normal, and we find out when tourism can begin again. In the meantime, stay healthy and stay safe. And DREAM by watching this video that we created just for you.
1 comment
Love the blog