Ritzy St Barts Island in the Caribbean Now Closed to Tourists Due to Rise in Covid-19 Cases

By: Fern Sidman

To all those who think they can escape the dreaded Coronavirus and the strictures put in place because of it and just run off to a tropical island and forget about the grim realities of life, well, think again.

It has been reported in the New York post that the popular Caribbean island of St. Barts will no longer be accessible to jetsetters of all stripes.

Starting this week, St Barts, which is under the rule of the French government and a magnet for celebrities and the ultra wealthy will now bar visitors in order to comply with protocols put in place by France to stem the tide of the rapidly spreading virus.

The Post learned that all are not happy by the imposition of the new rules. Among them are local authorities of the Saint Barthelmy Island. As a matter of fact they are quite livid about it.

In a public statement, Nils Dufau, the president of the Tourism Board said, “Independently of the will of our local authorities to keep St. Barts open, the French government has just decided to put in place new preventive measures against COVID-19 variants.”

The Post reported that Dufau said that local authorities were currently “negotiating” with French officials “to ease the entry restrictions and find an alternative solution.”

“We have managed to keep it at bay, the situation is well managed and under control,” he insisted, as was reported by the Post.

Because the virus variants have dominated the headlines as of late, and due to the fact that a palpable fear has spread about the contagious strains of the coronavirus, on Sunday, France announced a travel ban of sorts on all non-essential travelers from outside of the European Union, of which France is a member state.

On Tuesday, the French government also imposed travel restrictions on France’s other overseas territories, including the resort islands of St. Martin, Martinique and Guadeloupe. And that is in addition to St Barts.

Celebrities who often just take off to the serenity of these islands, with their white-sandy beaches and beautiful harbors that are filled with yachts, will now have to give some serious consideration to taking a jaunt to another exotic destination of just stay home.

Spotted on the island recently were such A-Listers as former Beatles front man, Paul McCartney, retired professional boxer, Mike Tyson, Steve Harvey, and Ramona Singer of “The Real Housewives of New York,” according to the Post report.

St Barts has witnessed an increase in Covid infections and the island has only one hospital, so it appears that fun seeking visitors will not be able to enjoy the islands amenities as it is totally shut to anyone who is not a permanent resident.

The French government has explicitly stated that according to the new rules,  anyone wishing to come and go from St. Barts will only be able to do so for “compelling reasons,” such as pressing medical, professional or familial needs, as was reported by the New York Post.

Moreover, like other countries on the European continent, visitors who are coming to St. Barts for compelling reasons will be required to produce a negative COVID-19 PCR test from at least 72 hours before their departure and will need to quarantine for seven days upon arrival, as was reported by the Post.

For those tourists who are presently on the island, if they so choose, they may depart at any time.