MARIGOT—Restaurants will re-open again on the French side on Monday, May 18, Préfète Déléguée Sylvie Feucher announced on Friday, and will be allowed to stay open until 11:00pm. A decree to this effect was due to be posted on the Préfecture’s website.
St. Martin, which is one of many French territories in the “green zone”, has been permitted to open its restaurants earlier than those in France.
Bars however will remain closed until June 2 as more study is needed to implement the necessary protocols. The Regional Health Authority ARS and Préfecture services are advising restaurant owners on the hygiene and distancing precautions to take based on the national guide lines to protect their staff and customers.
The protocols will be strictly enforced and any restaurant not abiding by the safety measures risks being closed down for three months.
May 18 is the start of the second phase of the de-escalation from lockdown. The Préfète said she was very pleased with how shops and businesses have adhered to the hygiene and distancing protocols this week.
Non-motorised water sport activities such as surfing, kite surfing, wind surfing, paddle boarding will also be allowed to resume from Monday. Scuba diving and sailing school boats (small boats such as Optimists for children) are also allowed, as is the accompanying instructor’s motor boat that follows the sail boat. A dive boat is also the only other motorized craft permitted to operate.
A maximum of 50 people will be allowed to practice individual physical activity in outdoor stadiums and sports grounds, but team and contact sports such as rugby, football, basketball etc are prohibited. As a reminder beaches are open only for swimming and walking. BBQs, picnics and large gatherings are still prohibited.
