RT-PCR Test or PCR Test for SMaarten?

[rsail203]

St.Maarten requires an rt-pcr test. The only local test I can find is a pcr test. The rt stands for reverse transcription. Is a pcr test okay for St. Maarten?

[gerelmx]

https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/st-maarten-travel-requirements

St. Maarten Travel Requirements as of May 21, 2021

 

Important information on testing and screening requirements. For full travel requirements to St Maarten click here.

 

Vaccination Policy

• All guests ages 16 years and older must be fully vaccinated with all Covid-19 vaccine doses administered at least 14 days prior to sailing. Proof of vaccination is required in the form of the original vaccination card. No photocopies or photos accepted.
  • As of August 1, 2021, all US Guests age 12 and older must be fully vaccinated. 
  • Crew members onboard will be vaccinated.

 

St Maarten Travel Requirements

For the most current requirements visit: Government of St. Maarten travel requirements

• All guests arriving by air must complete the St Maarten required Electronic Health Authorization System (EHAS) . Complete this form as soon as you have you a negative RT-PCR test result. Processing can take up to 12 hours.  
  • Tip: Guests arriving and departing by air should select “Air Travel” for Travel Method.        
• Staying over in St Maarten before or after your cruise? You must purchase the St. Maarten Visitor Protection Plan through the EHAS form. The Protection Plan is not required for guests transiting the same day to and from the ship.
• Test requirements for entry into St. Maarten: US & Canada visitors must present a negative naso-pharyngeal RT-PCR test results taken within 120 hours prior to departure or an antigen test taken 48 hours prior to departure. All other visitors must present negative naso-pharyngeal RT-PCR test results taken within 72 hours prior to departure. Be sure to bring a printed copy. Name on test results must match those on government issued identification.
• Proof of negative RT PCR test and the EHAS pre-approval form are required at the airport.

 

Celebrity Boarding Requirements:

• Proof of vaccination is required in the form of the original vaccination card. No photocopies or photos accepted.
• Children between the ages of 2-15 who are not vaccinated must complete a rapid antigen test at the terminal prior to boarding. 

Guests that do not meet our requirements may be denied boarding.

 

Travel Home

• Testing required for home country re-entry will be administered free of charge by our medical staff on board prior to debarkation. Learn more once onboard.

 

 

 

NOTICE: For U.S. cruises and guests: Prior to sailing, please consult all applicable U.S. Centers for Disease Control travel advisories, warnings, or recommendations relating to cruise travel, at www.cdc.gov/travel/notices. If a certain threshold level of covid-19 is detected onboard the ship during your voyage, the voyage will end immediately, the ship will return to the port of embarkation, and your subsequent travel, including your return home, may be restricted or delayed. For cruises and guests worldwide: Health and safety protocols, guest conduct rules, and regional travel restrictions vary by ship and destination, and are subject to change without notice. Due to evolving health protocols, imagery and messaging may not accurately reflect onboard and destination experiences, offerings, features, or itineraries. These may not be available during your voyage, may vary by ship and destination, and may be subject to change without notice.

 

 

[Jason26]

 Not only is it an RT-PCR test, it’s a naso-pharyngeal swab test, which is the intrusive test.   Spoke with a local testing site and they explained that when I make an appointment with them, we would need to specify both items as they said the naso-pharyngeal swab is not the typical test they perform.  Here’s St Maarten’s current requirement, with US and Canadian citizens having 120 hours for the test.  rt-PCR test for the SARS-COV-2 virus obtained from a naso-pharyngealswab performed in the country of origin and within 72 hours prior to departure to Sint Maarten (last leg in case of connecting flights) is required for all travelers originating from a country that is categorized as high risk.

[rsail203]

When I call a test site, they tell me that the tests are the same. I wonder if they even know. I e-mailed St. Maarten to ask them if the pcr test is acceptable and they haven't replied as of yet.

Edited May 25, 2021 by rsail203
extra info

[markeb]

Oversimplified. SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus. PCR amplifies DNA. Reverse Transcriptase (the RT in RT-PCR) produces DNA from RNA to be amplified. So a PCR to identify SARS-CoV-2 is a RT-PCR.

 

I'm not aware of any PCR amplification systems on the market for SARS-CoV-2 that aren't RT-PCR. There is at least on person the board who is very familiar with clinical labs, and if I'm wrong, I'm counting on her correcting me.

[abbydancer2003]

10 hours ago, markeb said:

Oversimplified. SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus. PCR amplifies DNA. Reverse Transcriptase (the RT in RT-PCR) produces DNA from RNA to be amplified. So a PCR to identify SARS-CoV-2 is a RT-PCR.

 

I'm not aware of any PCR amplification systems on the market for SARS-CoV-2 that aren't RT-PCR. There is at least on person the board who is very familiar with clinical labs, and if I'm wrong, I'm counting on her correcting me.

Thanks.  i have to do mine the last week of July and have been very confused on this.  I'm planning to do 2 tests - one early afternoon and one late afternoon from two different free providers I'm signed up with.  

[cangelmd]

15 hours ago, markeb said:

Oversimplified. SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus. PCR amplifies DNA. Reverse Transcriptase (the RT in RT-PCR) produces DNA from RNA to be amplified. So a PCR to identify SARS-CoV-2 is a RT-PCR.

 

I'm not aware of any PCR amplification systems on the market for SARS-CoV-2 that aren't RT-PCR. There is at least on person the board who is very familiar with clinical labs, and if I'm wrong, I'm counting on her correcting me.

Not sure if you are talking about me, but I agree completely with what you are saying. The only PCR for Covid that I know is different is the IDNow is technically a form of PCR, I don't know (I should, but I don't without checking) exactly how it amplifies, I do know it is isothermal (doesn't heat) which makes it significantly faster, but less sensitive.

 

To the OP, if your test provider calls it a PCR, then it should be acceptable. The question to me is how hard-nosed are they about the nasopharyngeal part. Many labs have validated their Covid PCRs for plain nasal swabs and saliva without significant loss of sensitivity. We have had to adapt our reporting methods for travelers - because our normal clinical lab reports don't say the test was a PCR test, it is assumed that the ordering MD knows what he ordered. We haven't included test collection method.

As I have fussed about before way earlier in the pandemic - we are asking these tests to do things they were never designed to do, without the normal deep understanding of the disease that we normally have.

 

One last thing I noticed again in reading the instructions posted above. Celebrity says you can use an antigen test or a PCR to enter St Maarten. I would double check that to be safe, and I would go by what St Maarten's website says - those are very different tests.

[FlyerTalker]

5 hours ago, cangelmd said:

One last thing I noticed again in reading the instructions posted above. Celebrity says you can use an antigen test or a PCR to enter St Maarten. I would double check that to be safe, and I would go by what St Maarten's website says - those are very different tests.

 

With very different testing windows.  Read the fine print in the original government source documents - do not rely on some third party interpretation, be it a poster on an internet forum or your cruiseline.