Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water.... As recently as Monday, February 1, St. Barts was one of the bright spots in the Caribbean for American travelers this winter and spring. It required a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before departure, another test on day 8 after arrival (only if you were planning on staying longer), but no quarantine. And the island was "open." On Sunday, January 30, the French government, struggling to avoid a new lockdown as cases rise and the new Covid-19 variants spread, closed France's continental borders to all non-essential visitors from non-European-Union countries.