Less than a month ago, the Bahamas announced they were ready to reopen for tourism. At the time, they said that, effective October 15, they would reopen their beaches and major hotels for tourism. However, among other protocols, all visitors were going to be subject to quarantine for 14 days.
That’s now changed. They’ve just announced new protocols, which will go into place on November 1, roughly 2 weeks after the original ones start.
The Bahamas will continue to require visitors and returning citizens and residents, to obtain a PCR swab test no more than seven days before their travel to the Bahamas. Once they have a negative result, they must apply for a Bahamas Health Travel Visa, where the test must be uploaded. Also (this is the new part), instead of quarantining, all travelers over the age of 10 must receive a free antigen test upon arrival in the Bahamas, and then again 4 days (96 hours) after arrival in the Bahamas.
Confused yet? Here are the protocols as they stand now:
FROM OCT. 15 THROUGH 31:
- Travelers must complete an electronic Health Visa before arrival.
- Travelers must present a COVID-19 RT-PCR test with a negative result. The test must have been taken no more than 5 days before arriving in The Bahamas. They must be uploaded to the Health Visa portal and presented upon arrival.
- All hotel guests must “Vacation-In-Place” (VIP) for 14 days or the length of their stay, whichever is shorter. During their VIP time, guests can enjoy the amenities available on property.
FROM NOV. 1 ONWARD:
- Travelers must complete an electronic Health Visa before arrival.
- Travelers must present a COVID-19 RT-PCR test with a negative result. The test must have been taken no more than 7 days before arriving in The Bahamas. They must be uploaded to the Health Visa portal and presented upon arrival.
- On the day of arrival, all travelers will receive a Rapid COVID-19 antigen test.
- On day 5 (96 hours after arrival), all persons who entered the Bahamas, and who are staying longer than four nights and five days, will be required to take a second Rapid COVID-19 antigen test. To be clear, all visitors departing on Day Five will not be required to obtain this test.
From Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar:
“While 15 October is still set for the reopening of the tourism sector, until 31 October all incoming visitors must ‘vacation in place’ for 14 days or the duration of stay, whichever is shorter, which means limiting the vacation experience to the grounds and amenities of a traveler’s hotel or accommodations.
“Beginning 1 November, The Bahamas will remove the mandatory ‘vacation in place’ requirement for all visitors, returning citizens and residents, thereby enabling everyone to move about and explore the destination beyond the confines of their hotel or other accommodations.”
As per the Tourism Today, “American Airlines has indicated that, beginning in late October, they will provide each passenger traveling to The Bahamas from Miami with a Rapid COVID-19 antigen test before boarding the plane. These passengers, along with the passengers of any other airlines wishing to provide a similar service, will not be required to complete the Rapid Test upon arrival in The Bahamas.”
The Bahamas is a popular destination for many U.S. citizens, especially during the winter months. Not having to quarantine for 14 days should be travel to the Bahamas significantly more appealing.
Feature Photo: Needpix
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
