Bahamas removes mandatory 14 day quarantine requirement

NASSAU, Bahamas, Nov 2, CMC – The Bahamas government has removed the mandatory 14 day quarantine period for visitors.

Tourism and Aviation Minister, Dionisio D’Aguilar, said the new regulation came into effect on Sunday, November 1.

D’Aguilar said that when the Bahamas closed its borders in March to protect against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic “never did we imagine that seven months later the impact of the virus would remain so severe."

He said the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on global tourism, adding that the latest data from the World Tourism Organization showed that international tourism is down 70 per cent.

“Here in The Bahamas, we are seeing and living this data first hand. Tourism is the heart of our economy and accounts for 50 per cent of our entire GDP and 65 per cent of our employment. We must safely reopen and restart our tourism sector so that we, as a nation, can begin to recover.

D’Aguilar said to remove the mandatory 14-day quarantine, the Ministry of Tourism engaged in lengthy consultations with the Ministry of Health.

“This process was driven by necessity. With government revenues down by hundreds of millions of dollars, with tens of thousands of Bahamians out of work and suffering the indignity of not being able to support themselves and their families through employment in the tourism sector, the status quo is simply unacceptable .And that status quo is the mandatory 14-day quarantine which made our destination extremely unattractive to prospective travellers. As you can imagine, nobody wants to vacation in a destination where you are restricted to a single hotel for your entire stay unless that hotel has significant facilities or is all inclusive, allowing you to vacation in place.”

D’Aguilar stated that the government had contemplated using Rapid Antigen tests for visitors on arrival, however, these tests were not seen "as an effective screening tool at the border and was not supported by the available research or, was not supported by the science."

“As a result, effective November 1, 2020, there will be no tests conducted on arrival. Travelers will enter The Bahamas, as they have always done, with their Bahamas Health Travel Visa and their accompanying PCR test, conducted within five days prior to arrival, have their temperature checked at the airport and any other screening deemed necessary by the public health officials and proceed to their final destinations in The Bahamas.”

He added that travellers will now be required to pay an application fee for their Travel Health Visa.

“Additionally, as of November 14, all visitors to The Bahamas will be required to purchase COVID-19 health insurance before they come to The Bahamas. The cost of this mandatory health insurance will be automatically included in the total cost of the Health Visa.”

D’Aguilar said that the inclusion of the travel health insurance is to ensure that any visitor who may test positive for the coronavirus while on vacation in The Bahamas or become ill from the virus, while in The Bahamas, will not suddenly become a burden on an already overburdened Bahamian public health system.

“This insurance is not intended for Bahamians, as they will be returning home and we expect them to avail themselves of our local health care providers and our local medical facilities in the usual manner. I am pleased, therefore, to say that no visitor who tests positive will pose a strain on our own health care facilities."

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