tbriggsnh
Registered
Master, as an American, what COVID-19 hoops do I need to jump through to go diving next week in Anguilla, Bonaire, Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia and the Turks & Caicos?
Ah grasshopper, glad you asked. Per an article in the Sunday Boston Globe (December 15, 2020), here are the “hoops”.
ANGUILLA: Anguilla is requiring travelers to complete and submit a health screening questionnaire before arriving. The island will then grant pre-authorization. Without pre-authorization, you may be denied entry to the country once you arrive. You will also be required to provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test conducted within three to five days prior to arrival date. All visitors are required to provide proof of insurance which covers COVID-19 medical costs and full hospitalization, doctors' visits, prescriptions, and air ambulance. Once you arrive in Anguilla, you'll need to provide a hard copy of your negative COVID-19 PCR test result to a port health official, undergo a mandatory COVID-19 PCR test and health screening, remain quarantined at your approved location for at least 10 days, undergo regular health monitoring, and obtain a negative PCR COVID-19 test to be released from quarantine.
BARBADOS: Visitors are required to fill out a health questionnaire within 72 hours of arrival. In order to enter the country you must have a negative COVID-19 test result taken at an accredited or certified facility within three days prior to arrival. Test results must be submitted via travelform.gov.bb and travelers are required to bring a copy of the results with them. The test will be checked for validity. You can be denied entry without a negative test. All incoming travelers must undergo a health assessment which may include a temperature check and a brief interview. Once on the island, vacationers will have restricted movement at a designated holding hotel or approved villa at their own expense for the first four to five days. After a second test taken four to five days after arrival, travelers can move about the island unrestricted, although they'll be monitored for seven days after arrival.
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS: Before landing, all visitors must have a negative COVID-19 PCR test result taken within five days of arrival, as well as proof of travel insurance that includes comprehensive medical coverage. All travelers must apply for a BVI Gateway Traveler Authorization Certificate within five days of travel to the BVI and must complete the application at least 48 hours prior to arrival with the uploading of the PCR COVID-19 test result. At the airport, travelers will be directed to the BVI's welcome center for—an additional COVID-19 PCR test. Visitors are also required to activate a contact tracing system on their phones (which requires either data or Wi-Fi connectivity) and wear a government-issued wristband monitoring device (the cost for the tests and monitoring device is $175), in addition to being given an appointment for another test on the fourth day of their stay. If that fourth day test is negative, travelers can be released from quarantine and are allowed to move around the BVI freely while still following social distancing and safety measures. Anyone who tests positive must continue to quarantine at their location for a minimum of 14 days.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: A negative COVID-19 test is not required to enter, and only between 3 to 10 percent of those arriving at the airport will be randomly tested for corona-virus. Before landing, passengers will be required to fill out and submit a Traveler's Health Affidavit until Dec. 31. Through this form, passengers declare that they have not experienced any COVID-19-related symptoms in the last 72 hours and provide contact details for the next 30 days. All international tourists arriving on commercial flights and staying at a hotel will be granted a temporary, free health coverage plan that provides coverage for emergencies in the event of an infection or exposure to COVID-19 while in-country. The coverage includes medical attention by specialists, medical transfers, transfer of a relative, penalty for airfare changes, and lodging for prolonged stays and more. This insurance will be provided at no cost to visitors arriving on or before Dec. 31, and will be paid entirely by the Dominican government.
JAMAICA: Arriving passengers are required to complete and submit the online Travel Authorization between two to five days prior to their planned arrival in Jamaica. Once travelers are approved, they receive a certificate that must be submitted during the airline check-in process. In addition, all travelers from the United States must get a negative COVID-19 or antigen test at a lab approved by the World Health Organization no more than 10 days prior to departure and provide the test results at check-in at the departure airport. Once on the island, visitors must remain in the Resilient Corridors on the north and south coasts and must stay at COVID-19 Protocol Compliant Approved accommodations, which are listed on the wwwvisit-jamaica.com website. The Jamaica Cares program, which provides travel protection and emergency services for travelers is now in effect. It is mandatory for every non-Jamaican passport holder and costs $40 per person, payable at the time the Travel Authorization is approved.
PUERTO RICO: A negative COVID test, taken 72 hours prior to arriving, is required. Travelers are required to fill out a Travel Declaration Form through the Puerto Rico Health Department's online portal at travelsafe.pr.gov and obtain an Airport Exit Confirmation number and QR code, which travelers will automatically receive when uploading proof of their negative COVID result to the portal. Without the test result, arriving visitors must quarantine for 14 days at their lodging or the length of the stay, whichever is shorter, or until negative test results are provided.
ST. LUCIA: Travelers must provide proof of a negative COVID test done within seven days of travel and must complete a pre-arrival registration form. They must also indicate at which COVID-19-certified hotel they will be staying. All passengers will be screened at the airport. Symptomatic passengers will be tested and then quarantined at their hotel until the result is received. If positive, they will be in isolation at one of two hospitals. Mask wearing is mandatory in public spaces.
TURKS AND CAICOS: All travelers are required to obtain pre-travel authorization through the TCI Assured portal. Without authorization, you will not be able to board a flight to Turks and Caicos. In addition to a completed health questionnaire, a negative COVID-19 PCR taken at an accredited test center within five days prior to travel is required. Children under the age of 10 are exempt. Insurance which covers COVID-19 medical costs and full hospitalization, doctors' visits, prescriptions, and air ambulance is also required. Questions: authorisation@turksandcaicostourism.com.
CAYMAN ISLANDS: Unlike many surrounding islands, the Cayman Islands are not yet open to tourists, and that will likely stand as cases of COVID-19 continue to spike around the world.
BONAIRE, MONTSERRAT, MARTINIQUE and GUADALOUPE: While many islands have opened to US travelers with restrictions, some have not. The French territories of Martinique and Guadeloupe have yet to reopen to US tourism. Bonaire and Montserrat also remain closed to US travelers.
Ah grasshopper, glad you asked. Per an article in the Sunday Boston Globe (December 15, 2020), here are the “hoops”.
ANGUILLA: Anguilla is requiring travelers to complete and submit a health screening questionnaire before arriving. The island will then grant pre-authorization. Without pre-authorization, you may be denied entry to the country once you arrive. You will also be required to provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test conducted within three to five days prior to arrival date. All visitors are required to provide proof of insurance which covers COVID-19 medical costs and full hospitalization, doctors' visits, prescriptions, and air ambulance. Once you arrive in Anguilla, you'll need to provide a hard copy of your negative COVID-19 PCR test result to a port health official, undergo a mandatory COVID-19 PCR test and health screening, remain quarantined at your approved location for at least 10 days, undergo regular health monitoring, and obtain a negative PCR COVID-19 test to be released from quarantine.
BARBADOS: Visitors are required to fill out a health questionnaire within 72 hours of arrival. In order to enter the country you must have a negative COVID-19 test result taken at an accredited or certified facility within three days prior to arrival. Test results must be submitted via travelform.gov.bb and travelers are required to bring a copy of the results with them. The test will be checked for validity. You can be denied entry without a negative test. All incoming travelers must undergo a health assessment which may include a temperature check and a brief interview. Once on the island, vacationers will have restricted movement at a designated holding hotel or approved villa at their own expense for the first four to five days. After a second test taken four to five days after arrival, travelers can move about the island unrestricted, although they'll be monitored for seven days after arrival.
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS: Before landing, all visitors must have a negative COVID-19 PCR test result taken within five days of arrival, as well as proof of travel insurance that includes comprehensive medical coverage. All travelers must apply for a BVI Gateway Traveler Authorization Certificate within five days of travel to the BVI and must complete the application at least 48 hours prior to arrival with the uploading of the PCR COVID-19 test result. At the airport, travelers will be directed to the BVI's welcome center for—an additional COVID-19 PCR test. Visitors are also required to activate a contact tracing system on their phones (which requires either data or Wi-Fi connectivity) and wear a government-issued wristband monitoring device (the cost for the tests and monitoring device is $175), in addition to being given an appointment for another test on the fourth day of their stay. If that fourth day test is negative, travelers can be released from quarantine and are allowed to move around the BVI freely while still following social distancing and safety measures. Anyone who tests positive must continue to quarantine at their location for a minimum of 14 days.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: A negative COVID-19 test is not required to enter, and only between 3 to 10 percent of those arriving at the airport will be randomly tested for corona-virus. Before landing, passengers will be required to fill out and submit a Traveler's Health Affidavit until Dec. 31. Through this form, passengers declare that they have not experienced any COVID-19-related symptoms in the last 72 hours and provide contact details for the next 30 days. All international tourists arriving on commercial flights and staying at a hotel will be granted a temporary, free health coverage plan that provides coverage for emergencies in the event of an infection or exposure to COVID-19 while in-country. The coverage includes medical attention by specialists, medical transfers, transfer of a relative, penalty for airfare changes, and lodging for prolonged stays and more. This insurance will be provided at no cost to visitors arriving on or before Dec. 31, and will be paid entirely by the Dominican government.
JAMAICA: Arriving passengers are required to complete and submit the online Travel Authorization between two to five days prior to their planned arrival in Jamaica. Once travelers are approved, they receive a certificate that must be submitted during the airline check-in process. In addition, all travelers from the United States must get a negative COVID-19 or antigen test at a lab approved by the World Health Organization no more than 10 days prior to departure and provide the test results at check-in at the departure airport. Once on the island, visitors must remain in the Resilient Corridors on the north and south coasts and must stay at COVID-19 Protocol Compliant Approved accommodations, which are listed on the wwwvisit-jamaica.com website. The Jamaica Cares program, which provides travel protection and emergency services for travelers is now in effect. It is mandatory for every non-Jamaican passport holder and costs $40 per person, payable at the time the Travel Authorization is approved.
PUERTO RICO: A negative COVID test, taken 72 hours prior to arriving, is required. Travelers are required to fill out a Travel Declaration Form through the Puerto Rico Health Department's online portal at travelsafe.pr.gov and obtain an Airport Exit Confirmation number and QR code, which travelers will automatically receive when uploading proof of their negative COVID result to the portal. Without the test result, arriving visitors must quarantine for 14 days at their lodging or the length of the stay, whichever is shorter, or until negative test results are provided.
ST. LUCIA: Travelers must provide proof of a negative COVID test done within seven days of travel and must complete a pre-arrival registration form. They must also indicate at which COVID-19-certified hotel they will be staying. All passengers will be screened at the airport. Symptomatic passengers will be tested and then quarantined at their hotel until the result is received. If positive, they will be in isolation at one of two hospitals. Mask wearing is mandatory in public spaces.
TURKS AND CAICOS: All travelers are required to obtain pre-travel authorization through the TCI Assured portal. Without authorization, you will not be able to board a flight to Turks and Caicos. In addition to a completed health questionnaire, a negative COVID-19 PCR taken at an accredited test center within five days prior to travel is required. Children under the age of 10 are exempt. Insurance which covers COVID-19 medical costs and full hospitalization, doctors' visits, prescriptions, and air ambulance is also required. Questions: authorisation@turksandcaicostourism.com.
CAYMAN ISLANDS: Unlike many surrounding islands, the Cayman Islands are not yet open to tourists, and that will likely stand as cases of COVID-19 continue to spike around the world.
BONAIRE, MONTSERRAT, MARTINIQUE and GUADALOUPE: While many islands have opened to US travelers with restrictions, some have not. The French territories of Martinique and Guadeloupe have yet to reopen to US tourism. Bonaire and Montserrat also remain closed to US travelers.
