How 3 Caribbean Destinations Are Welcoming Visitors Back
This story is part of our New Standard series, examining where travel is headed. Read more about how we define the New Standard here.
Sandy strips, swaying palms, and a rum punch (or two). It’s hard to imagine a more appealing remedy for lockdown-induced low spirits than a Caribbean escape. Fortunately, rapid border closures and extensive contact tracing effectively limited the spread of the coronavirus in the region. By summer, more than two dozen Caribbean nations had reopened to international visitors. While regulations vary from country to country—and may differ if you’re jetting in from a high-risk destination—visitors to any island can expect health questionnaires, temperature checks and testing upon arrival (unless you provide proof of a recent negative result within a set number of days), self-isolation pending test results, and quarantine if those results come back positive. Hotels, restaurants, and excursions are limiting capacity, and, unless you’re swimming, plan on wearing face coverings in public—even at the beach bar. At press time, here’s what you can expect in three of the region’s most beloved destinations.
United States Virgin Islands
This island group—the first Caribbean destination to reopen—was one of several, along with Puerto Rico and Antigua and Barbuda, to revise its regulations in response to a spike in Stateside cases. U.S. citizens still do not require a passport to visit, but every traveler over the age of five must now provide proof of a COVID-19 test taken within five days of traveling to the island. Otherwise, they’ll be subject to a 14-day quarantine from the time they enter the territory or for the duration of their stay—whichever’s shorter—or unless they can receive a test result while there. [Editor’s note: After reopening to tourism on June 1, the USVI closed its borders again on August 19; it reopened to leisure travel as of September 19.]
Jamaica
The largest English-speaking Caribbean island turned to technology for part of its arrival protocol, requiring visitors to use its JamCOVID19 app. The GPS-enabled tracking tool, which requires visitors to upload their temperature and a video showing their location in response to prompts throughout their stay, may feel a little too Orwellian for some. But the information does flow both ways: Travelers receive real-time data on the number and location of COVID-19 cases across the island.
Barbados
Visitors who arrive from high-risk countries without proof of a negative test will be tested at the airport, where they’ll remain until results are available. The Crane Resort is offering a one-night package (rooms start at $190) that includes priority airport processing and, for an additional $150, a COVID-19 PCR test performed en suite, giving visitors a cushier place to wait out results. Details are being finalized for the Barbados Welcome Stamp, a visa that provides the option to work remotely from the island for up to a year.
This article appeared in the October 2020 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.
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