You may be fully vaccinated and ready to jet off to the tropics for some sun, water sports or just to lounge on the pristine sandy beaches. You’re not alone. So far in 2021, Caribbean countries account for nine of the 20 most popular travel destinations, according to data from Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison provider. Direct flights and inexpensive accommodations are fueling the … [Read more...]
Aruba Waives Testing for Certain Vaccinated U.S. Travelers
Aruba has updated its entry protocols, with new rules that waive pre-testing requirements for certain fully vaccinated American travelers. But it’s not quite that simple. Crucially, the island is only waiving testing for U.S. residents who have been fully vaccinated and have a SMART Health Card vaccine record. For now, that means a relatively small number of U.S. … [Read more...]
The Caribbean Conundrum: United by Tourists, Divided by Covid
The pandemic struck these islands unequally. What does this mean for tourism, a major economic driver for the entire region? The answer is unique, just like the islands. On the glassy blue waters surrounding the U.S. Virgin Islands, catamarans and pleasure yachts have packed the shoreline for the past year — a scene so busy and crowded, it’s unimaginable, even before the … [Read more...]
Aruba Becomes First Caribbean Nation to Partner with JetBlue on Entry Testing
[Reprinted: Valdosta Daily Times, 11-11-2020] JetBlue today announced Aruba is the first Caribbean nation to partner with the airline for seamless entry testing through JetBlue’s testing partner, Vault. The decision by Aruba to begin accepting the convenient PCR test facilitated by Vault’s technology platform for JetBlue customers arriving on the island was made after assessing the supervised … [Read more...]
Coronavirus cases in the Caribbean to date: 65,942
[Reprinted: Loop Caribbean News, 7-13-2020] Confirmed Caribbean coronavirus cases as of July 13, 2020: Dominican Republic- 44,532 cases, 897 deaths, 21,459 recovered Haiti- 6727 cases, 139 deaths, 2924 recovered French Guiana- 5949 cases, 26 deaths, 2981 recovered Puerto Rico- 2583 cases, 167 deaths Cuba- 2426 cases, 87 deaths, 2258 recovered … [Read more...]