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...]
Cayman Islands starts genome sequencing of COVID-19 cases
The Cayman Islands has started genome sequencing of local COVID-19 cases making the territory the first in the region, outside of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), to do so. This was revealed by Governor Martyn Roper who said that this puts the British overseas territory in a different league, as no one else in the Caribbean is doing it. “Other territories and countries are … [Read more...]
High PCR test costs will hinder international travel
The high cost of PCR tests will continue to negatively impact international travel recovery, according to research by analytics company GlobalData Vaccination rollouts have been pinpointed as a catalyst for the recovery of travel, but the pricing of PCR tests is also a critical factor and current high prices risk holding back recovery in the long-term, said Global Data. Prices for Covid-19 … [Read more...]
Caribbean gov’ts face dilemma over vaccinated visitors
Elysa Leonard, 54, a scuba diver from Virginia in the United States, has not travelled in over a year. When the coronavirus pandemic shut down global economies last year – with travel and tourism among the worst hit – Leonard was preparing to fly to the Caribbean to engage in coral restoration in Bonaire with the charity Aquarium Divers for Corals. Now, having had her first shot of the Moderna … [Read more...]
Health passports with Covid-19 test information successfully used
IATA’s travel pass was tested successfully by Singapore Airlines as JetBlue starts using CommonPass app, and Hong Kong airport successfully trialed its health passport. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the arrival at London’s Heathrow Airport of the first traveller using the IATA Travel Pass app to manage their travel health credentials. “The successful … [Read more...]