People traveling to The Bahamas will no longer be required to take a rapid antigen test upon arrival Minister of Tourism Dionisio D’Aguilar announced on Saturday.
Additionally, he said The Bahamas will be removing the mandatory 14-day quarantine period tomorrow, as promised.
During a virtual Ministry of Tourism press conference, D’Aguilar said the emergency orders will be revised to reflect that change.
On October 1, the Ministry of Tourism announced that individuals traveling to The Bahamas, after November 1, would have to provide a negative RT-PCR COVID-19 test prior to arrival and take a rapid antigen test upon arrival and again 96 hours later.
However, when D’Aguilar addressed the matter today, he said given the number of entry points in The Bahamas, the logistics surrounding the roll out any type of entry point testing would be a major undertaking.
Additionally, he said, “The use of the rapid antigen tests as an effective screening tool was not supported by the available research. As a result, effective tomorrow, there will be no tests conducted on arrival.
“The test on your fifth day, however will remain in place.”
D’Aguilar said travelers will still require a health visa and a negative RT-PCR test (no older than five days) to qualify for entry.
Visitors and residents will have their temperatures checked and undergo other screening protocols as necessary.
Additionally, there will be no requirement to enroll in Hubbcat monitoring app.
However, he said, as of November 14, all visitors will be required to purchase health insurance.
The fees are as follows:
-$40 for visitors staying up to four nights and five days
-$60 for visitors staying more than four nights
-Children ages 10 and under are free
D’Aguilar said this would ensure that any visitor who becomes ill while on vacation would not become a burden to an already burdened health system.
“I’m pleased therefore to say that no visitor who test positive would pose a strain on our healthcare facilities,” the minister said.
Atlantic Medical, now known as C.G. Atlantic, has been contracted to carry out this mandatory requirement.
If visitor tests positive while on vacation, they can quarantine in place for up to 14 days (if asymptomatic); get medically evacuated (if asymptomatic, but has pre-existing conditions); or get medically evacuated (if are symptomatic).
D’Aguilar said this policy will be enforced throughout The Bahamas.
This insurance is not intended for Bahamians.
D’Aguilar said the full reopening of the tourism sector is critical for the country’s economic survival.
He said international tourism is down 70 percent.
“To put another way, if we used to get 7.2 million tourists a year as we did just last year, 2019, the best we can expect is 2.2 million tourists a year, a reduction of a staggering five million tourists.”
The post Travelers no longer required to take rapid antigen test upon arrival appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/travelers-will-no-longer-be-required-to-take-rapid-antigen-test-upon-arrival/
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