Bahamas bans US tourists as coronavirus cases spike

[beijingwalker]

Bahamas bans US tourists as coronavirus cases spike
'Regrettably, the situation here at home has already deteriorated since we began the reopening of our domestic economy'
By Jeanette SettembreFOXBusiness

Americans will no longer be able to travel to the Bahamas starting Wednesday due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The island nation will close its borders to travelers from the United States, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said Sunday, citing an uptick in COVID-19 cases in the U.S. Travelers from the United Kingdom, the European Union and Canada will still be allowed to enter the Bahamas.

“Regrettably, the situation here at home has already deteriorated since we began the reopening of our domestic economy,” Minnis said. “It has deteriorated at an exponential rate since we reopened our international borders.”

The country's airline, Bahamasair, had stopped all outgoing flights to the U.S. as of Sunday. Private and charter flights will still be allowed; yachts and private boats are also approved to enter.

All travelers headed to the Bahamas must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 lab test from 10 days or less before the trip or they will be mandated to quarantine for 14 days.

It's unclear how long U.S. travelers will be banned from the Bahamas.

The prime minister's office did not immediately return a FOX Business request for comment Monday.

The Caribbean country has a population of close to 390,000 and on Sunday, reported 15 new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 153, the Bahamian Ministry of Health said. Eleven people in the country have died of the virus.

The island heavily relies on Americans for tourism. The Bahamas had its highest-ever recorded stopover visits before the pandemic with 1.45 million visits from the U.S. alone in 2019, according to the Caribbean Journal.

The Atlantis Paradise Island resort, a popular tourist destination in the Bahamas, pushed back its reopening date as a result of the surge in COVID-19 cases. The resort was originally planning to welcome back guests on July 30 after announcing last month a phased reopening slated to begin on July 7. Instead, the resort will continue to remain closed for the time being.

"We believe that remaining closed is in the best interest of public health at this time," Audrey Oswell, president and managing director at Atlantis Paradise Island, said in a statement.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/bahamas-bans-u-s-tourist-travel-as-coronavirus-cases-spike

 

[beijingwalker]

I've been to Bahamas, it has way more Americans than locals there, it's almost like an US state, even they started to ban US...

 

[terry5]

16 cases here in Jamaica yesterday .



"The new cases consist of 10 females and six males, ranging in age from two to 56 years. The cases were recorded in St Ann (two), Clarendon (one), St Catherine (three), Westmoreland (two), St James (four), Manchester (two), Portland (one) and Kingston and St Andrew (one).

Fourteen cases are imported, all of whom arrived on flights from the United States. Two have since repatriated. The two other new cases are contacts of imported cases.

From the Minister of Tourism:

"Right now, all of the visitors who come to Jamaica in this first phase are from the US. This week will be the first flight coming in from the UK. If we should put a ban on the US, the effect of it would be to shut down the industry.”

 

[beijingwalker]

Bahamas Bans Most U.S. Travelers After Uptick in Coronavirus Cases
By Lyndsey Matthews
Jul 21, 2020

In a reversal of its July 1 reopening, the Bahamas is no longer permitting commercial flights carrying passengers from the United States starting July 22.

This is a developing story. For the latest information on traveling during the coronavirus outbreak, visit the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.

Puerto Rico isn’t the only Caribbean island rolling back its initial plan to reopen for tourism. Due to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the Bahamas and the continued increase of coronavirus in the United States, Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis announced on July 19 all international commercial flights and boats carrying passengers from the U.S. will be banned.

“Regrettably, the situation here at home has already deteriorated since we began the reopening of our domestic economy,” Minnis said in a national address. “It has deteriorated at an exponential rate since we reopened our international borders.”

As of July 20, there have been 153 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 11 resulting deaths in the Bahamas, according to data fromJohns Hopkins University. Minnis said 49 of those cases occurred since the Bahamas reopened its borders to all international commercial travel on July 1, 2020.


Starting July 22, only commercial flights from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union will be allowed into the country. While commercial flights carrying passengers from the United States are no longer permitted, travelers from the U.S. can still enter via private and charter flights—as well as private yachts—after July 22. The Bahamas government says it will allow this since private planes and boats bring in smaller numbers of passengers and present less of a risk of spreading COVID-19 to Bahamians.

https://www.afar.com/magazine/what-the-bahamas-travel-ban-means-for-us-travelers