Coronavirus
BHS | Jun 16, 2022

Bahamas abandons testing for fully vaccinated travellers 

/ Our Today

administrator
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Bahamas Minister of Tourism, Chester Cooper speaking with local media on April 27, 2022. (Photo: Facebook @teamcooper242ex)

The Bahamas is waiving testing for fully vaccinated travellers and has eliminated its Bahamas Travel Health Visa for all tourists arriving on its shores. 

As such, fully vaccinated travellers will no longer have to submit to pre-travel testing, the government has just announced. Fully vaccinated means travellers who have completed at least two shots of a two-dose vaccine or one dose of a single-shot vaccine.

The changes officially take effect this Sunday, June 19. However, unvaccinated travellers ages two and up will be required to obtain a negative test, either PCR or antigen, taken no more than three days prior to travel. 

In making the announcement, deputy Bahamian prime minister Chester Cooper explained, “the Bahamas is adapting to the continued evolution of this pandemic. We want to streamline the entry process for travellers as much as possible, all while ensuring we are protecting public health.

Cooper, who also doubles as tourism minister, expressed the hope that the changes to the pre-travel testing requirements combined with the elimination of the Travel Health Visa will reduce friction for travellers and further the recovery of the local tourism sector.

The elimination of the Travel Health Visa means travellers simply have to show up with their proof of vaccination or test result. 

“The discontinuation of the Travel Health Visa is yet another signal to the international community that we are open for business,” Cooper said.

He made the point that, “Throughout the pandemic, we have remained committed to evaluating protocols and adjusting requirements to reflect the current environment. We acknowledge that the Travel Health Visa was a burden for travellers and we are pleased to be able to eliminate.”

Comments

What To Read Next