In an effort to revive its travel and tourism sectors which have been battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) members Heads of Government have agreed to the creation of a Travel Bubble for states that are low- or no-risk for the novel coronavirus.
With a large number of new cases daily and rising coronavirus deaths, Guyana is not included in the bubble.
Initially, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines will be in the Bubble as they currently meet the criteria. Other Member States and Associate Members will be allowed to participate when they meet the criteria.
According to a CARICOM release yesterday, the Heads took the decision at a Special Emergency Session on Friday, September 11 to institute a Travel Bubble beginning Friday, September 18, among CARICOM Member States and Associate Members which meet the agreed criteria. It was acknowledged that the past six months have been a very challenging period globally and regionally, as countries have struggled to cope with the effects of the novel coronavirus. This has been especially true for CARICOM, given the high dependence in most of the economies on the travel and tourism sectors.
In agreeing to establish the Bubble, the Heads were guided by a comprehensive report from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), which provided recommendations on how the Bubble would operate and laid out the eligibility criteria for countries to participate.
The recommendations included that countries would be categorised ranging from those with no cases to those which had low, medium, high and very high risk with respect to the rate of positive cases over a 14-day period. The level of risk would be determined by the amount of positive cases per 100,000 of the population within a 14-day period and only those countries with no cases and those in the low-risk category would be allowed to participate in the Bubble. CARPHA will assess relevant data to advise on participation in the Bubble.
Heads of Government also agreed that travellers from countries within the Bubble would be allowed entry without being subjected to PCR testing prior to arrival and would also not have to undergo quarantine restrictions. Travellers may however, be subjected to screening on arrival.
