Recent and ongoing reports suggest that Caribbean tourism officials are pulling out all the stops to increase COVID-19 testing capacity in the shortest possible time following the decision by the United States to require nearly all arriving passengers to present a negative test within 72 hours of departure.
Some Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries keen to push their visitor arrival numbers up and which attract US tourists seeking options in the face of travel bans imposed by other regions, are reportedly experiencing particularly severe strain on their COVID-19 testing resources as governments in the region seek to create some measure of pushback against a rumoured further wave of the pandemic.
Jamaica is taking the situation sufficiently seriously to have already created a task force to boost COVID-19 testing capacity by the end of the month in order to meet demands from the United States, Canada and other countries, a report quotes the island’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett as saying last week.
“We have no choice,” Bartlett is quoted as saying in the Jamaica Gleaner.
The new U.S. order goes into effect on Jan. 26.
Another regional tourism official, Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Chief Executive Officer (Ag), Vanessa Ledesma, is quoted as describing the rule as “a tremendous challenge” for the region due to a lack of testing equipment and lab facilities that can meet large demand in short turnaround times. Reports indicate that while some airline executives expect the new order to disrupt demand in the short term, US carriers are in support of the testing rules which are being viewed in the context of the long-term goal of reopening international markets. With global travel limited by COVID-19 restrictions, the Caribbean is important for US carriers, American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta, as well as for low-cost carriers like Southwest Airlines Co and Spirit Airlines.
The decision by Canada to require testing for inbound passengers as of January 7 caught airlines completely by surprise resulting in hundreds of passengers being denied boarding on return flights for ineligible tests.
Air Canada and WestJet Airlines announced job cuts after the government decision, citing in part, new testing requirements.
In turn, Canada had to postpone the requirement for travelers from Jamaica to adhere to the negative COVID-19 tests on arrival, instead allowing passengers to test upon arrival in Toronto, the Jamaica Gleaner says.
