Updated Travel Advisory For Antigua and Barbuda October 23

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The Government of Antigua and Barbuda has updated its travel advisory effective immediately to ensure the continued safety of travellers and residents.

 

The V.C. Bird International Airport is open for international and regional air traffic. The Antigua Port Authority is open to Cargo Vessels, Pleasure Craft and Ferry Services which are required to follow all protocols issued by Port Health.

 

The State continues to carry out a combination of screening, testing, monitoring and other measures to mitigate the risk of importing any new cases of COVID-19 into the country. Additionally, measures have been implemented for the quick detection of any imported cases.

This strategy is intended to protect and safeguard the health of both residents and visitors to Antigua and Barbuda.

 

Nationals and residents of Antigua and Barbuda are strongly advised to restrict their travel to countries with significant escalations in the number of persons recently testing positive for COVID-19 to that for essential purposes only.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has provided parameters for the establishment of a regional Travel Bubble among the OECS countries of Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Montserrat, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands, together with Barbados. This is designed to facilitate intra-regional travel of nationals, movement of essential workers, and inter-regional travel of visitors to the region while ensuring that the necessary health protocols are followed.

 

 

The protocols implemented are as follows:

 

  1. Arriving passengers by air must have a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction) test for SARS-CoV-2 taken within seven (7) days of their flight. (This includes transiting passengers).

 

  1. Children below the age of 12 years, entering Antigua, DO NOT REQUIRE a COVID -19 RT-PCR test.

 

 

  1. Persons travelling to Antigua and Barbuda from countries within the established Travel Bubble must have resided there for no less than fourteen (14) consecutive days prior to travel. They are required to have a negative COVID 19 RT-PCR test result taken within seven (7) days of their flight. They will undergo mandatory health screening upon arrival but will not be subject to quarantine. All other arriving passengers are subject to quarantine as determined by the Quarantine Authority.

 

  1. Passengers arriving for medical treatment/procedures must have a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR taken within seven (7) days of their flight. They also must comply with Ministry of Health Guidelines for the Transfer of Patients into Antigua and Barbuda, to include:

 

 

  1. a) A letter of Request for Medical Transfer from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the originating country to the CMO of Antigua and Barbuda who is also the Quarantine Authority.
  2. b) A medical report detailing the patient’s condition, treatment required and the urgency of the situation.
  3. c) A Letter of Acceptance from the receiving institution stating that the patient has been accepted for care, together with the name of the physician who will be managing the patient.
  4. d) The intended address in Antigua and Barbuda, together with the name and telephone number of a contact person if available.

 

  1. Passengers arriving by sea (private yachts/Ferry Services) are subject to quarantine according to guidelines issued by Port Health except those arriving from countries within the bubble.

 

  1. All arriving passengers must wear a face mask on disembarkation and in all public areas. Additionally, the wearing of face mask in public spaces is mandatory throughout Antigua and Barbuda and social/physical distancing protocols must be adhered to.

 

 

  1. All arriving passengers must complete a Health Declaration Form and will be subjected to screening and temperature checks by Port Health Authorities upon arrival in Antigua and Barbuda.

 

  1. Persons travelling from countries within the travel bubble will be exempted from quarantine, however, all other arriving passengers will be monitored for COVID-19 for periods of up to 14 days in accordance with the directions of the Quarantine Authority and the Quarantine (COVID-19) Guidelines. Visitors may be required to undergo testing for COVID-19 on arrival or at the hotel or place of lodging as determined by the Health Authorities.

 

 

  1. Arriving passengers with symptoms of COVID-19 may be isolated as determined by the Health Authorities.

 

  1. Transiting passengers/Crew members who require an overnight stay will be required to proceed to a hotel or government-designated facility to await departure.

 

 

  1. All Marine Pleasure Craft and Ferry Services entering the waters of Antigua and Barbuda should contact the Antigua Port Authority, using VHF Channel 16, at least six (6) hours prior to arrival. Instructions will be given to guide the crafts to either the Nevis Street Pier or English Harbour Ports or to a holding area.

 

Military Vessels/Aircraft and other Watercraft transporting food, medical supplies, humanitarian and emergency supplies will be required to follow the Quarantine Guidelines established by the Quarantine Authority as well as issued by Port Health and must give prior notification before arrival.

 

These restrictions for maritime traffic, and the consequential Antigua Port Authority guidelines, issued during the State of Emergency, shall not restrict vessels engaged in innocent passage and/or transit passage, within the territorial seas and/or archipelagic waters of Antigua and Barbuda, under the 1982 United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

This Travel Advisory replaces ALL previous Travel Advisories issued by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda.

 

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9 COMMENTS

  1. So this new advisory still doesn’t address the disparity in testing/quarantine meted out to ‘tourists’ v residents & villa/AirBnB renters.
    It does not clearly state the requirements of self-isolation & what that entails.
    #8 allows how you are instructed to behave & for how long, up to the quarantine authority officer processing you on arrival in Antigua.

    How can anyone plan?
    How can people understand clearly what is expected of them IN ADVANCE of their arrival?
    This should not be roulette; specific, clear, precise communication, publicly shared, allows tourists & residents to plan a visit with a degree of confidence.

  2. There is no issue with air bnb. I know many people who came to Antigua and stayed in Air bnb and villas and didn’t have to quarantine. You do not have to quarantine if are coming on vacation. If you are arriving to Antigua to stay or on a one way ticket then you will have to quarantine.

    If you are there as a tourist, even if you are Antigua and you live overseas and you coming there to vacation and not a staying with family so you are in an apartment or air bnb then you are free to go around. Both black or white people so Antiguans need to stopped

      • Oh my goodness you people have no common sense… does it have to be stated somewhere… what is regulated is stated so that would imply that if you are not on vacation or staying on a one way ticket you would have to quarantine. Are you dumb? Use common sense jack ..

        • Common Sense: I know of 16 tourists (7 separate bookings) who have canceled their December plans because there is the ‘potential’ for quarantine and ‘potential’ for isolation-in-place because the rules for tourists are not spelled out and they are anxious to
          a) arrive and then be split up
          b) arrive and regulations change
          c) depart to their home countries which change their own arrival policies
          d) lose precious hard worked for money on lost accommodation, flights etc.

          This is a tricky time to travel – we want responsible tourists & residents in Antigua & we need to work towards an equitable, straightforward and clearly spelled-out policy, that everyone arriving knows what is what – no ‘grey areas’.
          This will allow us to continue to open up responsibly and see small amounts of much needed $ moving on island.

    • Ms Pam ,you are a LIAR, the whole nation knows you are just a liar because they will charge you $5,000 for breaking any qaunantine whether you are tourist or local,go and get a copy of the law at the Goverment printery for $5

      • She is not a liar.. if you are coming on vacation for 5 days, 10 days etc, then it is understood with common sense that you are not lying to come to an island for 5 days to stay in doors. The quarantine is for people returning to Antigua who live in Antigua but have been away for a long time due to the lock down. Omg why are you people so dunce .. they government said this since the orders open.

    • Thanks Miss Pam. I understand through hearsay what you write regarding tourists is happening.
      However, WHERE is your information stated in the OFFICAL travel advisory?

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