09th April 2021
Dear Friends,
A little good news on the situation in Barbados! Last night the Prime Minister announced further relaxation on restrictions in Barbados that will come into effect 11 April 2021 through April 26. The beach is back! We have yet to receive the final directive but a summary of the changes are as follows:
1. No curfew from Monday to Wednesday.
2. Curfew from 11pm to 5am Thursday to Sunday.
3. Beaches and parks will now be open 5am to 7pm for recreation, with the provision that no picnics, parties or large gatherings will be permitted.
4. Small pleasure craft may resume operation at 50% capacity, but no larger party boats may operate.
5. Watersports operators may resume operations.
6. Bars can open at half capacity, but cinemas and night clubs must remain closed.
7. Gyms are permitted to reopen.
8. Fast food restaurants can resume inside dining with social distancing and strict protocols.
9. Church capacity is now limited to the number that allows for 6-foot distance being maintained between worshippers.
10. Funerals and weddings may now have 100 persons in attendance, however any receptions may only be in the form of meals and no parties at this time.
11. Retail stores and supermarkets will remain closed on Sundays.
With the lifting of restrictions it means your guests can resume the enjoyment of the majority of what the island has to offer, provided that protocols are adhered to. Mask wearing in public remains in force.
New Protocol for Entry to Barbados for Vaccinated Persons
While the entry protocol for unvaccinated persons remains as it has been since 3 February 2021, effective 8 May 2021 a new protocol for vaccinated persons to enter Barbados will be in place. A vaccinated person is defined as a person who in a two-dose regime has received both doses plus 14 days (meaning their second or final dose has to have been given no less than 14 days prior to arrival in Barbados). Such persons will still require a negative PCR test within 72 hours of arrival, and will be retested on arrival in Barbados. This retest will either be a classic PCR test or a rapid PCR test. Once that test is negative, persons will be free to move around Barbados freely. This means only a 24 to 48 hour quarantine period or even less depending on turnaround time of results.
While it was not announced in detail last night, we participated in a meeting with the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association and it was clarified and recognized that since children under 18 are not presently being vaccinated in most countries, that the protocol that applies to the parents accompanying their children will also apply to their children.
The Ministry of Health will continue to monitor and make adjustments based on the circumstances and the level of vaccination reached in the Barbadian population. For full details as released please check the Barbados Travel Protocols website where we expect the protocol to be released shortly.
COVID-19 Case Update:
This week, for the first time since 31 Dec 2020, the active case count in Barbados has dipped below 100 persons. New cases have mostly been in the single digits for the past week, or largely below 2% positivity rate, which is a significant improvement.
Vaccination Roll Out
This week Barbados received its first tranche of vaccines from the COVAX facility to add an additional 33,000 doses available for the vaccination program. The distribution of these doses will commence this week to add to the over 63,000 persons already having received their first doses. Second doses will also commence distribution later this month.
We will continue to keep you updated on the situation in Barbados and hope that you are all staying safe. We do hope with the improving situation locally, and the potential for a resumption of travel from the UK and Canada in May that we can hopefully look forward to a more positive summer! If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Kind regards,
Tania Wallace
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Direct Barbados: 1.246.622.4466
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