So I think its time for a little real talk between you and me…. How are you coping with the quarantine? How are you dealing with the fact that your travel plans are on hold or have even been cancelled?
I personally had to cancel 3 of my own trips – a cruise, safari in Botswana and an amazing adventure in Peru; sadly I also cancelled many of my clients beautiful holidays but every cloud does have a silver lining - my personal trips will be rescheduled and all my clients received a full refund!
Most of us have been practicing social distancing since the beginning of March (making it just over 2 months now). With some countries pushing to slowly open up their economies, many of us are wondering when will it be safe to travel again. If travel opened back up tomorrow, would you feel comfortable traveling?
Having launched my travel podcast during this lockdown, I have already chatted to a select group of travel industry experts, hoteliers from unique properties and people within the climate change and sustainable travel category. My guests have provided a great insight into travel post covid and how they believe the future of travel will look like.
Thank you to my guests:
Jacqueline Campbell from The Travel Collection https://ttc.ae/
Sonu Shivdasani Founder of Soneva https://soneva.com/
Asni Sales Director, South East Asia – https://www.belmond.com/
Fly With Haifa - Arab Travel You Tuber https://www.youtube.com/user/BeSaySo
Below I highlight some of the more popular questions and the intriguing answers my guests discussed with me:
When will we be able to travel again?
Some countries are opening their airports and borders from the middle of May.
Emirates will start operating again to 9 destinations from the 21st May - these include London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Chicago, Toronto, Sydney and Melbourne. Additionally, the airline is offering connecting flights between the UK and Australia.
Travellers will only be welcomed on these flights if they follow with the eligibility and entry requirements of their final destination. In addition, the UAE residents who desire to return to Dubai will need an approval from the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA).
Check https://www.who.int/travel-advice for information on countries airports. Also do speak to a travel curator like myself to find out more.
How will air travel change?
Well it will certainly be a longer process going through the airport – maybe 4 hours – so leave home earlier than usual and be prepared and patient to wait and go through the process – its there to keep us safe so just go with it
Onboard protective gear – Airlines may now require passengers and crew to wear masks for the duration of the flight.
No longer being able to assign your own seat – Many airlines are now discussing leaving middle seats open. Assigned seating may no longer be an option. This would leave it in the hands of the check-in agents to respect social distancing.
“Vaccine Cards” – It may come into play that we will need to carry a card/document with us at all time to show that you have either had the Covid vaccine or to show if you have or have not had the virus.
Additional screenings – When entering the airport, it’s likely we will start to see more thermal scanners and disinfectant tunnels. Non-flyers will likely no longer be able to enter the airport. Due to all these extra security measures that could be implemented earlier arrival times to airports are likely.
Also travel patterns will change as people will take less flights staying in one location for longer rather than visiting so many different destination which are close to each other.
What countries are safe to travel too?
Before you plan your holiday I would advise to visit the WHO website to see what countries are open for tourism. Please also see all the countries mentioned at the end of this post (last updated 19th May 2020)
South East Asia - Cambodia and Vietnam have had very few cases of Covid-19, simply because Asians are so used to wearing masks post other viruses.
Cambodia (122 confirmed cases and 0 deaths)
Vietnam (320 confirmed cases and 0 deaths)
Cambodia stay at Belmond Siem Reap- https://www.belmond.com/hotels/asia/cambodia/siem-reap/belmond-la-residence-dangkor/
Vietnam stay at
Banyan Tree Lang Co - https://www.banyantree.com/en/vietnam/lang-co
Four Seasons Nam Hai - https://www.fourseasons.com/hoian/
Six Senses Nimh Van Bay - https://www.sixsenses.com/en/resorts/ninh-van-bay
Intercontinental Da’nang - https://www.danang.intercontinental.com/
Maldives is a great place to visit due to the islands being isolated and they are not crowded (1,090 cases and 4 related deaths)
Soneva Fushi - https://soneva.com/
Soneva Jani - https://soneva.com/
Four Seasons – Kuda Huraa - https://www.fourseasons.com/maldiveskh/
Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru - https://www.fourseasons.com/maldiveslg/
Anantara Veli - https://www.anantara.com/en/veli-maldives
Niyama - https://www.niyama.com/en
Raffles - https://www.raffles.com/maldives/
Seychelles – (confirmed 11 cases related deaths o)
Stay on a remote island
North Island - https://www.north-island.com/
Raffles - https://www.raffles.com/seychelles/
Six Senses Zil Pasyon - https://www.sixsenses.com/en/resorts/zil-pasyon
Mauritius
(Confirmed cases 332 related deaths 10)
Stay at St Regis - https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mruxr-the-st-regis-mauritius-resort/
Sri Lanka
A short flight from Dubai, wide open spaces in the south coast or up in the mountains of Kandy and the Tea Trails. (confirmed cases 981 and related deaths 9)
Stay at Resplendent Ceylon – Tea Trials, Cape Weligama, Wild Coast Tented Lodge – private seaplane from Colombo
https://www.resplendentceylon.com/
Also on the south coast is:
Stay at Anantara Peace Haven - https://www.anantara.com/en/peace-haven-tangalle
Stay at Arabella on Boossa - http://www.arabellaonboossa.com/
Thailand – remote islands
Visit a quiet island and enjoy the sea breeze and slowly lifestyle.
(confirmed cases 3.031 and related deaths 56)
Soneva Kiri - https://soneva.com/
Chiva Som - https://www.chivasom.com/hua-hin/overview
The Naka Island - https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/pyxlc-the-naka-island-a-luxury-collection-resort-and-spa-phuket/
Banyan Tree Samui - https://www.banyantree.com/en/thailand/samui
Layan Residences by Anantara - https://www.anantara.com/en/layan-phuket
Botswana – Enjoy a safari holiday
Please note you have to travel via Johannesburg
(confirmed cases 25 related deaths 1)
Wilderness Safari Camps - https://wilderness-safaris.com/our-camps/countries/botswana/camps
Iceland will reopen from June 15 with Covid tests on arrival (1,803 cases and 10 related deaths)
Caribbean – Turks & Caicos- please note you have to go through other countries (confirmed cases 12 related deaths 1)
You can visit the World O Meter site for updated numbers
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/?utm_campaign=homeAdvegas1?%22%20%5Cl%20%22countries
Contact us directly for discounted rates for the above properties.
What type of accommodation should I book?
I would recommended booking boutique properties or private villas managed by hotels in isolated areas or wide open spaces. Think mountainous regions, countryside, secluded islands or safari locations. Jacqueline from The Travel Collection mentioned that many of her clients properties are already confirming private villa bookings with 2/3 bedrooms for a week or two – proving that people want to be a little more isolated yet with all the perks of a luxury hotel.
What safety measures are hotels putting into place to protect their guests?
Our hotel partners have confirmed less occupancy in order to respect social distancing, no busy dining rooms and constant health checks, especially on arrival
Is it safe to take a staycation?
This would ideally be the best way to get back into the travel mode. Either driving or by taking a domestic flight.
Oman is a great location to drive to. You can visit the Jabal Al Akhdar mountain as its slightly cooler in the summer and stay at:
Alila Hotel - https://www.alilahotels.com/jabalakhdar
Anantara - https://www.anantara.com/en/jabal-akhdar
Or be more in the city of Muscat
Chedi Muscat - https://www.ghmhotels.com/en/muscat/
We should always carry with us?
The new norm will be to always carry with you masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and anti bacterial wipes – more for traveling through airports and if you use public transport and excursions.
Should we book travel insurance?
Travel insurance may not cover you for another covid outbreak or cancelling your holiday. I would advise booking through a company such as Unique Family Travels as we have relationships with all our hotel partners so we can manage your bookings with complete assurance that you will be protected. I would also recommend booking your flights directly with airlines rather than 3rd parties as you have a higher chance of a refund or changing your ticket date
What if there is a second out break of the virus and I now cant travel?
Like I mentioned above – if you book through a private agent like myself, we will take care of everything for you as we work very closely with our partners who have assured us refunds or extended travel dates will be put in place. Your interest is my interest so we will manage everything for you.
What’s happening to our planet?
Sonu Shivdasani founder of Soneva highlights a very important point in our podcast “As severe as this crisis is, it will definitely end, where as we have a bigger crisis coming up – which is global warming, this is a crisis that will not end and will only get worse. If we don’t do something about Global Warming places like Dubai will be inhabitable in 2100 according to scientists as the country will be too hot for humans to exist. I do hope that this global pandemic we are currently living in will force society to rethink their ways and behaviors, resulting in people becoming more sensitive towards animals, nature and the planet. If you think this is bad it’s going to get worse for our planet so we need to act now”
To listen to my Travel podcast series click here - http://www.uniquefamilytravels.com/travelpodcast/
Stay tuned as every week I launch a new episode and I would love your support, so do let me know if you like them or if there is a topic which you would like me to discuss. You can also get in touch with me by my instagram @daniwilsonnaqvi and @uniquefamilytravel
You can also listen via Spotify, Anchor and Itunes
https://podcasts.apple.com/ae/podcast/unique-family-travel-by-dani/id151010166
Watch my “Travel Top Tips Post Covid “ video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8-Uu1Afu0o&t=5s
To book your holiday and for any travel advice please contact me at uniquefamilytravels@gmail.com
Below we have provided a detailed list of countries which currently have travel restrictions.
Which European countries have travel restrictions?
· The European Union: As of 16 March, the EU has banned all non-essential foreign arrivals.
· Albania: All borders are closed (with the exception of freight) to all nationals.
· Andorra: All ski resorts are now closed and the FCO advises against all but essential travel.
· Armenia: The majority of foreign nationals who have travelled from or via countries with outbreaks of COVID-19 within 14 days of travel, including the UK, are not currently allowed to enter Armenia.
· Azerbaijan: The Azerbaijani authorities have extended the suspension of all commercial passenger flights in to and out of Azerbaijan until at least 31st May.
· Belgium: You will only be able to enter Belgium if you live there or if you work there. The Belgium Government has announced plans to slowly start relaxing lockdown measures.
· Bosnia and Herzegovina: All foreign visitors are banned from entering the country.
· Bulgaria: The Bulgarian Government has announced severe restrictions on international travel, forbidding entry to British nationals.
· Croatia: On 19 March the Croatian government announced that it would close its land borders for a period of 30 days. The Croatian government has also advised that foreign nationals who do not have a valid residence permit are not allowed to enter Croatia. Dubrovnik International Airport is now closed.
· Czech Republic: UK citizens without permanent or temporary residency will not be able to enter the Czech Republic, with the FCO advising against all but essential travel. The Czech Republic has started to loosen its lockdown. British Nationals and EU citizens making business trips of three days or less can enter the Czech Republic as long as they have evidence that they have tested negatively for Covid-19.
· Cyprus: The government of Cyprus has banned all tourists from entering the country as of 15 March until 30 April. Cyprus is also closing all tourist accommodation from Saturday 21 March.
· Denmark: The Danish border will be closed to foreign nationals who do not have a ‘worthy purpose’ for entering Denmark until at least 10 May.
· Georgia: Domestic tourism will re-open on 15 June. From 1 July Georgia’s land and air borders should re-open in line with the principle of safe corridors and there will be a gradual resumption of flights and international tourism.
· Hungary: Foreign visitors will not be permitted entry into Hungary. Only Hungarian citizens and those holding a Permanent Residence Card or a Registration Certificate and Address Card will be allowed to enter the country.
· Estonia: Only citizens of Estonia, holders of an Estonian Residency Permit or foreign citizens whose family member lives in Estonia are permitted to enter Estonia.
· Iceland: The Icelandic Government intends to ease restrictions on international arrivals by 15 June at the latest. Details have not yet been finalised, but it is expected that arrivals will have the choice between a test on arrival or two weeks self-isolation.
· Italy: Travel to Italy is only possible if it is absolutely necessary. However, Italy has announced it will reopen for travel on 1 June.
· France: Only residents of France ands those who work in France will be granted access into the country. You will need a travel certificate to be granted access into the country.
· Latvia: Only Latvian nationals and foreign nationals who hold residence cards issued by the Latvian Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs are authorised to enter Latvia.
· Lithuania: All commercial flights between Lithuania and the UK have been cancelled.
· Luxembourg: There are currently no scheduled passenger flights from Luxembourg Airport.
· Malta: The FCO has advised against all but essential travel and visitors have been told to leave as soon as possible.
· Montenegro: You will not be able to enter Montenegro unless you have a permanent or temporary residence in the country. Montenegro is slowly starting to ease its lockdown restrictions.
· Moldova: Foreigners who do not hold Moldovan residency are currently not permitted to enter Moldova.
· Norway: The FCO has advised against all but essential travel to the country and Norway has asked anyone who is not Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Swedish or residents of Norway to leave. Norway has announced it will lift nearly all lockdown restrictions in June.
· Poland: Poland has closed its borders.
· Romania: Direct flights between Romania and the UK have been suspended.
· Russia: On the 16th March, Russia announced that it will restrict entry into the whole country for almost all foreign citizens from 18 March until 1 May 2020.
· Serbia: All airports in Serbia are currently closed to international passenger flights. Serbia is currently planning on reopening the airports to commercial flights on 18th May. All foreign nationals entering Serbia must have a negative PCR test dated no earlier than 72 hours prior to arrival and a permit issued by the Serbian Government.
· Spain: From 15 May, all new arrivals to Spain including nationals and residents need to self isolate for 14 days. The border is currently closed to all except citizens and those with a Spanish residency.
· Slovakia: Entry to Slovakia is permitted only for Slovak citizens, foreigners with proof of residency in Slovakia, and other foreign nationals under certain conditions.
· Slovenia: Slovenia has cancelled all air traffic in and out of the country.
· Turkey: Passengers who are not Turkish nationals or residents of Turkey are not permitted to enter Turkey.
· Ukraine: Foreign citizens who are not residents of Ukraine are not allowed to enter the country.
Which North American places have travel restrictions?
· USA: There is a travel ban in place across the whole of the United States of America. The US has extended its travel ban to include Ireland and the UK. As of Monday 16 March, travellers from the UK, Ireland and from the Schengen area will be denied entry into the USA.
· Canada: Canada has now closed its borders to most foreign visitors, including those coming from the UK. The border between the US and Canada has now also closed for all but essential journeys.
Which Central and South America Countries have travel restrictions?
· Argentina: Argentina’s borders are closed to foreign nationals and non-residents entering the country.
· Belize: The Government of Belize closed all borders including suspending all international flights to the Philip Goldson International Airport.
· Bolivia: All international flights to and from Bolivia are suspended and all land border crossings closed.
· Brazil: The Brazilian Government have banned entry for all foreign passengers.
· Chile: The Chilean Government has decided to close its borders from Wednesday 18th March onward. This means that those who do not have Chilean residence will be prohibited from entering Chile by air, sea or land. Disembarking from a cruise on the Chilean coasts is also prohibited. Our thanks to Southbound for this information.
· Colombia: Colombia’s land and sea borders are now closed, including the border with Ecuador. With effect from 23 March, airports are closed to international traffic .
· Costa Rica: All commercial airlines have now ceased operating to/from Costa Rica until further notice.
· Cuba: From midnight on 1 April 2020: all commercial and charter flights are suspended from entering or leaving Cuba until further notice.
· Ecuador: International arrival flights have been suspended, and foreign nationals are no longer admitted into the country.
· El Salvador: All foreign visitors are banned from entering the country.
· Guatemala: All international and domestic flights are banned.
· Guyana: The Government of Guyana has cancelled all international flights from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport at Timehri and the Eugene Correia Airport at Ogle.
· Honduras: All land, air and maritime borders are now closed for the transit of people.
· Panama: Borders are closed to all foreign visitors. There will be no international flights to or from Panama until at least 22nd June.
· Paraguay: All passenger flights have been suspended and borders will remain closed to travellers until further notice.
· Peru: All borders are now closed.
· Suriname: Suriname has closed its borders.
· Uruguay: Only Uruguayan nationals and legal residents are allowed to enter Uruguay.
· Venezuela: A large number of commercial flight routes to/from Venezuela (and internally) have been suspended due to travel and border restrictions.
Which Asian countries have travel restrictions?
· Bangladesh: Foreign nationals who have visited the EU or Iran since 1st March cannot enter Bangladesh. The visa-on-arrival facility has been suspended for all nationalities. Biman Airlines extends its temporary suspension of international and domestic flights until 16 May.
· Bahrain: Foreign visitors will not be allowed to enter Bahrain.
· Brunei: Entry to Brunei is severely restricted.
· Cambodia: There are restrictions on travellers coming from, and nationals of, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the USA and Iran. Tourist visas, e-visas, visa on arrival and visa exemptions are suspended.
· China: The FCO has advised against all travel to Hubei Province, and all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China. The more positive news is that China is slowly starting to emerge from the lockdown, and Chinese residents can now enjoy the Great Wall again, a section of which has reopened. The Badaling section of the Great Wall, from Bei Liu Lou to Nan Wu Lou Ban and the most popular part with tourists, will be open from 9am to 4pm every day. As well as this, Hubei province, where the virus began, has now lifted its travel restrictions for healthy residents.
· Hong Kong: Travellers arriving in Hong Kong on flights from overseas countries/territories, who are not Hong Kong residents, will be denied entry to Hong Kong.
· India: All scheduled international and domestic commercial passenger services will remain suspended until at least 31st May. India has also now made the decision to close the Taj Mahal. All foreign nationals are barred from entering and transiting through Indonesia.
· Indonesia: All foreign nationals are barred from entering and transiting through Indonesia. Exceptions have been made for essential travellers, who will need to have a valid health certificate before being allowed to enter.
· Israel: Foreign nationals are not permitted to enter unless they are citizens or residents of Israel.
· Japan: Foreign visitors who have visited the UK or other affected countries will not be allowed to enter Japan.
· Jordan: Commercial flights in and out of Jordan are suspended and all land and sea borders are closed.
· Kazakhstan: Most foreign nationals, including those from the UK, are currently prevented from travelling to Kazakhstan.
· Kyrgyzstan: All foreign nationals are banned from entering Kyrgyzstan.
· Kuwait: The Kuwait Government is no longer allowing non-Kuwaitis to enter Kuwait.
· Laos: With immediate effect, the Government of the Lao PDR has suspended the visa on arrival and eVisa service at all international entry points for a period of 30 days for all nationals. The number of international flights out of Laos is reducing rapidly, and the borders with Thailand are now closed.
· Lebanon: Lebanon's borders are now closed.
· Malaysia: No foreign tourists are permitted to enter Malaysia.
· The Maldives: Anyone who has left or transited through the UK in the last 14 days is banned from entering the Maldives.
· Mongolia: All international flights and rail are suspended.
· Myanmar (Burma): Myanmar has suspended all visas for foreign nationals. All commercial flights are also suspended until at least 31 May. It is now compulsory for anyone going out to wear a facemask.
· Nepal: The Government of Nepal announced its intention to deny entry to Nepal to certain foreign nationals, including British nationals until at least 31 May.
· Oman: Only Omani nationals are able to enter the country and international flights have now stopped.
· Philippines: British nationals will no longer be able to receive a visa on arrival and will not be able to enter the Philippines until further notice.
· Qatar: No foreign visitors will be allowed to enter Qatar.
· Saudi Arabia: Entry to Saudi Arabia on a tourist visa from significantly affected countries has been temporarily suspended.
· Singapore: Singapore is banning the entry of short-term visitors from everywhere in the world. People who need to visit in extenuating circumstances need to submit a form
· Sri Lanka: The government of Sri Lanka are not allowing UK travellers into the country but they are allowing people from the GCC.
· Taiwan: Foreign nationals are no longer permitted to enter Taiwan.
· Tajikistan: The government of Tajikistan has imposed temporary restrictions on the entry of all foreign nationals through all checkpoints into Tajikistan.
· Thailand: All foreign nationals are barred from entering Thailand and international passenger flights to Thailand are suspended.
· Turkmenistan: All international scheduled commercial flights to and from Turkmenistan have been suspended. All road borders are closed.
· Vietnam: Foreign tourists are now banned from entering the country but this will change nearer to the summer.
· Uzbekistan: Uzbekistan has closed land and air borders to non-Uzbek nationals.
Which African countries have travel restrictions?
· Algeria: All international flights to and from Algeria are suspended. All land borders are now closed and ferry services are suspended.
· Angola: All scheduled international flights to and from Angola are suspended.
· Benin: Entry and exit at border crossings is limited to “extreme necessity”.
· Botswana: All of Botswana's borders are closed, except for residents and citizens. There are currently no commercial flights in to or out of Botswana - this will soon change pre summer.
· Cameroon: All borders are now closed. All international flights have been suspended. All entry visas have been suspended.
· Chad: The Chadian authorities have closed airports to passenger flights until at least the 31st May.
· Comoros: All international flights are suspended until further notice. Ports are closed to those from affected countries. Immigration restriction, enhanced screening and other measures have been introduced to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
· Djibouti: All international commercial passenger flights to and from Djibouti and all land borders are closed until at least 1 September.
· Egypt: All international flights are suspended.
· Eritrea: Asmara International Airport is closed and all entry visas have been suspended.
· Gabon: All borders are now closed and the Gabonese authorities have announced the suspension of all international flights until further notice. Visa applications from countries affected by Covid-19 have been suspended.
· The Gambia: Airports are now closed to passenger flights.
· Ghana: International flights are suspended.
· Guinea: Conakry Airport is closed until further notice and all borders are now closed.
· Kenya: All international flights to and from Kenya have been suspended. The Kenya-Uganda land border has been closed to all pedestrians and vehicles.
· Liberia: The Government of Liberia has announced the suspension of all commercial flights.
· Madagascar: Madagascar has suspended all international and domestic flights until further notice.
· Malawi: Visitors from high-risk countries for coronavirus, including the United Kingdom, are no longer permitted to enter Malawi unless they have a residence permit.
· Mali: Commercial flights have been suspended.
· Mauritania: Flights between Mauritania and all other countries were suspended.
· Mauritius: There are currently no commercial flights going into Mauritius but this will change post summer.
· Morocco: All commercial flights to or from Morocco have now been suspended. Passenger ferry links between Morocco, Spain and Gibraltar have also been suspended.
· Mozambique: The government of Mozambique is only allowing Mozambican citizens or foreign residents to enter the country until further notice. All international commercial passenger flights are now suspended until 31 May.
· Niger: All international passenger flights into and out of Niger have been suspended until at least 23rd May.
· Rwanda: Rwanda has suspended all flight to or from Kigali International Airport.
· Seychelles: The Seychelles have closed their borders to anyone from the UK or Europe, open to other countries.
· Sierra Leone: The government of Sierra Leone has announced that all flights scheduled to and from Freetown International Airport have been suspended and all land borders closed until further notice.
· South Africa: South African airspace is closed to commercial airlines.
· Sudan: The Sudanese authorities have closed all external borders.
· Namibia: A state of emergency was declared on 17 March, which includes prohibiting entry to Namibia by all foreign nationals if they have come from countries affected by coronavirus, including the United Kingdom.
· Nigeria: All airports in Nigeria are closed to all international commercial flights until at least 4 June.
· Sao Tome and Principe: Entry for all foreign visitors is prohibited.
· Senegal: A ban on all commercial air transport is in place until 31 May.
· St Helena: All non-essential travel to St Helena has been suspended only allowing for residents, technical corporation officers, persons travelling to Ascension and persons authorised in advance by the Governor to return and depart the island. With immediate effect, the island has also restricted all cruise ship visits to St Helena. The decision will be reviewed after three months. St Helena is urging all in the travel community to not cancel, but to modify trips.
· Tanzania: The Government of Tanzania has now suspended all international flights.
· Tunisia: Flights between Tunisia and all other countries are now suspended.
· Uganda: All international passenger flights to and from Uganda have been suspended.
Which South Pacific countries can you not travel to?
· New Zealand: The New Zealand border is currently closed to almost all travellers.
· Australia: All foreign tourists are banned from the country.
· Fiji: The Fijian Government have closed Nadi Airport.
· Kiribati The island will now deny entry to any travellers who have been in or transited countries with confirmed local transmission within 14 days.
· Nauru: The island is asking everyone to cancel or postpone non-essential travel to Nauru.
· Papua New Guinea: Nobody may enter Papua New Guinea except for health workers, flight crew, military personnel or those with a special written exemption from the Emergency Controller.
· Tonga: Tongan borders are closed to entry by all foreigners.
Which Caribbean countries have travel restrictions?
· Anguilla: The island's airports and sea ports are closed.
· Antigua and Barbuda: Antigua and Barbuda has decided to shut VC Bird International airport until at least 1 June. Barbuda Airport is closed for everything except emergency, cargo and rescue flights.
· Bahamas: The FCO advises against all but essential travel.
· Dominica: All airports and seaports are closed.
· Dominican Republic: All of the Dominican Republic’s air, land and sea borders closed.
· Grenada: Incoming passengers are no longer allowed to enter Grenada.
· Haiti: All ports, airports, and borders would be closed
· Jamaica: Travellers can expect disruption and termination of flights and should contact their airlines, travel agents and tour operators.
· Saint Lucia: St Lucia’s border is closed, but the government has announced plans to reopen the tourism sector on June 4th. This will happen in phases, with phase 1 seeing Hewanorra International Airport welcoming flights from the United States. Advance testing, daily screening, the monitoring of staff and visitors, social distancing and sanitisation at various points throughout the travellers' journey will be in place to help prevent the spread of the disease. Visitors will have to present a certificate to say they have tested negative for Covid-19 in the last 48 hours. Face masks must be worn and social distancing measures adhered to while in St Lucia. As well as this, new Covid-19 certificates are being introduced to hotels to prove they are clean and are following social distancing.
· Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: All international flights have been suspended until further notice. The seaports of Bequia, Mustique, Canouan and Union Island have also been closed to yachts and pleasure craft.
· Trinidad and Tobago: The Trinidad and Tobago government has indefinitely closed its borders. British Airways have announced they will not be flying to and from Trinidad and Tobago until 30 June.
Country Source – Wanderlust.co.uk
