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The Bahamas went on a total lockdown over the weekend and all arriving travelers will now face a mandatory 14 day quarantine in a state run facility at their own cost.
The Bahamian government issued a mandatory lockdown from Friday July 24th through Sunday July 26th that required all residents to not leave their homes unless it was for urgent medical attention or food.
Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis’ emergency orders issued very different travel requirements than those he’d announced earlier in the week.
The new restrictions for travelers eliminated the ‘allowed country' list and testing prior to arrival.
Now all travelers regardless on where they are flying from will face the 14 day quarantine. Then visitors will undergo a PCR COVID-19 test at the end of their isolation period again at the cost of the traveler before they are able to begin their vacation.
Last week, the Prime Minister had said that he would close the borders to all U.S. travelers, effective July 22, but would continue to welcome tourists from Canada, the U.K. and the E.U.
“Regrettably, the situation here at home has already deteriorated since we began the reopening of our domestic economy. It has deteriorated at an exponential rate since we reopened our international borders.” Minnis explained at the time.
“Our current situation demands decisive action, if we are to avoid being overrun and defeated by this virus.”
“The provisions governing the admission of foreign visitors to The Bahamas were changed in order to create a uniform standard of treatment for all Visitors to The Bahamas during this Pandemic Emergency,” read the statement. “The creation of a uniform framework means that there is no longer any need to create any list of countries from which The Bahamas would accept commercial flights; which list thereby excluded other countries.”
The new orders no longer include COVID-19 PCR pre-travel testing stipulation and have scrapped the previous requirement that travelers complete an online Health Visa form. The 14 day quarantine at government facilities will supersede all previous covid-19 measures.
IMPORTANT UPDATE AUGUST 3:
Since the publishing of this article, the Bahamas has imposed new rules for entry, once again, including details on PCR testing AND mandatory 14-day quarantine.
*Please see all Bahamas Entry Requirement Updates HERE
According to Travel Pulse, American Airlines (AA), which had planned to resume its service to Nassau, Georgetown and Eleuthera, suspended flights starting July 22 after the Prime Minister’s directive dropped. An AA spokeswoman, Laura Masvidal, told the Miami Herald that resumption of its routes to The Bahamas has been rescheduled to September. Despite The Bahamas’ latest course-change, she said, “We continue with our plan to resume our flights in September.”
Effective Monday, July 27th, the Bahamas will face new national restrictions for the rest of the islands:
- New curfew from 7:00 pm to 5:00 am
- All business activity must be stopped by 6:00 pm
- Indoor and outdoor dining at all restaurants prohibited. Curbside pickup can continue.
- Ban on in-person religious services, sporting events, group exercise and all social gatherings
- Weddings and funerals can be max 5 people total
Effective Tuesday July 28th at 7:00 pm
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