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Want to travel to Barbados this winter, but can’t get your pre-flight PCR test done in time?
Now, in an attempt to attract more tourists back, Barbados will send a company out to your home to test you before you fly in, guaranteeing you get your results in time.
Many American and Canadian travelers have voiced their frustration in not being able to get their negative PCR test results in time to travel to their favorite destinations.
Dozens of nations have reopened for tourism, and are inviting North American tourists to come, but with strict entry requirements like having proof of a negative PCR test within a certain time frame.
For Barbados, that time frame is 72 hours, which has resulted in many disgruntled tourists being forced to switch their destination to a more accommodating time frame once they realize they can’t get their test results in time from their local clinic.
The tourism board of Barbados desperately wants to reboot their devastated tourism economy as safely as possible, which is why they have partnered up with Stage Zero Life Sciences to offer eager visitors an at-home pre-travel testing service in order to easily get their results on time for entry into Barbados.
Here’s How It Works:
- Travelers will book an appointment time/date for a nurse to come to their home
- A testing kit will arrive in the mail prior to the nurse showing up
- On the date and time booked, a nurse or mobile phlebotomist will arrive at your home and perform the test
- After the test had been performed, you simply place the sample in the pre-labelled priority over-night mailer and send it off
- Results will be sent to your email within 24-48 hours
Americans and Canadians Can Use This Service
Stage Zero is available for both American and Canadian tourists looking to travel to Barbados.
For Americans: Their website says they are available in every state except Alaska and Hawaii and can service most cities/towns, although remote areas might not be supported.
For Canadians: Stage Zero says the service will be available for Canadians in the following areas – Greater Toronto Area, Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, Collingwood, Barrie, Durham, Kingston Hamilton, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, the Greater Vancouver Area, Fraser Valley, Victoria and Nanaimo
What’s The Cost?
Buckle up, because this service is NOT cheap.
While the total cost includes the Physician’s Order, Test Kit, Mobile Healthcare Professional coming to your home, and all Shipping & Handling, the cost is still very considerable.
In the USA: 1 person = $265 USD, 2 people = $425 USD, 3 people = $545 USD, 4 people = $665 USD and 5 people = $785 USD
In Canada: 1 person = $340 CAD, 2 people = $590 CAD, 3 people = $730 CAD, 4 people = $920 CAD and 5 people = $1,110 CAD
The government of Barbados does not require children under the age of 5 to provide test results, which could help families travelling with small kids keep costs down, otherwise it’s a small fortune for a family of 4 or 5 to take a vacation.
Even for those who provide their negative PCR tests upon entry in Barbados, there are still more rules and entry requirements for visiting everyone should know about.
After arriving in Barbados, travelers over 5 years of age will have to take a 2nd PCR test. The test is to be taken 5 days after the 1st test was administered at home, which usually coincides with day 2 or 3 on the island. The results of the 2nd test are usually available 24 hours later.
During the time between landing and the time the 2nd test results are available, the traveler must stay within certain areas of their hotel, which is usually their room and designated restaurant/lounge areas. They cannot leave the hotel and at some properties, even use the pool.
However, after the 2nd test results come back negative, the traveler is free to use the beach, the pool, and even freely move around the island.
The tight entry requirements, multiple tests and semi-quarantine for the first few days on the island come as a double sword for Barbados.
On one hand, strict rules have made Barbados very attractive for people trying to escape the pressure and the stress of Covid back home, seeing how there are only 8 active cases as of November 15th.
On the other hand, some travelers are hugely dissuaded by the costs of the pre-flights tests, not being able to visit the beach on the first few days of vacation, and all the other strict entry rules and confusing steps.
For these reasons, many travelers are choosing destinations with a more welcoming approach, like the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Costa Rica, which are all promoting test-free and quarantine-free entry this winter.
Want to travel to Barbados?
Read More: See the Top 10 Destinations to visit during the pandemic, all countries allowing Canadian and American tourists to visit, and the best travel insurance that also covers covid
Sources: Stage Zero / Government of Barbados /
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- Kashlee Kucheran
- Originally Published November 15, 2020
- 2 Comments
Disclaimer: Current travel rules and restrictions can change without notice. The decision to travel is ultimately your responsibility. Contact your consulate and/or local authorities to confirm your nationality’s entry and/or any changes to travel requirements before traveling. Travel Off Path does not endorse traveling against government advisories
Jy
Sunday 15th of November 2020
Can you use this service then travel to any country of your choice with the PCR results? Or only Barbados will accept this accept this service and results
Kashlee Kucheran
Sunday 15th of November 2020
This company has only partnered with Barbados (so far) but I am assuming as a business they will want to partner with as many countries as possible