Travel bubble discontinued

The travel bubble, which exempted people from select countries from further quarantine or testing on arrival in Barbados, has been discontinued.

Countries with low COVID-19 positivity rates and low cases per 100,000 population, “every fortnight”, were allowed to be in the bubble, which went into effect on July 17th this year. However, it ceased to be effective on August 21st.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Kenneth George, says the decision to discontinue the bubble was due to increased positivity rates and cases “in many of our sister Caribbean countries”.

He says the bubble was implemented to provide more seamless travel for countries which were deemed to be low risk. However, the two-week period prior to the bubble being discontinued, saw rising COVID levels and infection rates. As a result, the Ministry of Health and the Cabinet Subcommittee decided the travel bubble would be discontinued until further notice.

Dr. George notes out that with the travel bubble no longer in effect, all protocols now apply. For vaccinated travellers, quarantine will be for 24 to 48 hours, while for unvaccinated travellers, five days with a re-test on day six.

Additionally, the Chief Medical Officer stated that people from countries of special interest would be required to quarantine for seven days with a re-test on day eight, regardless of vaccination status.

Dr. George has also urged the travelling public to always consult with the protocols for accurate travel information. The updated protocols may be viewed by visiting https://www.visitbarbados.org/covid-19-travel-guidelines-2021.

About The Author