The Bahamas has closed its borders to the United States. Due to the continued increase in COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases in the U.S., as well as an uptick in cases in the Bahamas, Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis, has made the decision to close borders to international commercial flights and commercial vessels carrying passengers from the United States.
The order is effective as of Wednesday, July 22 at midnight. In addition, Bahamasair will cease outgoing flights to the United States, effective immediately. Originally, the destination reopened to international travelers on July 1, as reported by our sister publication Travel Agent, meaning it took fewer than three weeks to overturn the decision.
Outgoing flights will be permitted to accommodate any current visitors scheduled to return to the United States after Wednesday, July 22.
Private flights and charters from the United States, as well as pleasure craft and yachts will be permitted, and travelers from Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union are exempt from the emergency order. All visitors are required to present a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test from a referenced lab, taken no more than 10 days prior to the date of travel.
Since opening borders to international travel on July 1, The Bahamas has experienced a deterioration in conditions relative to COVID-19. These restrictions have been put in place to protect the health and wellbeing of both residents and visitors and to prevent the spread of the virus throughout the Bahamas.
The Bahamas, according to its Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, is reviewing and being guided by the most effective practices from around the world. Reopening of borders will continue to be monitored and guided by the Bahamas government and health officials, based on COVID-19 trends.
This article originally appeared on www.travelagentcentral.com.
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