Three islands in the Caribbean that are popular with cruise-goers and travelers alike just removed several restrictions, making it easier and more appealing for foreign travelers to enter. Aruba, Grenada and the Cayman Islands are the countries in question, and in removing restrictions they are joining a rapidly expanding list of countries that have recently made it easier to enter, potentially leading to a tourism boom in the region in the coming few weeks.
Whilst they may not have gone as far as their Caribbean neighbour the Dominican Republic, who recently removed all of their Covid-19 related restrictions, the moves made by Aruba, Grenada and the Cayman Islands represent a step in the right direction as far as travelers are concerned, and could pave the way for a complete removal of restrictions in the near future. Here’s a closer look at what exactly is changing in each of these countries.
Aruba Eases Restrictions – Information For Travelers
Just a few weeks ago, the tropical island of Aruba made it much easier for travelers to be able to enter when they made it possible for travelers to be able to visit with just a negative Rapid Antigen Test result – or, in the case of those with booster vaccine shots, not testing requirements at all. This week however, the country has gone a step further, removing several of its local Covid-19 restrictions.
The island has removed several of the restrictions it had placed on businesses at the height of the pandemic, allowing businesses and restaurants to go back to operating their normal hours, along with slashing capacity limits and closing time restrictions. On top of this, masks are no longer mandatory in indoor public places (apart from the airport), but “encouraged” – allowing travelers to use their own judgement. Changes like these are a welcome step towards normality on the island, and could be enough to woo travelers back in greater numbers.
Grenada Ease Requirements – What Travelers Should Know
Previously, in order to enter Grenada, travelers had to ensure that they had a negative result from a PCR test taken no more than 3 days before arriving in the country. However, recent updates by the government of Grenada have changed this requirement, making trips to the stunning country much easier for travelers, and much more appealing in the first place.
From now on, travelers can elect to take a Rapid Antigen Test, also known as an antigen test, instead of a PCR test. Travelers picking this option must ensure that their date of sample collection is within 1 day of their arrival in Grenada – whilst this is a tighter window than for PCR tests, the affordability, availability and speed of Rapid Antigen Tests is bound to make it a preferred choice for many travelers.
Cayman Islands’ Restrictions Changes – Information For Travelers
The Cayman Islands previously had particularly strict requirements after travelers had arrived. Travelers had to take lateral flow tests on days 2, 5 and 7 following their arrival on island, whilst at one point unvaccinated travelers had to stay in quarantine for as long as 14 days after landing on the island. Thankfully, both of these requirements were updated this week.
As a result of the update, the post-arrival testing requirement for vaccinated travelers has now been removed – meaning no more tests on days 2, 5 and 7 after arrival. Additionally, the quarantine period for partially vaccinated, non-securely verifiable vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers has been reduced to seven days. Both changes are set to make the the Cayman Islands a much more enticing destination for travelers over the next few months.
