The Caribbean island of Saint Lucia is hard at work putting measures in place as it plans to welcome visitors from the United States on June 4, 2020.
On May 18th, Minister of Tourism Dominic Fedee announced plans to re-open Saint Lucian borders on a phased basis from June 4, 2020. As part of phase one, nationals and visitors will be subjected to elevated protective measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Some of those include advanced testing, daily screening and monitoring of staff and visitors, sanitization at various points throughout the travelers’ journey, and new social distancing protocols.
“Our new protocols have been carefully crafted and will build confidence among travelers and our citizens,” said Minister Dominic Fedee. He noted, “the Government of Saint Lucia remains resolved to protect both lives and livelihoods as it jump starts its economy.”
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From June 4, 2020, international flights from the United States only will be allowed entry to the island via the Hewanorra International Airport (UVF). Passengers booking these flights are advised to contact their airline and/or booking partner for information about additional rules besides the ones mentioned below.
Over 1,500 hotel rooms will be made available to accommodate incoming travelers, pending that the respective hoteliers acquire a COVID-19 Certificate (which is still being finalized).
Travelers booking flights to Saint Lucia will be subjected to a number of new safety protocols, which will begin at the booking process. Some of the major points include the following:
Even though the Saint Lucian government is working to make as much as 1,500 rooms available, all participating hotels will be required to maintain over a dozen specific criteria with regards to sanitization, implementation of social distancing policies, and other safety practices before they can accept guests. The measures are being put in place to protect both foreign travelers, and local staff members and visitors.
The government has decided to limited the number of traveler experiences to registered hotels and travel/tour agencies in an effort to help reduce potential the spread of the virus. It’s recommended that you confirm which activities will be allowed before booking.
The tourism minister has said that phase 2 of their recovery plan will start from August 1, 2020, but said that details will be revealed later on.
[Featured Photo: Bradley Wint/Gate Checked]