Caribbean tourism association calls for reduced isolation periods

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association is calling on the region’s governments to come to a consensus to reduce isolation periods for travellers to seven days, in a bid to help the Caribbean’s tourism sector to recover.

In a letter to Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda, outgoing chairman of CARICOM (Caribbean Community), CHTA president Nicola Madden-Greig noted that the UK and the US have reduced the isolation period for COVID-positive individuals, to seven and five days, respectively.

Madden-Greig said some Caribbean jurisdictions require up to 14 days in isolation, “which presents unnecessary financial and personal hardship to residents, visitors, destinations and companies and increasingly will deter travel”.

In Cayman, quarantine requirements for vaccinated travellers were discontinued on 20 Nov. Under current regulations, each arrival now is required to undergo a medically certified PCR or lateral flow test – also known as a rapid antigen test – 24 hours before travel. All incoming travellers must then get a lateral flow test two, five and 10 days after entering the island. If a test is positive, the traveller is required to isolate for 10-14 days, with the longer period for those who have tested positive for the Omicron variant.

Last month, after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the reduction of of isolation time for COVID-positive people from 10 days to five, if asymptomatic or if their symptoms resolve, Cayman’s Interim Chief Medical Officer Dr. Autilia Newton said the islands were taking these new guidelines, and those of other entities internationally, “into consideration”.

As of 4 Jan., there had been no new announcement regarding the length of quarantine or isolation times in Cayman.

In her statement, Madden-Grieg said that while the Omicron strain is highly contagious, it caused only a “low level of severe illness requiring hospitalization, and a low death rate, and has proven to be particularly less virulent for those who are vaccinated”.

The association argues that the faster recovery rates justify the moves by the British and US governments to reduce the isolation periods.

Madden-Greig commended Caribbean governments that had not closed borders or restricted travel, saying, “Government policies coupled with the efforts of health and tourism officials to enforce health safety protocols have resulted in the restoration of employment and airlift to near pre-pandemic levels, higher vaccination rates for tourism-related employees, and low positivity test result rates for travelers, preventing massive business failures which would be detrimental to our long-term recovery.”

She said the Caribbean’s tourism industry was recovering faster than any other region in the world, but added that “overreaction over the coming critical weeks can reverse the progress we’ve made towards recovery”.

Calling for “regional harmonization” for entry, testing and isolation/quarantine requirements, Madden-Greig cited reports of continued confusion in the marketplace about having “many and varied requirements” by Caribbean governments. This confusion, she said, is a deterrent to travel and is slowing recovery.

Citing the cost and availability of COVID-19 PCR tests, which can add US$600 to travel costs for a family of four, CHTA is also recommending that antigen tests approved by the World Health Organization be accepted for entry. The Bahamas, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Jamaica and the US Virgin Islands accept antigen tests and have not reported higher infection rates among tourists, she noted.

Travellers to Cayman, under the current regulations, are also able to enter the jurisdiction if they test negative on a certified rapid antigen test.