Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Jul 25, 2025

No masks required in Anguilla as island set for Phase 2 of reopening

No masks required in Anguilla as island set for Phase 2 of reopening

Visitors to Anguilla can move around mask free as the island prepares to go into its second phase of reopening.
That phase, which will be implemented on November 1, will see hotels, resorts and villas across the island added into the approved and certified accommodations mix for visitors to the island.

Anguilla currently has no cases of COVID-19. The island, the only one to hold its Carnival in August, had a total of three cases to date.

Hadyn Hughes, Minister of Tourism, said as such the wearing of masks in public is not mandatory on the island. He reassured, however, that the island has a surplus of masks in the event that they are needed.

Hughes said they have been very prudent in how they have managed the presence of visitors to the island.

Speaking to the Caribbean Tourism Organisation on Tuesday, he said visitors are categorised by High Prevalence and Low Prevalence areas based on the spread of the virus in their countries.

All visitors to Anguilla must submit a negative PCR test taken within three to five days of their arrival and upon arrival, another test will be administered.

Hughes said results from that test will be delivered within an hour. Tests cost US$100 and can be paid for when bookings are made with the hotels.

For those who are visiting from High Prevalence areas for up to 14 days, they will have to vacation in place. However, said Hughes, since Anguilla does not have All-Inclusive Resorts, certified service providers could be used to enjoy activities off-site. Those from Low-Prevalence countries staying longer than 10 days are free to move around once they are cleared after day 10.

Everything, Hughes said, is carefully managed.

"If you come to Anguilla and stay at one of our properties you can play golf, you can still leave the property, not on your own but through certified ground transportation and you must ensure those bookings are done. ..everything is controlled, it isn't just that you call a taxi, jump in a taxi and going over to the golf course, going on a boat, going over to Scilly Cay or Sandy Island, everything is controlled, everything is by bookings, everything is managed," he said.

He said hotel facilities are available through appointments and each hotel has a quarantine facility for those visitors who test positive while on the island.

Addressing passengers who have to transit through Sint Maarten, San Juan, St Kitts and Nevis or Antigua, Hughes said if the first port of entry requires a negative PCR test and you don't leave the airport before you arrive to Anguilla, you do not need to show proof of a negative test. You will, however, be tested again once you arrive on the island. This applies to passengers arriving by sea as well.

Hughes said while they are late in the reopening process one of the lessons they learnt is not to be too desperate to open.

"And even when you are opening you must be vigilant, you must be careful in doing so. We have seen some of the protocols other countries are using and we have been looking at it and saying hmm this is risky. We have also seen some countries that have open and closed. We don't want to be that, we want to ensure we do this carefully and meticulously, we want to ensure everybody is on the same page," he said.

He said a tourism sensitisation programme with all service providers will be held to ensure everyone is COVID ready.

He said: "We are late in the game but that is by design."
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
×