In a COVID-19 travel update on Friday, May 7, 2021, he said the move comes, “After carefully considering both the wish to re-open the Territory to tourism and the need to mitigate the risks arising from increased travel, particularly arising from new COVID-19 variants.”

More policies will also apply to persons travelling in mixed groups of vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.

Hon Carvin Malone said the territory will continue to sound the alarm that vaccination is our best defence against the relentless COVID-19 pandemic.

Less quarantine for partially vaccinated persons

“Where people are travelling in mixed groups with some individuals unvaccinated, the entire party will be treated as unvaccinated and will also be required to quarantine for seven (7) days upon arrival,” Hon Malone said.

He said in the case of persons who are only partially vaccinated with one dose of a two-dose vaccine, or whose final vaccine dose was administered less than two weeks before arriving in the territory, they will be required to undergo a 4-day quarantine period, with PCR testing administered on arrival and on day 4.

The Health Minister also announced that the Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) has also presented recommendations for rapid or PCR testing for frontline workers and Public Officers and that the territory will continue to sound the alarm that vaccination is our best defence against the relentless COVID-19 pandemic.

Vaccination is the best defence - Hon Malone

“New, more aggressive strains continue to emerge, as the virus mutates and spreads rapidly from one region of the world to another, increasing the risk of severe sickness and death,” he said.

As of May 5 2021, at the Dr. D Orlando Smith Hospital administered 30,814 tests and of these, 219 were confirmed positive with just 25 active confirmed cases currently in the territory.