Persons travelling to the VI with UK or DR travel history will also be under increased scrutiny and must now be subject to more quarantine requirements and additional COVID-19 testing.

“Cabinet met and it was decided that effective immediately, all persons approved to travel to the British Virgin Islands originating or transition through the Dominican Republic or the United Kingdom are required to provide a five day RT-PCR negative test prior to entry, and must undergo a mandatory 14-days quarantine and a testing regiment on the day of entry, on day 7 and finally on day 14 when in the territory,” Hon Malone said.

The Dominican Republic (DR) will join the United Kingdon (UK) in a travel ban to the Virgin Islands (VI) effective, Monday, January 11, 2021, Minister for Health and Social Development, Hon Carvin Malone (AL) announced today Friday, January 8, 2021.

DR Travel ban takes effect from Monday

“Cabinet has also decided that in light of concerning information and of the prevalence of increasing cases of COVID-19 in the Dominican Republic, to implement a travel ban effective Monday 11th January 2021 of persons travelling from the Dominican Republic to the British Virgin Islands,” Hon Malone detailed.

The travel ban; however, will not apply to VI nationals, belongers, residents, work permit holders, persons permitted to reside in the territory, diplomats and persons employed by government and statutory agencies.

“I want to echo this loudly, COVID-19 is not playing around with us and we will not play around with COVID-19, we are in this together we're not out of the woods yet," Hon Malone said, noting that anyone violating COVID-19 guidelines will be fined.

The new DR travel ban comes as the territory announced on December 31, 2020, that it was banning persons travelling from the UK, given the presence of a more aggressive and contagious strain of the COVID-19 virus present there.