Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation Statement on National Lockdown
NASSAU, Bahamas, August 4, 2020 – In a national address last night, Prime Minister, The Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis updated Bahamians and residents on an exponential increase in positive COVID-19 cases in The Bahamas. With a surge in hospitalizations and demand for ICU beds, a national lockdown has been ordered to curb further spread of the virus, alleviate stress on healthcare resources and ensure services remain available to those in need.
The national lockdown goes into effect on Tuesday, August 4 at 10:00pm, and remains in place for a minimum of two weeks. During this period, quarantine measures will be strictly enforced, with all businesses throughout the country, including curbside and takeaway dining and retail, required to suspend operations. Residents are permitted to leave their homes only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7:00am to 5:00pm for the sole purpose of securing essential items, such as groceries, water, medication and gas.
For complete details on the national lockdown, please visit opm.gov.bs.
Implications for Travellers:
While The Bahamas is looking forward to safely welcoming visitors to its shore, the health and well-being of residents and visitors remains of upmost importance. During the national lockdown, The Bahamas remains open to international travel.
All travellers to The Bahamas will be required to adhere to the national lockdown protocols, and must follow all other travel policies as outlined in the most recent Emergency Powers Order.
Requirements for entering The Bahamas include:
· All travellers must apply for a Bahamas Health Visa at travel.gov.bs by selecting the International option and completing all required fields.
· All incoming visitors, as well as returning citizens and residents, must show proof of a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test, taken no more than 10 days prior to the date of arrival. All tests must be uploaded when applying for a Bahamas Health Visa.
o The only applicants that are not required to provide a COVID-19 test are:
- Children under the age of ten (10).
- Pilots and crew who remain overnight in The Bahamas.
- All visitors and returning residents are required to quarantine for 14-days upon arrival into The Bahamas.
- Travellers are permitted to quarantine at a hotel, private club or rented accommodations (like AirBnB), as well as on a private boat.
- All persons must submit to monitoring and install the HubbCat APP on their cellular phones for purposes of contact tracing.
- After the 14 days, all persons intending to remain in the country will be required to complete another COVID-19 test, at their own expense, to exit quarantine.
Full details on protocols for entry to The Bahamas, including specifics for private aviation and private yachts and pleasure craft, can be found on bahamas.com/travelupdates.
The Bahamas has remained diligent in efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19 throughout the islands and these measures are imperative to ensure that remains the case. Due to fluidity of COVID-19 situation both in The Bahamas and worldwide, protocols are subject to change. The health and wellbeing of both residents and visitors remain the number one priority, and public health officials are closely monitoring indicators to determine whether more or less stringent measures will be required going forward.
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PRESS INQUIRIES
Anita Johnson-Patty
General Manager, Global Communications
Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation
Weber Shandwick
Public Relations