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DESTINATION & TOURISM  BRIAN MAJOR  OCTOBER 08, 2020

Travelers from outside of Caribbean CARICOM “bubble” countries, including U.S. visitors, will be required to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR test to enter St. Kitts and Nevis and will be tested again upon arrival, said Lindsay Grant, minister of tourism, transport and ports for the dual-island nation.

In his first detailed description of the country’s entry protocols since officials announced last week St. Kitts and Nevis would reopen its borders to international visitors, Grant said travelers from non-CARICOM bubble countries will be required to show a negative test result within 72 hours of travel to the territory and undergo testing at Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport at a cost of $100 per passenger.about:blank

Speaking during a Caribbean Tourism Organization Facebook press briefing Thursday, Grant said the government has established an airport welcome center at which all COVID-19 testing and traveler processing prior to customs and immigration will take place. Test results are expected within four to five hours of arrival, during which time travelers will remain at the welcome center, said Grant.

Travelers who test negative at the welcome center will be permitted to transfer to approved accommodations at one of four resorts: the Four Seasons Resort Nevis, the Hilton Koi Resort Saint Kitts, the Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour and the St. Kitts Marriott Resort & The Royal Beach Casino.

In addition, visitors staying in the territory from one to seven days will be permitted to use all hotel facilities but will be restricted to the property’s grounds, Grant said. Visitors remaining longer than seven days will be required to take a second PCR test and if found negative may participate in approved tours and activities beyond their hotel or resort.

Guests staying more than 14 days will be given another test and if negative can “integrate directly into society,” Grant said. “I must emphasize these situations are subject to the ongoing situation with COVID,” Grant said. So the protocols could be updated if the situation changes.

“We have been looking at protocols across the region and have been taking the best of the best,” he said. “We are confident the programs and the protocols we place will benefit not only the citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis but those who seek to come here.”

Despite Grant’s announcement Thursday, some details of the entry process remain unclear. For example, while he said travelers who test positive upon arrival in St. Kitts and Nevis will be isolated and provided with medical treatment and secure accommodations, Grant could not say with certainty if travelers would be responsible for costs associated with the services.

Grant did say travelers will not be required to purchase or maintain travel insurance to enter the country. Nevertheless, “We are confident we will have a smooth transition from where we are now to where we will become October 31,” he said.