Barbados has introduced new strict new procedures for all arrivals, including a required electronic tracking bracelet and a mandatory quarantine period.
Open to travelers since July, the Caribbean island now requires visitors to provide negative results of a COVID-19 test taken within three days before their arrival. Additionally, travelers will also need to download an app called BIMSafe, where they can upload their test results before travel as well as log any potential symptoms.
Visitors will need the app while on the island.
When they arrive, authorities will verify that the first test is valid. Travelers may need to take a second rapid test at the airport to confirm results.
After clearing the test, travelers are then transported to their pre-approved accommodations. They must quarantine in their rooms until they have been given clearance to leave, which requires a second COVID-19 test taken five days after arrival.
During the quarantine period, travelers must wear an electronic tracking bracelet — connected to the app — that "keeps you and those around you safe by ensuring you remain within your designated quarantine location," according to the Visit Barbados website. Travelers are not allowed to leave their rooms until their second test results clear.
Tampering with the bracelet will send an alarm to Barbados authorities. The bracelet is linked to an app called BIMSafe, which requires visitors to submit daily self-temperature checks for seven days or the length of their stay, whichever is shorter. Travelers are advised to bring their own thermometers for these reports.
Travelers must also comply with the Barbados "House Rules" which requires the wearing of a face mask in public spaces and abiding by a curfew that runs from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m. every night.
Barbados is under stay-at-home restrictions until at least Feb. 17, with restaurants, bars, shops, and gyms closed at this time. Gatherings are also not permitted during this period. Essential services like supermarkets, gas stations, and pharmacies are open, but operating under reduced hours. And the island's beaches and parks may only be used for swimming or exercise from 6 a.m. until 9 a.m.
Barbados has reported more than 1,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the U.S. Embassy.
The Ministry of Tourism has set up a 24-hour hotline for visitors who are quarantining at hotels (+1-246-628-4150).
Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure, currently based in Brooklyn. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or at caileyrizzo.com.
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