The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Bahamian tourism operators are urging the Government to reduce the 14-day COVID quarantine period, and bring it into line with US and UK measures, to give a further peak season boost.

Robert Sands, the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association’s (BHTA) president, told Tribune Business this was the “outstanding issue” the sector wants addressed given concerns that the mandated isolation period is deterring visitors from coming to this nation for fear they will have to spend two weeks here if they test positive for COVID-19n during their stay.

“The issue we think remains outstanding, and we continue to address with the Government, is for them to give consideration to the length of the quarantine period,” he said, “which has been reduced in the UK from 14 days to seven days, and in the US to just five days.

“We’re currently at 14 days, and we’d wish it to come into line with best practices, and that consideration be given to that. I think it’s a concern for the individuals. It’s on their minds, but we can address that through this particular issue being amended by the Ministry of Health or adjusted by the Ministry of Health.”

The concerns raised by Mr Sands over the 14-day quarantine were echoed by Benjamin Simmons, proprietor of The Other Side and Ocean View properties on Harbour Island and Eleuthera.

He told Tribune Business: “I think because it [the Omicron variant] is so transmissible, people are concerned about getting it and getting trapped here. A 14-day quarantine is a long period. In the US it’s five days, and in the UK it’s seven. It seems like the science has moved on a bit, and it’s definitely a little difficult to navigate, but the standard the Government sets is the standard we go by.

“People are concerned about getting trapped, that’s the thing. The repercussions of a positive test are so great that creates a question mark. Is this a dangerous destination to come to because of Omicron? If there was an update to policy to reflect CDC guidelines people would understand that, but two weeks out of work on top of a vacation, people are questioning that.”

Meanwhile, Mr Sands said it was “unfortunate” that the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has again downgraded The Bahamas to a ‘Level 3’ from a ‘Level 2’ due to the explosion of COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks.

However, the warning was targeted mainly at unvaccinated Americans who make up a minority of The Bahamas’ tourism market given that 85-90 percent of guests at large hotels are fully inoculated.

“Make sure you are fully vaccinated before travelling to The Bahamas,” the latest CDC advisory warned. “Unvaccinated travellers should avoid non-essential travel to The Bahamas.

“Because of the current situation in The Bahamas, all travellers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants. Travellers should follow recommendations or requirements in The Bahamas, including wearing a mask and staying six feet apart from others.”

Mr Sands said The Bahamas was far from alone in being downgraded by the CDC because of Omicron’s rapid spread, and added: “We’re not in the ‘do not travel’ category. We don’t want to bring too much exposure to this particular change at this particular point because we do not want to create uncertainty in the marketplace.

“We’re grateful it’s not ‘Level 4’, and we have to work hard to get back to ‘Level 2’. I would say this is always a concern, but it’s not a highlighted concern. For me the issue is to work very hard to get us back to a ‘Level 2’.”