Bonaire’s COVID-19 Travel updates and measures are explained by Lt. Governor Rijna.

In the latest press conference Thursday, Bonaire’s Lieutenant Governor Edison Rijna provided COVID-19 travel updates and extended the risk level 2 measures until October 1, 2021. Dr. Marian Luinstra-Passchier also gave a speech about the COVID-19 cases on Bonaire. Bonaire continues to have a low number of active COVID-19 cases.

Here is a transcript of the speech from Lt. Governor Rijna.

In recent weeks, the number of active COVID infections has remained stable. There are currently 20 active cases on Bonaire. It is not justified to relax the current measures because a highly contagious delta variant outbreak still threatens. Therefore, we will extend the current risk level 2 measures until October 1, 2021.

This means, among other things, that no more than 50 people can come together privately, and events with a maximum of 100 people can take place. For more information, please visit bonairecrisis.com.

I want to call on all catering industries not to organize large parties and observe the basic measures. In the neighboring countries of Curaçao and Aruba, we see that parties in the catering industry are often a source of outbreaks. I remind you that indoor dance parties are entirely forbidden.

We want to make it possible for more people to come together within a few weeks if the infection figures allow it. That is why we are preparing to enable events with more than 100 people. The idea is that people who have been vaccinated or who have been tested shortly before the event can attend. Soon we will provide more information about this.

Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten have been listed as high-risk countries. Travelers from those islands, who have been fully vaccinated, are now also required to test. Curaçao also considers Bonaire to be high-risk from tomorrow. Travelers who travel back and forth from Bonaire to Aruba and Curaçao within 48 hours of taking the test do not need to test again for the return trip. Their test of departure on Bonaire is then still valid.

Bonaire has temporarily lifted the bubble with Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten. This was necessary because the infection rates on these islands are very high, and there is a greater risk that infected people are on the plane. As soon as the numbers allow, we’ll see if we can get back to the bubble between the islands.

Schools started again this week. I would like to ask all students and teachers and other people who work in the schools to adhere to the basic rules that the Department of Public Health has established for the schools. I would also like to appeal to all parents and students between the ages of 12 and 18 that these young people have themselves vaccinated this Saturday during a special event at the Kompleho Deportivo Jorge Nicolaas sports hall. This is possible from 9 in the morning to 2 in the afternoon.

On September 2, after a long time, the first cruise ship will return to Bonaire. Cruise ships will regularly dock from then on. We have drawn up a special policy for this that these passengers must comply with to disembark. The cruise lines themselves also have strict rules. For example, everyone with a negative test goes on board, and unvaccinated people have to test again shortly before arrival on Bonaire. We trust that we can receive the ships safely on our island.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is with a heavy heart that I have to announce that this year it will not be possible to celebrate Dia di Boneiru in a grand manner, as we are used to. Most cultural activities will be canceled due to the risk of too many people coming together. The official part will take place in modified form.

We can be proud that we haven’t had an outbreak lately, but we shouldn’t count ourselves rich. We have to keep in mind that we could still have an outbreak at any moment. Be sure to stay alert, keep your distance, get tested immediately in case of complaints, and stick to the measures. And if you haven’t been vaccinated yet, get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Here is a transcript of the speech from Dr. Marian Luinstra-Passchier.

Recently, the number of infections has remained relatively stable. Yet, in recent weeks, we have seen that the number of new infections has risen slightly. At the beginning of July, there was an average of 10 new cases per week. Now, at the end of August, there are about 20 per week.

Most of the spread now takes place within households with unvaccinated people. Two weeks ago, another patient was hospitalized with COVID. Fortunately, the person has been released from the hospital. This is a warning to us: COVID could strike at any moment.

We all know that the number of infections on the sister islands has skyrocketed. So far, Bonaire has not had any outbreaks this time, such as in Aruba and Curaçao. Due to the situation in Aruba and Curaçao, extra vigilance is required for Bonaire. Most cases on Bonaire are the delta variant, which is highly contagious. If we get a similar peak on Bonaire, our seriously ill patients cannot be cared for in Aruba or Curaçao, and we will have to divert to other hospitals. The hospitals in Aruba and Curaçao are full. It is therefore wise to continue to take measures for the time being to prevent significant outbreaks on Bonaire.

At the same time, we also look ahead: We look at what life with COVID looks like in the longer term. We hope that we can lead a normal life again, in which we continue to take COVID into account as well as other infectious diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, flu, etc. We have managed to prevent infectious diseases such as measles, rubella, and yellow fever in the past. We hope that this will also be the case for COVID in the long term.

Fortunately, when we look to the future, there are a few things that work in our favor:

The majority of the population is aware that it is vital to adhere to corona measures. Together we control the virus.
On Bonaire, 81.7% of the adult target group has had an injection, and 38% of the teenagers. Several hundred people are still vaccinated every week. The more people are vaccinated, the smaller the chance of new outbreaks, and fewer measures are needed.

We now have some new challenges ahead of us. We are starting a new school year and also cautiously starting a new cruise season. This is possible because we have high vaccination rates, and we are aware that we have to learn to live with COVID.

Risk Countries have been updated.

The United States has moved from the high-risk category to the very high-risk category. This will go into effect on September 1, 2021. Other countries have also been updated on the chart. The changes are due to the current COVID-19 conditions in the countries. Any country not mentioned in the list is considered to be high-risk.

Update August 28, 2021:

Tourists arriving from the United States will be required to take a free antigen test on day 5 if they are on the island for more than 7 days. An appointment will be made for the test upon arrival to Bonaire.

An exception applies for travelers staying 7 days or less. The 5-day test will not be required for short-stay travelers. If your stay is less than 7 days, the traveler can arrange and pay for the return test at a commercial company and have the results forwarded to the Department of Public Health, PG.

The changes go into effect for passengers arriving on the island from September 1, 2021. This is due to the United States being listed in the very high-risk category.