Risk Level 1 for Bonaire.
In a recent press conference, Lieutenant Governor Edison Rijna expressed his satisfaction with the continued low active cases of Covid-19. He further announced that Bonaire will downgrade to risk level 1 for the next four weeks.
Here is a transcript of Lt. Governor Rijna’s speech.
Today I would like to focus on the changes in measures that will go into effect from June 25th through July 22, 2021. I will also mention the changes in conditions for travel to Bonaire, which will go into effect at the beginning of July 2021.
Let me start with the measures. The numbers of people who are infected with the COVID-19 virus seem to be favorable. Occasionally, there is a small outbreak, mainly among young people or among adults who have not been vaccinated. So far, the numbers are stable and they remain low. It is important that there are very few seriously ill people and that there are no people admitted to the hospital due to COVID-19. This is why we are relaxing the measures and we can scale down from risk level 2 to risk level 1. We will continue to monitor the situation to establish if at any time it might be necessary to adjust the measures.
Two rules will remain in force. Hospitality establishments must close at midnight and it is not allowed to dance indoors. These rules remain in force because we have learned that there is a greater risk of people transmitting the virus in these circumstances.
I am now going to address the changes in the conditions for travel to Bonaire. We are going to make a greater distinction between passengers who are fully vaccinated and passengers who are not vaccinated. In general, individuals who have not been vaccinated will need to undergo more tests than those who have been vaccinated.
A distinction will also be made between risk levels for various countries. The number of COVID-19 cases has decreased so drastically in the United States and the Netherlands that they are likely to become low-risk countries soon. This means that fully vaccinated passengers traveling from these countries to Bonaire will not have to undergo any tests from the beginning of July 2021. Unvaccinated passengers from the United States and the Netherlands will still be required to be tested.
Mandatory quarantine for high-risk countries will be canceled. Upon arrival, passengers from these countries no longer need to go into quarantine. However, they must be tested before departure and are also required to be tested on the fifth day after arrival.
For Bonaire residents who have not been vaccinated and who want to travel to Aruba or Curacao, there will be more options. For example, if an unvaccinated resident travels to Curacao and has been tested on Bonaire, this person can return to our island within 72 hours without needing to be retested.
These changes will take effect in early July. The exact date is not yet known but will depend upon a decision being taken in The Hague. We will inform you about this as soon as possible.
It is still the case that children aged 13 years and older must be tested to travel to Bonaire. The age limit will change in early July. From then on, children 12 years of age and older will need to be tested to be able to travel to Bonaire. The reason for this is the fact that Dutch and European rules have changed.
I would also like to mention that we are working to link Bonaire’s vaccinated people’s data to the Dutch Digital Corona Certificate – the DCC. We hope to be able to tell you more about this soon. For now, Bonaire residents may use their original certificates as proof of vaccination when traveling.
(Source: OLB)
