Bonaire is tightening travel requirements starting this Wednesday.
Due to the Omicron variant spreading throughout the world, the government has changed testing requirements for high-risk and very high-risk countries, as well as a mandatory quarantine for unvaccinated travelers from high-risk and very high-risk countries.
Below is a transcript of the latest announcement.
All travelers aged 12 years and older from the Netherlands and the US must take a PCR test within forty-eight hours before departure, a self-test upon arrival, and a PCR test after five days from Wednesday, December 22, 2021. Travelers will receive a free self-test and must register on the day of arrival at their holiday accommodation. If they test positive, they must make an appointment in isolation with the Public Health Department to retest. Bonaire is tightening travel conditions to the island to delay the arrival of the Omicron variant.
Due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, all high-risk countries will be equated with very high-risk countries from Wednesday, December 22, 2021. This also applies to the Netherlands and the US. From next Wednesday, all travelers from high or very high-risk countries will also be obliged to perform a PCR test on the fifth day after arrival at their own expense at a commercial testing company, not at the Public Health Department.
Unvaccinated travelers from high or very high-risk countries must self-quarantine for five days. After that, they are required to take a PCR test at their own expense at a commercial testing company, not at the Public Health Department. A traveler can only be released from quarantine with a negative test result. All travelers who test positive must be in isolation.
It has become clear in recent days that the Omicron variant is spreading faster than people thought. The Public Health Department stated a while ago that it is not a question of whether this variant will come to Bonaire, but when. With the Omicron variant spreading rapidly, the stricter travel conditions should delay the arrival of this variant to the island.
While waiting for the Omicron variant to arrive, the department hopes that as many people as possible will get the COVID-19 vaccination and the booster. Bonaire will be better protected when the new variant appears on the island.
At the moment, not everything is known about the Omicron variant. Scientists do know that this variant spreads two to three times faster than the Delta variant. This means that the pressure on the hospital and the rest of the healthcare sector can increase considerably when the new variant is on Bonaire.
That is why the Public Health Department calls on citizens of Bonaire to get vaccinated. The department also calls on fully vaccinated citizens to get the booster shot as soon as possible.
In order to receive the COVID-19 vaccination or booster, call the free number 0800 0900 to make an appointment for the vaccination. Do you have any complaints? Then call 0800 0800 for a test appointment.
New rules for those who have recovered from COVID-19 up to eight weeks ago.
Travelers aged 12 and older who have had COVID-19 up to eight weeks ago must take an antigen test at a laboratory within 24 hours before departure. They must also have a statement from a laboratory, health facility, or doctor to prove that they had COVID-19 up to eight weeks ago.
Upon arrival on Bonaire, they receive a free self-test to complete at their residence address. On the fifth day after arrival, travelers staying longer than five days on the island are required to undergo an antigen test at their own expense at a commercial company. The day of arrival counts as day 0.
Travelers aged 12 and older who had COVID-19 at most eight weeks ago and who stay on the island for less than five days are not obliged to take an antigen test on day 5. However, they must be tested on departure according to the travel conditions of the country they are going to.
There’s a reason travelers who’ve had COVID-19 should take an antigen test before departure. In practice, it appears that people who have recovered from COVID-19 can still test positive if they do a PCR test. This chance is smaller with the antigen test.
All travelers must complete the health declaration from the Public Health Department within 24-12 hours before departure.
(Source: OLB)
