This update provides additional information for Bonaire travel (to and from the island) as well as additional information regarding mandatory quarantine, and the Bonaire vaccinations program, which is now available to visitors under certain conditions.
Code Yellow applies for Bonaire travel.
Last week, the Government of The Netherlands designated Bonaire as code yellow for a travel destination due to the low number of corona infections. Bonaire is now a low-risk country for The Netherlands. Passengers traveling from the island to The Netherlands no longer need to take any tests before departure. They also no longer have to go into quarantine when arriving. Code Orange had previously applied to Bonaire since December 2020 when travelers were then advised to only travel to the island if strictly necessary. Vacation trips were considered unnecessary. Happily, those requirements are now lifted.
Quarantine measures have been loosened.
As of last Friday, May 21, 2021, those in Bonaire who had close contact with a person infected with the coronavirus will be advised to go into quarantine for five days at home. The Public Health Department says the advice is to do a PCR test at the Department of Public Health on the fifth day. If the individual does not wish to test on the fifth day, then quarantine will be imposed for a total of ten days instead.
Those who are fully vaccinated do not need to be quarantined, however, they must do a PCR test on the fifth day. Those who test negative on the fifth day should still be careful and stay away from people with fragile health for five additional days.
Until now, a 10-day home quarantine applied to people who were in close contact with a person infected with the coronavirus. The new five-day quarantine rule fits within the rules of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). The five-day rule does not apply to people who live or work in an institution with vulnerable people. In that situation, extra protection is still needed.
People currently in quarantine may contact Public Health on 0800 0800 to ask which rule applies to them. All people in quarantine still be tested if they begin showing symptoms. For those who are in isolation because they tested positive, nothing changes now.
Lt. Governor Edison Rijna thinks it is good that there are new rules for home quarantine.
“For people who have to go into quarantine, it is nice that the period can be shorter. They can get to work and resume their lives faster. Now that more and more people are getting vaccinated, the number of infections is decreasing and it is becoming safer for everyone.” – Lt. Governor of Bonaire Edison Rijna
Tourists may now receive a corona vaccination on Bonaire.
Tourists visiting Bonaire may also receive their Corona vaccination after a stay of two months. They must still be on the island for the second shot which is at least three weeks after the first shot. The Public Health Department announced this after a report about this from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. The measure is intended to combat so-called vaccination tourism. A stamp in the passport checks whether a visitor has been on Bonaire for two months.
In Bonaire, residents 18 years and older who are registered on the island can receive the Corona vaccination. Bonaire has a total of 18,944 permanent and temporary residents aged 18 and older. The number of temporary residents is more than estimated at 1,500 people. So far, 70% of the 18,944 residents have received the first corona vaccination. It is still possible for residents to get the first Corona vaccination from Kompleho Deportivo Jorge Nicolaas without an appointment. This is possible from Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM and from 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM.
(Source: OLB)
