Antigua & Barbuda Travel Advisory as at 9 August 2020
The Government of Antigua and Barbuda updated its travel advisory effective immediately to ensure the continued safety of travellers and residents. The V.C. Bird International Airport is open for international and regional air traffic. The Antigua Port Authority is open to Cargo Vessels, Pleasure Craft and Ferry Services which are required to follow all protocols issued by Port Health.
The State continues to carry out a combination of screening, testing, monitoring and other measures to mitigate the risk of importing any new cases of COVID-19 into the country. Additionally, measures have been implemented for the quick detection of any imported cases. This strategy is intended to protect and safeguard the health of both residents and visitors to Antigua and Barbuda.
Nationals and residents of Antigua and Barbuda are strongly advised to restrict their travel to countries with significant escalations in the number of persons recently testing positive for COVID-19 to that for essential purposes only.
The protocols implemented are as follows:
1. Arriving passengers by air must have a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction) taken within seven (7) days of their flight. (This includes transiting passengers).
2. Children below the age of 12 years, entering Antigua, DO NOT REQUIRE a COVID -19 RT-PCR test.
3. Passengers arriving for medical treatment/procedures must have a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR taken within seven (7) days of their flight. They also must comply with the Ministry of Health’s Guidelines for the Transfer of Patients into Antigua and Barbuda, to include:
- A letter of Request for Medical Transfer from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the originating country to the CMO of Antigua and Barbuda who is also the Quarantine Authority.
- A medical report detailing the patient’s condition, treatment required and the urgency of the situation.
- A Letter of Acceptance from the receiving institution stating that the patient has been accepted for care, together with the name of the physician who will be managing the patient.
- The intended address in Antigua and Barbuda, together with the name and telephone number of a contact person if available.
4. Passengers arriving by sea (private yachts/Ferry Services) are subject to quarantine according to guidelines issued by Port Health.
5. All arriving passengers must wear a face mask on disembarkation and in all public areas. Additionally, the wearing of face mask in public spaces is mandatory throughout Antigua and Barbuda and social/physical distancing protocols must be adhered to.
6. All arriving passengers must complete a Health Declaration Form and will be subjected to screening and temperature checks by Port Health Authorities upon arrival in Antigua and Barbuda.
7. All arriving passengers will be monitored for COVID-19 for periods of up to 14 days in accordance with the directions of the Quarantine Authority and the Quarantine (COVID-19) Guidelines. Visitors may be required to undergo testing for COVID-19 on arrival or at the hotel or place of lodging as determined by the Health Authorities.
8. Arriving passengers with symptoms of COVID-19 may be isolated as determined by the Health Authorities.
9. Transiting passengers/crew members who require an overnight stay will be required to proceed to a hotel or government-designated facility to await departure.
10. All Marine Pleasure Craft and Ferry Services will enter ONLY at the Nevis Street Pier.
Military Vessels/Aircraft and other Watercraft transporting food, medical supplies, humanitarian and emergency supplies will be required to follow the Quarantine Guidelines established by the Quarantine Authority as well as issued by Port Health and must give prior notification before arrival.
These restrictions for maritime traffic, and the consequential Antigua Port Authority guidelines, issued during the State of Emergency, shall not restrict vessels engaged in innocent passage and/or transit passage, within the territorial seas and/or archipelagic waters of Antigua and Barbuda, under the 1982 United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
THIS TRAVEL ADVISORY REPLACES ALL PREVIOUS TRAVEL ADVISORIES ISSUE BY THE GOVERNMENT OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA.