Barbados removes Covid testing rule for vaccinated travellers

Fully-vaccinated travellers to Barbados will no longer have to take a Covid-19 test to enter the country from Wednesday (May 25).

Unvaccinated arrivals will still be required to present a negative Covid test to enter Barbados

The change to the island’s travel protocols was revealed by prime minister Mia Amor Mottley.

The easing of entry rules comes as more than 70% of the eligible population in Barbados is fully vaccinated.

The change in protocols also states that masks will now only be mandatory indoors and on public transportation. Outdoors, masks are optional.

Removal of the entry test will have positive implications for the country’s tourism experience, including speedier processing times at the Grantley Adams International airport, according to Mottley.

She said: “We had a 90% decline in the number of visitors in the last two years. [Now] we are significantly on our way back up.”

The timing comes at a critical time as travellers in its source markets are making their summer and winter holiday plans.

Tourism and international transport minister Lisa Cummins added: “What this signals to our travellers is that it is safe for them to come to Barbados, and we are in a position where we can comfortably accommodate many of the same measures they are experiencing at home, such as the protocols for mask wearing and testing for certain activities.”