Visitors must have negative test within five days of travel

By Olivia Rose

TRAVELLERS to the TCI are now required to have a negative Covid-19 test result at least five days prior to travel – but children under the age of 10 are exempt.

Along with the certification, passengers will also be subject to a rigorous set of protocols on arrival as the Government ramps up safety measures at all ports of entry.

Minister of Tourism Hon. Ralph Higgs announced the new measures last Friday, July 10, in a press statement.

He said that visitors must have insurance that covers medevac, a completed health screening questionnaire and certification that they have read and agreed to a privacy policy.

These requirements must be completed and uploaded to the TCI Assured portal available on the TCI Tourist Board website (www.turksandcaicostourism) prior to travel.

A certification sticker will be given to guests who provide proof of negative Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction test results from an accredited facility.

The measures are being implemented ahead of Providenciales International Airport’s reopening on July 22 to ensure the health and safety of residents and guests, Higgs said.

He explained that the updated travel requirements are a part of the TCI Assured initiative, a quality assurance pre-travel programme and portal designed for travel during the pandemic.

“Once travellers register on the TCI Assured portal and complete the requirements as outlined, a travel authorisation notification will be given.”

He further explained that visitors should present their TCI Assured travel authorisation at the time of check-in to their airlines.

All international and regional carriers have been instructed not to board passengers without this authorisation.

“We look forward to welcoming you to the Turks and Caicos Islands, which can best be described as ‘beautiful by nature’.

“We feel confident these safety measures will allow us to safely reopen our borders and we will continue to review conditions on an ongoing basis to evaluate whether further changes are necessary.

“We would like to encourage travellers to comply with all health protocols enforced in our jurisdiction as they are designed to help ensure the safety of our visitors and residents.”

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday (July 14), Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson made it clear that visitors will not be allowed entry without the stipulated requirements.

“No one will be allowed into the territory without having returned a negative Covid-19 test within five days before coming to our shores.”

She said Cabinet has been meeting regularly to discuss issues relating to the reopening of the territory’s borders.

“We are confident about all the measures that are being taken to ensure that our people remain safe.

“I will be disingenuous if I suggest to you that this - as with any endeavour - is totally risk free. But we believe we have appropriately all things in place to minimise the risk.”

Cartwright Robinson said that preparing for the reopening of the borders and navigating the ‘new normal’ is not an easy task but the Government has risen to the challenge.

“While all the choices before us are neither easy nor straightforward they are fundamentally at the core clear cut - to take all the precautions, make all the sacrifices, keep our people safe and return to economic sustainability and prosperity.

“And while this administration must take the lead overall, we also must continue to understand that this is a joint endeavour, involving all of our people.

“Given all that we have learnt over these past few months, including what this new normal will look like, we believe, following the advice of scientists, that keeping our people safe and opening back the economy to some semblance of appropriate activity is not a binary choice, we must do both.”