BRIDGETOWN, Barbados– The Barbados government says it is discontinuing all coronavirus (COVID-19) related travel protocols for entering the island, approving a number of fundamental changes to the COVID-19 directives that have governed the management of the pandemic since early 2021.
Acting Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw said that the measures go into effect Friday.
“Conscious of the direction in which the rest of the world is going, effective Friday, we will also discontinue all COVID-19-related travel protocols for Barbados.
“This means that we will be joining 95 percent of the countries in the Western Hemisphere (that) preceded Barbados in going in that direction. There will therefore be no testing requirements for entering Barbados whether you are vaccinated or unvaccinated,” she said.
Bradshaw said the wearing of masks generally will now be optional. However, mask-wearing remains mandatory for persons in nursing homes, private hospitals, and senior citizens’ homes; persons in healthcare institutions, including staff, visitors, clients, and patients.
“All institutions where medical and dental services are provided. Persons in prison include staff, prisoners, and visitors. Staff and students at all educational institutions. She added that all nurseries and daycare facilities for children and adults and, of course, persons who have COVID-19 and those who are traveling on public transportation,” she added.
The latest figures released by the authorities here show that the number of people in isolation facilities is 33, while 298 are in home isolation. As of September 21, there were 559 COVID-19-related deaths.
Since February 2020, Barbados has recorded 102,366 COVID-19 cases, including 56,063 females.
The data also showed that under the National Vaccination Programme for COVID-19, the total number of persons with at least one dose is 163,611, or 71.6 percent of the eligible population.
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