90-minute delay between flights will help manage tourist arrivals
The government has announced that after December 1, incoming flights to the T.B Lettsome airport will be staggered to give officials time to properly sanitise the surroundings in preparation for other arrivals.
Premier Fahie announced the measure in an address to the territory on October 26 where he also outlined numerous protocols to govern tourist arrivals after the BVI’s borders reopen to visitors.
“It should be noted that in our continued effort to put safety first, arrival flights will be staggered so that there will be a 90-minute lag between flights, ensuring that at no time there would be two flights on the ground simultaneously,” Premier Fahie said.
He continued: “This time-lapse will also allow the team to sanitise the facility and to prepare for the next flight.”
Medical insurance
Premier Fahie also outlined that medical travel insurance which includes COVID-19 coverage is among the list of terms and conditions for all arriving passengers after December 1.
“These terms and conditions include periods of quarantine at approved accommodation, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing, medical travel insurance that includes COVID-19 coverage, subscription to a contact tracing system through their mobile phone, and in some cases using a wearable device, and bearing the costs associated with these measures,” Premier Fahie stated.
Following the announcement of the protocols, there has been numerous outcry from sections of the public who say the stringent measures will deter visitors from travelling to the BVI.
The government maintains that though some protocols can be changed, those that protect visitors and residents must be kept to prevent another COVID-19 outbreak in the community.
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There are no tourist coming.
What are they planning for. This administration is lost.
Could be 90 days between flights for the numbers that are coming.
Next the airlines are going to stop coming here.
HAHAHAHAHA!!!! December 1 is 4 weeks away and still no information:
– Where are the approved places?
– What is the age range for testing?
– What types of testing available? Only nasal swabs?
– How will yachties be handled?
– What do locals who want to come back home have to do?
So many unanswered questions and the Premier is so aggressive when called out on how foolish this all is. Not even the agencies like BVITB who should be at the forefront of this issue can answer any questions. One man army leading us straight off the cliff.
Sooooo do you need 90 minutes between small flights with 4-6 passengers , NO of course not.
and can you process 30 passengers in 90 minutes from bigger flights, I don’t think so.
Covid 19 Insurance??????
Really why dont we just keep borders closed only home owners are going to come anyway
We’re home owners and we won’t come. I don’t know any other home owner going. It’s been down hill since Irma and there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. St Maarten, St Kitts, Antigua, and USVI turned out to be very good alternatives. So nothing lost really except for a hard to sell BVI home…
I know many home owners who have chosen to ride out C19 in the BVI rather than risk the pandemic. BVi is safe and we are keeping it that way. Why not use your home for a month? Its a small cost and time to pay for living in a beautiful safe environment. St Kitts has 14 day mandatory government quarantine – you’d rather be in a hotel room than roam freely around your own home!!!! Antigua is also 14 days for residents. USVI has a high rate of infection, good luck with that
We, too, are homeowners with tickets to come in mid December. The premier’s announcement convinced us to cancel, although we haven’t yet done so. Why? He gave no information for homeowners. It sounded like we would have to pay for a hotel for four days, in addition to $555 each for testing and tracking and “approved” taxis. We still don’t know how to get approved. An inspection would involve considerable cost to open the house and transport inspectors. This could have been handled much better.
No call st.kitts name you an idiot, they dont have bare boats and yacht company’s like here that they depend on. They have quiet a few factory’s to depend on and watch when tourist season open they already prepared and ready. Every thing is in place all I dot all t cross I know u read it all hotels already named. St.kitts premier smart n bright not pumpos n self centered he listens to everyone as well.huh he also make every soul get bread not only friends n family n who voted for him no matter which island you from.
I know Andrew Fahie all my life and couldn’t in a million years thought that he was so b***headed. He is still forging ahead with his senseless and Tourism destruction protocols amidst local public and international outcry. Is VIP a Di*****rial Government? It would appear so, because only their opinions count. I don’t think that the 90 minutes delay in between flights are going to matter, because there will be No Flights
and if there are flights, They Will be Empty. God save us.
By the way, is BVITB still alive ? What are they doing at Tortola HQ and most important in the Americas, UK, Europe… to push the demand overseas and inform markets. What is the feed back of international markets ?
I know many home owners who have chosen to ride out C19 in the BVI rather than risk the pandemic. BVi is safe and we are keeping it that way. Why not use your home for a month? Its a small cost and time to pay for living in a beautiful safe environment. St Kitts has 14 day mandatory government quarantine – you’d rather be in a hotel room than roam freely around your own home!!!! Antigua is also 14 days for residents. USVI has a high rate of infection, good luck with that
“..flights to the T.B Lettsome airport will be staggered..” I’m guessing this means you’ll be forced to sit in the plane on the runway for over an hour, with no A/C, sweating on your fellow passengers while someone walks around the airport spraying disinfectant. This sounds like a great start to your 8 day quarantine holiday.