Fully vaccinated travellers exempt from entry portal effective Oct 1
Premier Andrew Fahie has announced that persons who are fully vaccinated will no longer be required to apply for entry through the BVI gateway portal application, effective October 1.
The Premier made the announcement last evening, September 21 during the VIP Let’s Talk radio program.
At the time, the Premier was announcing a raft of expedited decisions made by Cabinet to allow vaccinated cruise passengers, among others, to enter and move freely within the territory when the upcoming cruise tourism season resumes in the next few weeks.
“Cabinet also decided that since all cruise passengers and crew are fully vaccinated, they would be exempted from having to apply to enter the territory using the BVI gateway portal,” Premier Fahie said.
He added: “All fully vaccinated travellers entering the Virgin Islands would also be exempted from applying to enter [the territory] using the BVI gateway portal”.
However, there are some provisions attached to this. Firstly, travellers will only be exempt provided that their second COVID-19 vaccine was administered at least two weeks before entry into the territory. Secondly, the vaccine must be a World Health Organisation (WHO) approved vaccine.
Further, upon entry into the territory, each vaccinated traveller must provide the results of a negative COVID-19 PCR test or antigen rapid test that is no older than five days.
They are also required to present valid proof of vaccination.
Importantly, these travellers will also be subjected to an antigen rapid test upon arrival in the territory but will not be subjected to quarantine protocols once this result is determined to be negative.
Passenger carriers and minors not out of the woods
The Premier further stated that each passenger carrier – whether boat or plane – must verify before embarkation that each vaccinated traveller has the valid proof of vaccination and the requisite results of their negative PCR test or antigen rapid test.
Vaccinated minors – travellers under the age of 18 who are travelling with vaccinated parents or guardians — will also be exempted from the BVI gateway portal while being subjected to similar stringent measures.
Stiff penalties for breaches put in place
The Premier said Cabinet decided that the Premier’s Office should approach the Attorney General (AG) to make recommendations on the appropriate legislation to ensure fines for both carriers and vaccinated travellers who violate the portal exemption entry protocols.
The new fines are expected to see carriers being fined up to $10,000 for each passenger that violates the entry protocols; while passengers found in breach will be fined up to $5,000 or face imprisonment of up to six months.
Portal still required for other categories of travellers
The Premier also pointed out that partially vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers as well as unaccompanied minors (who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated), or any other persons not covered by the fully vaccinated portal exemption protocols, will still be subject to using the gateway portal to obtain entry to the BVI.
According to the Premier, persons with the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine are considered fully vaccinated and are therefore not subject to the gateway portal as an entry requirement.
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This is the only reason to get vax, it’s about time they do away with that portal
that all cruise ship passengers will be fully vaccinated. They are not allowed even to ask their passengers in Florida. They will not be tested here either of course. These floating Petri dishes of disease will cause more lockdowns. About time we looked for a sustainable replacement for the disastrous cruise ship experiment.
This new protocol should create a huge cluster f**k at the port of entries. Can anyone imagine the inept at the ports looking at vaccination cards. Then trying to administer tests when no one has filled anything out prior to arrival. Another Foy announcement that has had no thought prior to engaging his mouth. Good luck all. You’re gonna need it.
If you knew how the portal works you would know that this doesn’t add any extra time at the port. The responsibility is on the carrier to ensure passengers have negative tests and vaccination cards.
When a vaccinated passenger arrives, they will still have to fill out certain information before taking the rapid test. That hasn’t changed.
The ease is with having to apply through the portal. That was a mess all by itself. Waiting for eternity for a response.
Nonsense. This will not change anything as you have to register on arrival for your rapid test already.
If any of you could read, then you would know that you register for the test through the portal. However as I witnessed, the Belonger dummies can’t read and do the paperwork upon arrival at the port of entry. Try learning some basics in school. It would also help if the politicians did the same.
I am concerned and think we should have them sign a declaration confirming certain key medical facts so in the event someone is found to have manipulated the system they can have documentation to proved they lied. Also Barcodes and watermarks should be on these vacation cards or countries should have a portal to search for the vaccination card codes/numbers to verify if they are indeed real.
Can someone please tell me why fully vaccinated travelers are still being tested upon arrival even though they’re required to present a negative test? This is basically the same process as the current portal, however payments / information will be taken at the airport instead of being processed beforehand (slowing down the process in the airport even further!).
Are cruise ship passengers having to undergo a rapid antigen test once they leave the ship?
Surely this needs addressing ASAP before 1st October…
The Huh person is 100% correct. I came in to Beef Is. a couple months ago and had to show my vac.card and test results inside the new test clinic, then had to show all my same info to the custom agent, then again to the taxi lady in the lobby and then to the lady outside giving me a wrist bracelet. Not to mention I had approval from the Gateway….totally overkill and so redundant. So what is the new difference Oct.1??
For the same reason that buster shots exist. The BS vaccine doesn’t do anything. You can still “catch” the so called virus.
It has already proven that it saves your life. Did any of the 38 people that passed away in BVI from Covid have the vaccine? No, so pi$$ off and go spread your disinformation somewhere else. Or maybe do us all a favour and go catch Covid and let nature takes its course!
No they won’t. It really doesn’t make any sense to test 3000 passengers if they decide to get off the ship. In that case, the ship will be better off not coming at all.
Because you could have come into contact with someone on your way to the BVI who is covid positive after you had a covid test
Good move
This is a game changer for our economy.
brace ayo self for another outbreak in early october
Why?
What changed? We still have to come in with a negative test result and take the rapid test when we get here.
The Huh person is 100% correct. I came in to Beef Is. a couple months ago and had to show my vac.card and test results inside the new test clinic, then had to show all my same info to the custom agent, then again to the taxi lady in the lobby and then to the lady outside giving me a wrist bracelet. Not to mention I had approval from the Gateway….totally overkill and so redundant. So what is the new difference Oct.1??
@Ms.Kay, Do we have Barcodes and watermarks?
Leave it to the BVI to change the rules – just when the USA makes their entry/exit rules the same as the BVI! This is just like after the storm. A new set of rules every week!
And all for those fantastic Cruise Ships! Such great people! Great tippers! Good for the environment (always great to hike the Baths with 1,500 smelly Dutch people!
Can’t wait to explain this to the new vila renters…will put another smiley face on it!
vaccinated or not! we going to die when our time come: we are afraid to die because we are to wrap up in our own belief, Christ Jesus is alive.
No one is exempted from death you cannot cover sin Jesus sees stop you all nonsense! do right, and we will not be plagued with uncertainty between life and death.
We need to repent.. Guess what God words has to be fulfilled.
Jesus said do not be afraid it is I
Does this mean you are not required to have travel insurance as well?
Rapid ? in the BVI ? This is a joke.
Well you all need to accept ppl who had Sputnik V too. 79 countries used this vaccine so bvi need to accept it.
BVI already said they will accept all vaccines approved by the WHO (currently 7 vax approved). BVI don’t have to accept the Russian vax, since Russia didn’t register any foreign made vax for use. Two can play at that game!
WHO find fault in the russian lab not the vaccine and they will find every excuse not to approve it.
Guess vaccination is the key to unquarantined and hassle-free travel. But the last time I checked, the can still transmit the virus including the different variants.
So you are telling me that a fully vaccinated foreigner has a free-er right of passage in the BVI than an un-vaccinated BVIslander/Belonger/Citizen??? Really now?!
Do we still need proof of travel insurance to visit the BVI
The Great Reset. Build back better.