The Sandals Grande Antigua Resort is open for travel, making it the first Sandals resort in the Caribbean to reopen since the pandemic began. 

The all-inclusive property officially began welcoming guests on June 4 as Antigua and Barbuda reopened its borders to international travelers with new entry protocols. 

“We have been highly anticipating this moment and have spent this time strengthening every element of our health and safety protocols with our guests in mind. We are pleased to report that The Ministries of Health and Tourism have certified that we have successfully completed the stringent registration and inspection protocols with flying colors,” said Gordon “Butch” Stewart, Founder and Chairman of Sandals Resorts, in a statement.

“We are eager to provide that much-needed escape for travelers who have been cooped up and are now seeking a place to relax that gives them the privacy, reassurance and the space they’re looking for. At Sandals, we include everything but worries, so guests can leave those behind and take this time to recharge with the ones they love. That’s our promise,” Stewart said.

Indeed, the resort brand has launched a series of new health and safety measures called the “Sandals Platinum Protocols of Cleanliness.”

That includes measures like either in-room check-in or “at-home” check-in before they arrive; the addition of hospital-grade disinfectants and electrical aerosol sprayers for guest room cleaning; and the introduction of protective face gear and gloves for staff. 

Sandals has also installed hand sanitizing stations across public spaces, in rooms and in dining locations, and added measures like air-duct sanitization for each arrival and departure and the use of UV-LED lighting equipment. 

The company also emphasized what is one of the Caribbean’s assets in the “new” world of travel: space. 

“All Sandals and Beaches Resorts are designed to never feel full and span large parcels of land with expansive beaches and open-air environments,” the company said in a statement. “This provides a strong foundation for Sandals to layer on additional protocols that ensure guests are able to maintain a safe distance from one another.”

All of the company’s resorts are also equipped with medical stations staffed daily with a registered nurse and “24-7 on-call medical personnel.”

The next Sandals Caribbean resorts to reopen will likely be those in its hub of Jamaica, when that destination reopens for tourists on June 15. 

For more, visit Sandals Grande Antigua. 

Note: all travelers to Antigua need to fill out a digital passenger registration form. 

— CJ

The post Sandals Resorts Begins Caribbean Reopening in Antigua appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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When the first commercial flight touched down in Antigua and Barbuda since the COVID-19 crisis began, arriving passengers were greeted by a host of new anti-infection procedures — as the destination officially reopened for tourism on June 4.

Of the destination’s nearly 40 hotels, resorts, condos and guest apartments, here are the properties that are open right now:

Admirals Inn and Gunpowder Suites

Antigua Village

The Buccaneer Beach Club

The Hawksbill Resort

The Heritage Hotel

Hodges Bay Resort & Spa

Tamarind Hills

Hammock Cove Resort

Sandals Grande Antigua

“The style of properties open now are perfectly set up for social distancing,” said Lorraine Headley-Raeburn, chairperson of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority Board of Directors.

The Villas at Sunset Lane intends to reopen on June 30, while four other resorts — The Great House, Cocobay Resort, Cocos Hotel, an Keyonna Resort — have plans to welcome guests back on July 1.

However, Blue Waters Resort and Galley Bay will stay shuttered until October, and The Inn at English Harbour won’t reopen until at least November. (Caribbean resorts closing down for the slower summer months is not unusual.) The Carlisle Bay resort says it will open sometime during the fourth quarter of 2020.

The majority of Antigua and Barbuda resorts have not yet announced reopening dates, including some of the most prominent properties on the island, such as Jumby Bay, Curtain Bluff, the St. James’ Club, and The Verandah.

New Protocols in Place

Island officials were excited and eager to welcome visitors back to the destination.

“This marks the first step back toward restoring our tourist economy,” said Charles Fernandez, Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Tourism and Industry.

Antigua-bound visitors will be required to complete heath-status disclosure forms before they land at V.C. Bird International Airport.

Upon arrival at the airport, tourists will be screened with mobile temperature-scanners and tested with nasal-swab rapid-result COVID-19 tests.

Visitors who test positive for the coronavirus will be required to enter quarantine at a government-operated facility.

Antibody tests also will be administered to arriving visitors and residents, either at the airport or at the hotel, with results promised within 24 hours.

Airport pickups will be by certified taxi companies only (no private cars), and occupancy in taxis will be limited to maintain safe social distancing.

Hotels will be required to comply with government sanitary protocols. Check-in will be done remotely, and staff and guests will be required to wear masks when in close proximity to other individuals.

Activities that make social distancing impractical or impossible will be shut down, but most water sports will be available, said Patrice Simon, Executive Director of the Antigua and Barbuda Hotels and Tourism Association, who said that small destination weddings (25 guests or less) would also be permitted.

Buffet dining will be prohibited, but masks will not be required while dining.

“We certainly don’t you to lounge on one of our 365 beaches while wearing a mask,” reassured Simon, who added that Antigua’s uncrowded beaches are “the perfect environment for social distancing.”

“People still want to travel, but their priorities have changed from seeking bargains to safety,” said Colin C. James, CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, who predicted that tourism would begin to rebound on the island as soon as this fall.

With Antigua’s proximity to the U.S. and Canada, good air service to the U.K., strong safety protocols, and a collection of mostly smaller resorts, “We are ideally positioned as a global leader in recovery” from COVID-19, James said.

American Airlines, with daily nonstop flights from Miami, is currently the only airline with scheduled commercial service between the U.S. and Antigua; the route resumed on June 4, when a flight with 150 returning nationals and a few dozen visitors landed at V.C. Bird International Airport. JetBlue is expected to resume flights from New York in early July, when flights from the U.K. are also expected to return.

The COVID protocols announced by Antigua officials are part of the nation’s Phase 1 response to the pandemic and will remain in place until Sept. 13. Antigua’s current evening curfew, in effect from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., will be in place until June 12.

The post Antigua and Barbuda Is Open for Tourism — Here’s What to Expect appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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As part of its new health and safety measures amid the pandemic, Delta Air Lines says it is blocking middle seats on all of its flights through Sept. 30. 

All middle seats will either be shown as unavailable or not assignable when travelers make seat selections online. 

The company said it would also be blocking the selection of some aisle seats in planes with 2×2 seating configurations. 

The measures additionally include capping seating in every cabin through Sept. 30. 

That will include a 50 percent cap in first class; a 60 percent cap in the main cabin, Delta Comfort+ and Delta Premium Select; and a 75 percent cap in Delta One “to reduce the total number of customers on board.”

For flights where demand is high, the carrier said it would be looking to upsize to larger aircraft  or “add more flying.”

“Reducing the overall number of customers on every aircraft across the fleet is one of the most important steps we can take to ensure a safe experience for our customers and people,” said Chief Customer Experience Officer Bill Lentsch. “Delta is offering the highest standards in safety and cleanliness so we’re ready for customers when they’re ready to fly again.”

Delta has recently begun relaunching service on select routes to the Caribbean. 

— CJ

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