Saint Lucia’s government has revealed a change to one of its core arrival protocols for travelers, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

The island will soon require all incoming visitors to obtain a negative PCR test five days before arrival in the country. 

That is a slight tightening of an earlier policy that had required PCR tests within seven days before arrival. 

The new protocol will take effect on Feb. 10, tourism officials told Caribbean Journal. 

“In order to co-exist with Covid, we must constantly evaluate our safety and travel protocols. In due consideration of all factors affecting the health of Saint Lucian citizens and international visitors, we are tightening testing protocols based on our current conditions,” said Saint Lucia Tourism Minister Dominic Fedee. 

Saint Lucia was one of the first Caribbean destinations to reopen amid the pandemic when it did so in the first week of June. 

Its reopening has been held up as a model for tourism reopenings in the wider region.

The destination’s tourism reopening includes the vast majority of its hotels and resorts. 

It should also be noted that the new CDC mandate requires all travelers returning to the United States to show proof of a negative PCR test taken and received within 72 hours before coming back to the United States. 

Saint Lucia has already expanded its testing capacity island-wide to help travelers comply. 

You can find more on the country’s travel protocols here. 

— CJ

The post Saint Lucia Launches Updated Travel Protocols appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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A major new resort is coming to the island of Aruba this spring, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

The Radisson Blu Aruba is slated to open its doors in April. 

Radisson confirmed that the property is now taking reservations for stays for April 15 and beyond. 

The resort is set in the heart of the popular Palm Beach area of the Dutch Caribbean island, with a total of 133 suites. 

All of the units come with free Wi-Fi, multiple bedrooms, living rooms and dining areas and kitchens, with two and three-bedroom configurations. 

It’s the second Radisson Blu in the Caribbean, following the new Radisson Blu Resort and Residence Punta Cana, which launched in the Dominican Republic late last summer. 

The property will open with Radisson’s new health and safety protocols, which are comprised of a 20-point system covering everything from face coverings to enhanced sanitizing. 

It’s the first new resort in the Palm Beach area in years. 

For more, visit Radisson Blu Aruba. 

— CJ

The post Aruba Is Getting a New Resort on Palm Beach appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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