Here are the Caribbean islands to open this June

Restarting the economy after flattening the curve

June will usher in the reopening of two islands in the Caribbean—Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Lucia.

This comes as the two countries appear to have the highly contagious coronavirus under control. Since March 13, Antigua and Barbuda has only 25 cases, with three deaths. Meanwhile, there are zero deaths due to COVID-19 in St. Lucia, but there have been 18 confirmed cases in the island since March 15. These figures are from the World Health Organisation.

Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Lucia both heavily rely on tourism; closing their borders when the coronavirus reached their shores have caused a dent in their economies.

⁠”Coronavirus has sucked the oxygen out of our economy,” Dominic Fedee, St Lucia’s Minister of Tourism, shared in an interview with Telegraph Travel. “Last year we had 1.2 million visitors, including stay-overs and those on cruise ships. At the moment we have zero.”

Steps to revive tourism after the first wave

St. Lucia’s phase one of the reopening includes welcoming international flights at Hewanorra International Airport exclusively from the United States. Following this, about 1,500 hotel rooms in the island are already subjected to stringent hygiene protocols. These hotels must obtain a “COVID-19 certificate” from the government.

According to the press release, the incoming guests are required to present certified proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours of boarding their flight. They are also expected to follow standard hygeine protocols such as the wearing of face masks and physical distancing. They will also be subjected to screening and temperature checks by port health authorities.

Meanwhile, Antigua and Barbuda’s Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez said that an American Airlines flight from Miami is landing on June 4. This is the first flight arriving to the island in 10 weeks.

Earlier, Aruba has also announced its plans to open its shore to foreigners in mid-June.