All travellers to St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) from countries classified as “extremely high-risk” will now be re-tested for COVID19 on arrival and must mandatory quarantine for seven days in an approved accommodation at their cost, whether they are vaccinated or not.

A revised protocol for the entry of fully vaccinated travellers to SVG, published on Saturday, November 27 by the Health Services Subcommittee of the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) states that fully vaccinated travellers from Botswana, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Belgium, Israel and Hong Kong will be subjected to protocols similar to those stipulated for unvaccinated travellers.

The revisions in protocol come swiftly on the heels of the identification of the Omicron variant of the COVID19 virus which was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by South Africa on Wednesday. The variant has to date been detected in Botswana, Belgium, Australia, the Netherlands, Denmark, United Kingdom, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Czech Republic and Hong Kong.

Early evidence suggests it has a higher re-infection risk than the original virus. It has been categorised by the WHO as a “variant of concern”.

In addition to being retested on arrival and mandatory quarantine for seven days, arrivals from countries classified as “extremely high-risk” must arrive with a negative result of a COVID-19 (RT-PCR) test done no more than 72 hours or three days before arrival.

Other fully vaccinated travellers to SVG from very high-risk, high-risk, medium-risk and low-risk countries must also arrive with a negative result of a COVID19 test done no more than 72 hours or three days before arrival. They however will not be retested on arrival in SVG or have to undergo mandatory quarantine unless so determined by the Port Health Officer.

Unvaccinated travellers from all countries will still be required to undergo mandatory quarantine in a Tourism Authority / MOHWE approved hotel. They must arrive with a negative result of a COVID-19 (RT-PCR) test and proof of a fully paid reservation at an approved hotel for the period of quarantine. They may be retested for COVID-19 on arrival in SVG. Those arriving from very high-risk countries will be required to quarantine for 14 days; arrivals from high risk countries must quarantine for 10 days, while those coming from medium risk countries must quarantine for five days. Unvaccinated arrivals from low-risk countries must quarantine for three days.

The vaccines recognised by the MOHWE are: AstraZeneca – Oxford AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), COVIDSHIELD, AstraZeneca COVID19 vaccine by SK Bioscience; Pfizer-BioNTech; Moderna; Janssen; Gamalaya (Sputnik V, Sputnik Light, Gam-Covid-Vac); Abdala, Soberana, Sinovac and Sinopharm.