The Turks and Caicos Islands has updated its Arrival Passengers Travel Clearance Health Regulations, mandating that all visitors and returning residents two years and older now provide a negative COVID-19 test before entry, lowered from the previous mandatory testing age of 10 years old. The new regulations went into effect on January 24, 2022 and will remain in place until February 28, 2022.
Additionally, the country has extended its existing COVID-19 measures and protocols, which include the following changes:
- Entry to churches or religious places of worship is limited to 50 percent of their approved capacity.
- Weddings and funerals are limited to 50 percent of their approved capacity.
- Patrons 16 years of age and older must be fully vaccinated or present a negative COVID-19 test taken within 24-hours before entering restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and discotheques.
- Social gatherings require attendees aged 16 and older to be fully vaccinated or provide proof of negative COVID-19 test taken within 24 hours.
The above updates are in addition to the Turks and Caicos Islands’ existing entry requirements through TCI Assured, a quality assurance pre-travel program and portal, which requires proof of vaccination for all visitors 16 years and up, a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR, NAA, RNA or Antigen test result from a test taken within three days of travel, medical / travel insurance that covers medevac, a completed health screening questionnaire, and certification that the traveler has read and agreed to the privacy policy document. These requirements must be complete and uploaded to the TCI Assured portal, which is available on the Turk and Caicos Islands Tourist Board website, in advance of arrival.
Any fully vaccinated visitor who tests positive prior to leaving the Turks and Caicos Islands will be required to quarantine with all accompanying persons at their own expense for 10 days, and then undergo a mandatory COVID-19 test on day seven prior to release.
These updated protocols are a proactive response to the Omicron variant and underscore the destination’s commitment to health and safety, expanding on its already vigilant travel protocols, which have been in place for travelers since July 22, 2020, when Turks and Caicos opened its borders to tourists. The Turks and Caicos Islands also continue to promote its vaccine campaign among residents, with 80 percent of the adult population being fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine—making it one of the most inoculated countries in the world.
For more information, visit turksandcaicostourism.
Other countries that have recently updated their entry protocols include: England, Spain, The Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis as well as Puerto Rico.
