Over the last few weeks, many popular destinations have announced their plans to reopen their borders for travel . Similarly, we saw Dubai reopen and welcome their first set of international travelers from the U.K. However, the Bahamas seem to be going in the opposite direction. Just a few weeks back, the Bahamas reopened their borders for international travelers, but they’ve now announced a ban on travel from the United States. However, they still continue to welcome travelers from the EU, the UK and Canada. Travelers need to show proof of a negative Covid-19 RT PCR test.
Bahamas Travel Ban
Prime Minister Hubert Minnis ordered the national carrier Bahamasair to stop outgoing flights to the United States right away. However, people can still board commercial flights to leave the Bahamas until Wednesday. The Prime Minister cited the growing number of Covid-19 cases after they reopened their borders as the reason for the ban, as reported by Miami Herald.
Regrettably, the situation here at home has already deteriorated since we began the reopening of our domestic economy. It has deteriorated at an exponential rate since we reopened our international borders. Our current situation demands decisive action, if we are to avoid being overrun and defeated by this virus. We cannot allow our hospitals to be overrun. Many priorities must be balanced, be they health, social and economic.
The Bahamas recorded 49 new Covid-19 infections after they opened their borders for travel since July 1. However, they now find themselves in a catch 22 situation. On one hand, Florida represents a massive tourism market for them. On the other hand, Florida continues to be one of the worst hit, with over 350,000 cases. The state added 70,000 new cases last week, followed by 80,000 cases this week.
The Pundit’s Mantra
This announcement adds to the growing list of countries placing restrictions on travel from the U.S. Last week, I wrote about how travel restrictions will continue to swing like a pendulum. We’ll see many such measures put in place in reaction to rising case numbers. Many governments around the world are reacting to incoming data and adjusting requirements. If you’re looking to track travel restrictions, you can refer to this post for a country by country list. Similarly, read this post to view which countries are still welcoming U.S travelers, albeit with a few restrictions.
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[…] the last few weeks, a few countries lifted travel restrictions, only to scale them back later. Governments around the world are simply responding to rising case numbers in many countries. This […]