COVID Guidance

For the Bahamas

In light of the rapidly changing guidance from The Bahamas Ministry of Health, we wanted to inform you of the current protocols to ensure you have a good travel experience and are aware of the testing requirements.

FINAL COUNTDOWN

 Hopefully, everyone planning to attend the conference either has their travel visa or has applied and it is pending. If your travel visa is pending you can call Francesca and she will give you a number to call for assistance.

When your visa application is approved and you are required to submit payment, you will see that they lowered the cost from $60 to $40 for stays of 5 nights or more if you used proof of vaccination to obtain your travel visa. If you used a negative full PCR test to obtain your travel visa the fee is $60 for stays of 5 nights or more and $40 for less than a 5-night stay.

 Looking forward to a great conference.

 Diana Mariner
Program Director

The countdown has begun!!

 As I am sure some of you have already seen, the travel protocols and instructions to apply for your Bahamas Travel Health Visa have changed for the better for fully vaccinated travelers.

 Effective May 1, 2021, visitors traveling to The Bahamas from other countries who are fully vaccinated and have passed the two-week immunity period will be exempt from COVID-19 testing requirements for entry and inter-island travel. All fully vaccinated travelers meeting these requirements are still required to apply for a Bahamas Travel Heath Visa by uploading your proof of vaccination instead of a negative PCR test result; however, as you no longer have to obtain a negative PCR test within five (5) days of your departure, you can apply for your travel visa now with your proof of vaccination.

 Please be advised, The Bahamas Government accepts all three of the vaccines being offered in the United States (i.e., Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson).

 The cost of your travel visa now depends on the length of your stay and vaccination status.

 For vaccinated travelers, the Traveler Health Visa is good for any travel to The Bahamas for 6 months. Please remember that it takes anywhere from 24 – 48 hours for your travel visa to process. Please make sure you apply an appropriate amount of time in advance of your departing flight. If you are fully vaccinated, you can apply for your heath visa now using this link: https://travel.gov.bs/

 Vaccinated travelers will be exempt from taking a COVID-19 rapid antigen test upon arrival at the hotel by showing proof of vaccination and ID upon check-in. Accordingly, please make sure you bring your “COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card” as proof of vaccination or you will be required to take the rapid antigen test.

 FOR ALL TRAVELERS the following information has been updated:

 All travelers eighteen (18) years of age and older are required to complete an individual Bahamas Travel Health Visa. Persons seventeen (17) years and younger must create a profile within the account of their parent or guardian.

 For unvaccinated travelers, the application process and travel protocols remain the same as specified in our last email which you can easily access through this link: https://conta.cc/3mLmzsa.

 For more information about the updated protocols, please visit Bahamas.Travel.Protocols.5.3.21

 Should you have any questions please contact Francesca Castiglione, Assistant Program Director.

 We look forward to seeing you in the Bahamas!

 Diana Mariner
Program Director

It is said that time flies…here we are a few short weeks away from the beginning of our Conference.

In order for you to have a pleasant travel experience, please see the below instructions for COVID-19 testing and applying for a health visa to travel to the Bahamas: (https://travel.gov.bs)

1. You and any guests traveling in your party must be PCR tested NO MORE THAN 5 days before your date of departure.
2. Once you receive the results of your test you will need to make an account on the following website following their instructions: https://travel.gov.bs/
3. Once you make an account, you will select the option “Add Trip” and fill in the requested information regarding your trip (flight numbers, hotel information, etc.)
4. At the bottom of the form, you will fill out the requested information regarding your COVID-19 PCR test and upload a copy of your test result.
5. Once you have been approved, you will be all set to fly to the Bahamas.

When making your appointment to get tested, you should ask for the exact turn around time of PCR test results as they vary depending on location; however, we recommend getting tested exactly 5 days before your date of departure because the PCR test results typically take up to 72 hours to process. We also recommend uploading those results as soon as you receive them as the Health Visa takes anywhere from 24 – 48 hours to process. The cost of your health visa depends on the number of nights you are staying in the Bahamas:

Visitors staying up to four nights & five days – $40
Citizens & Returning Residents – $40
Visitors staying more than four nights – $60

You can check on the status of your health visa on your account, but ultimately you will be notified by email once the visa has been approved.

Please be advised that the Bahamas requires all visitors ages 10 and older to be PCR tested regardless of vaccination status.

Should you have any questions please contact Francesca Castiglione, Assistant Program Director.

We look forward to seeing you in the Bahamas!
Diana Mariner
Program Director

 

Dear Registrants:

 As a part of The Baha Mar’s commitment to safety, the resort’s screening protocol requires we provide the names of all attendees who will be staying at the resort in advance of your arrival. With the names of all the registered guests, the COVID-19 testing procedure conducted upon your arrival at the resort will be more streamlined, allowing you to more quickly get settled and enjoy your stay. Accordingly, please respond to fcastiglione@bislawfirm.com with the full names of all the guests who are older than 10 years of age in your party at your earliest convenience. If you are traveling with guests under the age of 10, although not required to be tested, please respond with the number of those guests and their ages as well.

 Thank you for your cooperation. We look forward to seeing you in The Bahamas!

 Diana Mariner

Program Director

Prior to
Departing
for The
Bahamas

The Government of the Bahamas requires all visitors, except children ten (10) and under, to obtain a negative RT-PCR (swab) test no more than five (5) days prior to arriving in The Bahamas. The name and address of the lab where the test was performed must be clearly displayed on the test result. Once you obtain a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test, you are then required to apply for a Bahamas Health Travel Visa at “travel.gov.bs” where the negative test result must be uploaded. All travelers must obtain a Bahamas Health Travel Visa prior to their departure for The Bahamas.

Arriving
in the
Bahamas

Upon arrival at the Baha Mar, prior to check-in all guests will undergo a rapid antigen test.  Once the test is complete, guests will be directed to check-in and then proceed to their room, where they are required to remain until test results are available, which usually takes 30 minutes.  Guests who have a negative test result will be given a wristband and permitted to enjoy the property.  If the test result is positive, the guest will be subject to a RT-PCR test and required to stay in their room until result of that test is available, which is usually within 3 hours.

Through its “Travel with Confidence Program,” the Baha Mar is offering guests who test positive a courtesy private jet service back to the South Florida for the guest and his or her immediate family or a free stay during the quarantine period. Guests who quarantine will be provided with courtesy suite accommodations and a daily resort dining credit of $150 per person per day, for up to 14 days or until the guest receives a negative COVID-19 result. 

It is currently unclear how the Travel with Confidence Program’s courtesy private jet service to South Florida interacts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) guidelines for COVID-positive individuals traveling to the United States. For more information, you should reach out to the Baha Mar.

Departing for the
United
States
After the
Conference

The CDC now requires all air passengers coming to the United States (including United States citizens) have a negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of their recovery from COVID-19 before boarding a flight in the United States. The negative test result must occur no more than 3 days before travelling to the United States. You can make arrangements at the Baha Mar to receive a test before you leave for the airport.

Arriving in the
United States
from The
Bahamas

Due to the risk of exposure to COVID, the CDC requires travelers to quarantine upon arriving to the United States from international travel. The CDC recommends you get tested 3-5 days after travel and quarantine for a full 7 days, even if you test negative. If you test positive, you should isolate in accordance with federal, state, and local guidelines.

There are varying guidelines among States when it comes to quarantining upon returning from travel and options to “test out” of the full quarantine period. You should periodically check the state and local guidance to learn how long you are required to quarantine.

COVID-19
Resources

For your convenience and more detailed information, we have attached a copy of the Bahamas Entry Protocols and the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar Testing Protocols.  You will find fees listed for the Bahamas Health Travel Visa and mandatory health insurance on the “Bahamas’ Entry Protocols.”  American Alliance Conference Ltd. will reimburse Bahamas Health Travel Visa fees upon receiving your receipts.

For your convenience more information can be found on the sites below:

These guidelines are subject to change and although we will update you with any such changes, you are encouraged to periodically check The Bahamas Ministry of Health’s and CDC’s websites for updated information.

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