Bean reopen
ED-IN RETURN TO GATHERING PACE
Properties that are allowed to reopen must pass a Covid-19 compliant test, which includes protocols such as sanitising public touch points like elevator buttons every two hours, installing automatic doors or having a person to open and close doors, and moving as many activities as possible outdoors.
Resorts are reopening gradually. Sandals Montego Bay reopened on 16 June; five more Sandals siblings will roll out through October.
The Tryall Club, the 2 200-acre property with 75 rental villas in Montego Bay, has announced it will reopen on 1 August.
The all-inclusive Sunset at the Palms in Negril planned to reopen on Thursday.
The 55-room boutique Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios has yet to name its date, although management expects it may be in late July.
“We don’t feel we have the level of demand to warrant opening,” said Kyle Mais, general manager of the Jamaica Inn. “Airlines are a big part of the formula. We’re seeing more demand in the later part of the month as more flights are being announced.”
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico has announced it will reopen for inbound tourism on Wednesday. Arriving travellers will have to show the results of a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours or be tested on site and, if positive, go into quarantine for 14 days at their own expense.
Beaches on Puerto Rico are open, although the islandwide curfew, in effect from 10pm to 5am, has been extended to 22 July.
Restaurants are operating at 75% capacity, and casinos, set to reopen on 1 July, planned to administer temperature checks.
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia officially reopened its borders on 4 June and expected its first international flights this week. Arriving passengers must provide the results of a negative Covid-19 test taken within 48 hours of arrival.
About a dozen hotels on the island have applied for a new, required Covid-19 cleaning certification that includes protocols for sanitising luggage on arrival, maintaining a nurse’s station, updating housekeeping standards, dispensing hand sanitiser and reorganising dining areas to meet social-distancing requirements.
The Moorings, which offers crewed and bareboat yacht charters, will reopen its St Lucia base on 1 August with disinfected boats, linens provided in sealed bags and advice to passengers to bring their own snorkel gear as it will no longer be provided.
“Saint Lucia is fortunate to have strong occupancy year-round and a number of hotels are keen to reopen because they still have business on the books,” said Karolin Troubetzkoy, president of the Saint Lucia Hospitality & Tourism Association.
Virgin Islands
On 1 June, the US Virgin Islands entered the fourth of its five reopening phases, which include welcoming tourists who must undergo temperature checks and health screenings upon entry.
Tourism authorities are hoping that the increase in scheduled flights in July and the recent reopening of such high-profile resorts as the Ritz-Carlton, St Thomas, will encourage travellers to take a summer vacation in the islands.
“The Virgin Islands is ripe to benefit from people who want to stay under the US flag,” said Boschulte, the tourism commissioner.
Until the pandemic, the islands were on track to host 1.5 million cruise passengers this year, 1.4 million of them to St Thomas.
While many of the ship-dependent shops on the main street in the capital of Charlotte Amalie remain closed, other businesses are carrying on.
“Our key restaurants are open with precautions, and Gladys’ callaloo soup is as great as ever,” said Gerard Sperry, who guides St Thomas Food Tours, naming a popular downtown restaurant.
On St Croix, the Buccaneer resort remained open throughout the pandemic to essential workers and reopened to tourists on 1 June with a glass shield on the front desk, restaurant capacity reduced by 50% and a closed bar, although cocktails may be delivered to your chaise longue.