Turks and Caicos Islands Introduces New COVID-19 Requirements Ahead of Reopening

Turks and Caicos Islands has updated travel requirements in advance of the July 22 reopening to tourism, Honorable Ralph Higgs, Minister of Tourism for the Turks and Caicos Islands announced this week.  

Travelers will be required to take a COVID-19 PCR test within five days of travel, rather than the previous requirement of the test to be taken within three days of travel. Children under the age of 10 years old are not required to be tested.

A 14-day quarantine period will not be required for visitors once they have tested negative for the virus.

Additionally, travelers must have medical or travel insurance that covers medevac, a completed health screening questionnaire, and certification that they have read and agreed to the privacy policy document.

These requirements must be complete and uploaded to the TCI Assured portal, which will be available on the Turk and Caicos Islands Tourist Board website, in advance of their arrival. Insurance companies providing the prerequisite insurance will also be available on the portal.

Once travelers register on the TCI Assured portal and complete the requirements as outlined, a travel authorization notification will be given. The TCI Assured travel authorization should be presented at the time of check-in – airlines will not be able to board passengers without this authorization.

Upon arrival to the airport, visitors can expect to present their TCI Assured certifications to local authorities, before proceeding through immigration where temperature checks will also take place.

American Airlines, JetBlue, Delta Airlines, and Air Canada, will resume flight services from within the United States and Canada as of July 22. Private jet terminals will open on July 22 as well in conjunction with the reopening of Providenciales International Airport. The Grand Turk Cruise Center will remain closed until Aug. 31, 2020.

Other operational protocols include health screenings, physical distancing, mandatory use of face coverings in public, recommended use of face coverings on the beach, and social gatherings limited to 25 people or less.

Hotel and restaurant employees will be required to undergo regular COVID-19 testing.  At the beaches and pools, umbrellas and chairs must be at least six feet apart to allow for physical distancing.  Restaurants must reduce seating capacity to 70%, eliminate self-service buffets, and make hand sanitizer available at the entrances.

The Turks and Caicos Islands, comprised of nine main islands of about 40 small islands and uninhabited cays, has one of the lowest incident rates in the Caribbean and is “inherently safe for travel in this new paradigm of physical distancing.”