Anguilla is reopening for tourism this month — but with no active or suspected cases of COVID-19 the island, it’s rightly doing so very carefully.
So Anguilla has launched an “application” process for visitors.
Those who wish to visit Anguilla for entry dates up to Oct. 31, 2020 have to apply beginning next week —and those who wish to visit from November and beyond have to apply at the end of September.
Notably, Anguilla is allowing applications for both tourist stays of less than three months and longer-term stays of up to a year, with the latter including a digital work permit.
However long you go for, there will be a fee, of $1,000 per individual traveler or $1,000 per business guest, with the fee covering surveillance and costs associated with an additional public health presence.
Families of four or less will have a total fee of $1,500, with additional charges for more family members.
For those who want a longer stay, it’s a fee of $2,000 per individual or business traveler, and $3,000 for a family of four.
Those fees include a digital work permit, a new program recently made popular in the Caribbean by Barbados (more on that here).
So how do you apply? And who can apply?
For starters, you’ll need to stay in a villa — and take a longer, multiple-week vacation.
Anguilla is giving priority to people coming from “low-risk” countries, where the prevalence of COVID-19 is less than 0.2 percent of the population. It’s also giving preference to longer-stay travelers like the 3-12 month category.
Those coming from “high-risk” destinations like the United States will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, “taking into consideration whether they are a business guest, i.e. a person with current or intended investment in Anguilla; their length of stay and the prevalence rate in their individual locale,” according to the Anguilla Tourist Board.
Everyone who applies will be assigned a concierge that will work with the applicant throughout the process.
Once you’re approved and arrive, the testing begins.
you’ll get a PCR test on arrival, with a second test on day 10 of your trip. (Those from high-risk countries will get a test on day 14).
A negative COVID test taken within three to five days prior to arrival is also required.
As travelers await their results, they’ll have to stay in place, meaning they can “enjoy all the facilities and amenities at their villa.”
“There is also a strong field surveillance component, in collaboration with the respective villa management agencies, where guests will be monitored periodically for temperature changes and any symptoms of the disease. Once a negative result is returned after the second test, guests are then free to explore the island,” the ATB said.
“There are three main principles that have governed and grounded our efforts as we formulated our reopening protocols – research, risk mitigation, and capacity,” declared the Hon. Parliamentary Secretary Quincia Gumbs-Marie. “Given our current Covid-19 free status, management of risk is at the center of our strategy. We have adopted a phased approach, whereby persons wishing to travel must first apply; we also prioritize persons originating from low-risk countries and longer stay travelers, and we limit onward transmission of the virus from imported cases by sequential testing and restricting contact with our general population for periods of 10 – 14 days.”
In short, this is a system designed to encourage long-term stays and reduce risk.
Thankfully, for interested travelers Anguilla has one of the Caribbean’s leading villa collections, from Nevaeh on Long Bay Beach to the popular Tequila Sunrise to WIMCO’s broad offering of top villas.
For more, go to I Visit Anguilla or Apply Here.
— CJ