Belize has announced new entry requirements for travelers, set to take effect Feb. 15, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

The centerpiece is a requirement for an application for Belize Travel Health Insurance, a mandatory health insurance that “helps protect travelers against incurred medical and non-medical expenses, if they test positive for COVID-19 during their stay in Belize,” according to the Belize Tourism Board. 

The cost is $18, providing coverage for up to $50,000 in medical expenses related to Covid treatment for a period of up to 21 days. 

Travelers will also be covered for emergency assistance like air evacuation and emergency expenses related to pre-existing conditions, the BTB said. 

Belize says travelers should purchase the insurance prior to traveling to Belize; visitors also have the option of buying the insurance upon arrival at Philip Goldson International Airport or land borders. 

The country’s other protocols are anchored by a testing requirement: all travelers, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, must show proof of a negative test, either a PCR taken within 96 hours of arrival, or a rapid antigen test taken within 48 hours of arrival. 

If visitors do not present a test, they must pay $50 for a test at the airport. 

Children under 5 are exempt from the testing requirement. 

For more, visit Belize Tourism.