Bermuda Eases Pandemic Entry Requirements

Effective from 22 August, unvaccinated travellers will be allowed to enter Bermuda after the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) relaxed the COVID-19 protocols.

The prior arrangements and pandemic restrictions required unvaccinated travellers of age 12 and older to apply for a medical vaccination exemption at least 10 days before arriving at the island.

However, those requirements have been eased off, and now unvaccinated visitors are required to take a COVID test at most two days before arriving at the British island territory in the North Atlantic Ocean and retest after four days of arriving there. 

Visitors also have the option to take a COVID test upon arrival at the airport. They will still have to take a retest after four days of arriving there, but there is no quarantine.

Tracy Berkeley, the Interim CEO of the British Tourism Authority, said, “The pandemic is not over, but today, Bermuda has the necessary tools and processes in place to protect ourselves and our communities.” And also added, “Our updated travel protocols will streamline the process for visiting our island, further boosting Bermuda’s tourism comeback in 2022.”

All travellers must possess travel insurance to upload onto the Bermuda government website along with their Travel Authorization application for approval.

The Bermuda government said, “Residents who previously travelled with proof of recent recovery from COVID or with a medical exemption from vaccination, no longer need to provide that proof or get that exemption.”

“Instead, those residents will fall into the category of an unvaccinated resident and follow that testing regime: pre-arrival test and day four test or arrival test and day for the test.”

When it comes to the cruise front, unvaccinated passengers are required to take a COVID test at least two days before departing the port.

The Bermuda government said, “Depending on the time it takes to travel to Bermuda, they may need to test again before disembarking in Bermuda.” And also added, “This is familiar territory for the cruise lines, as Bermuda already requires additional testing for vaccinated travellers when the journey to Bermuda is longer than four days.”