TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Entering BVI with covid vaccine

I expect to get a covid vaccine Jan-feb so now starting to think about going down to the villa but wondering how the regulations will be changed to allow a vaccinated person to enter without hoops.
Seems airlines are starting to put together regulations for vaccinated folks.

I've been thinking the same thing? As soon as I get my second booster, I'll be ready to hop on an airplane for BVI. Being 74 years old, I am also hoping for access to a vaccine in Jan/Feb.

Got this response from BVI govt when I ask the same question yesterday ...

Hello,

I have a charter with Horizon Yacht Charters at Nanny Cay that has been put on hold due to the shutdown and current BVI Travel protocols.
I plan to resume travel to the BVI once I have been vaccinated. This will be a reality before you know it.
How will the BVI Travelers Protocols be changed for vaccinated travelers?

Department of Information and Public Relations <GIS@gov.vg>
Wed 12/2/2020 2:26 PM
Good day,
Due to fluid situation of the COVID-19 pandemic being that it is constantly and rapidly changing - the Government of the Virgin Islands will continue to update and revise our legislations to suit.
We do look forward to having you visit us in 2021. Please stay safe until then and remember BVILOVE awaits you!

Regards.

I would not hold your breath for the rules to change. If the past 9 months has shown anything it's that the BVI likes to wait and watch what works other places. If you want to come down, you'll probably have to follow the protocols like anyone else.

Be sure you understand that the vaccination does not give you immediate immunity. From the CDC:

t typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity after vaccination. That means it’s possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.

Lots of speculation before the Dec 1 legislation was announced and a lot more to follow.

I'll be booking my flight when BVI updated and revised legislations is as follows:

1. travel 2 weeks after you are vaccinated
2. negative covid test before travel.
3. on arrival, proof of vaccination and negative test required.
4. free to move about the country w/o quarantine or addition testing.

Oh and NO EXCLUSION ZONE!

Why should you have to have a test if you had the vaccine??

Hi Carol - the vaccine is only going to be 95 % effective over the range of the population so testing will still be required until the virus is eliminated - like mumps - we don't test for that anymore because most people have been vaccinated and it is not usually present in the population anymore.

OK, I guess that's right, but hopefully tests will become a lot easier to get, as they are still quite a PITA at the moment.

Maybe BVI would want to CYA?
and there is that "few weeks" for the body to build immunity after vaccination" that chazo mentioned.

Hopefully there will be some instructions included with the vaccine I end up getting.

I am wondering if the BVI's will get their vaccines as quickly as the UK can get them and ship them. The UK is saying"in a few days" and is ordering enough for all the population plus overseas territories. If the BVI's got enough for the whole poluation then maybe you could get in with a negative test. As a "permission to reside" person I am wondering if we could get vaccinated there.Maybe pipe dreams but...

I suspect the vaccine will be optional in the BVI, so those coming in will still require vaccination or testing. Are you covered by BVI NHI? My guess is they'll cover it. If I decide to get it, I would prefer to do so Stateside.

I come into the BVI as a tourist, so no I am not covered in BVI. Covered in USA and since I am 82 I will get it soon.

Hi All - let's figure that 6-7 weeks after the first shot or 3 weeks after the second you are "immune" you will still need to prove that with an antibody test. The rollout of vaccines is going to be a major logistical effort so "short term" thinking on this subject has a lot of ifs and maybes. cheers

Soon is such a relative term.

Currently working through the logistics of vaccinating medical staff and the concept is mind boggling. I can’t even wrap my head around the logistics of vaccinating the general public and beyond yet. 🤷‍♀️

Stay well, stay safe and can’t wait to see each of you getting back to our beloved BVI. 🌴🧜‍♀️🐠✨

I watched a discussion on CNN last night with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and another doc. They said that the front runner vaccines are ~90% effective at keeping the recipient healthy, but it is as yet unkown whether or not that person could still infect others. That’s the first I've heard of that distinction. It’s still very early days for the science on this.

Can we still consider multiple vaccines with effective rates at 95% good news?
End of summer Fauci was hoping to have one vaccine and would be very pleased if it was at 75% effective.

Certainly, it’s great news! I’ll be in line for it as soon as I can. It’s not like flipping a switch, though. It doesn’t sound like getting vaccinated will be an automatic free pass to enter the BVI.

My fear is governments will cave to fringe groups and demand masks and covid tests be taken for years. I don't have years to waste. I hope airlines demand travelers be vaccinated in order to travel. That will start the end to masks and covid tests.

Until the BVI is vaccinated getting vaccinated will not make travel into BVI any easier, just my thoughts.

The BVI government should be making a strong case to UK regulators that they should be a high priority for the vaccine both from a health and economic standpoint. They have zero herd immunity and their economy hinges on allowing open visitation.

Also their resources are so low (Medical capacity is very low).

My recommendations to BVI would be Elderly and high risks individuals first and then Frontline to Tourists(Those who interact with tourists directly). Once these front line workers vaccinated, then they wear a colorful identifying hat (or shirt) signifying tourists can interact with these individuals, as they have been vaccinated. This would serve as a hurdle between the "BVI non vaccinated herd" and the potential foreign traveler.

And ideally, entire BVI vaccinated rapidly, which would best option for reopening.

According to this NYTimes calculator in the US there are 268.7 million people ahead of me for the vaccine...cant see getting to the front of the line until summer/Fall and have charter credit that expires in 2021...

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/03/opinion/covid-19-vaccine-timeline.html

I was 268 million also unless I eat a lot and qualify as obese. That would jump me to 23 million.

LOL...might be quicker to go to med school...

Hi Thorsten - the post-vaccine era will take a couple of years - In Canada, they will start vaccines for the long term care and over 80 groups in the next several weeks but let's figure it will take until 2022 for say 65-75% of the population to receive and/or feel confident enough to take it. Look at the degree of diseases in non-industrialized countries and figure that precautions are always needed.

I wouldn't hold my breath....
We right now have huge amount of people who already had have covid. Including myself and my family. That's just like vaccine. Yet nobody, nowhere making any rule changes to allow for people with antibodies to resume normal life.

I believe the requirements for the USVI include a positive antibody test within four months.

See: https://usviupdate.com/

I stand corrected, yes, that is so for USVI. Unfortunately our company can not bring our boat to USVI for USVI tour. We tried to talk them into it, but obviously not possible.

Some information on the Vaccine and its science:

First of all, the vaccine requires 2 shots spaced in time (3 to 4 weeks depending one which vaccine you receive). Additional boosters may be required at some point in the future (that is still being studied).

As of two weeks ago (and as far as I know this has not changed), the science said that it takes 28 days for the full effects to be in place. Your immunity ramps up over that time. As of yesterday, the science says that even after the first shot, their are "meaningful" gains in immunity after 10 days. Safety data on the vaccine (side effect rate) has so far proven better than expected.

With 95% immunity, 1 in 20 recipients will still be able to contract COVID so please don't act like you are invulnerable after you receive it. It is my understanding (and this is where it gets murky for me) that the 95% percent effectiveness rate covers not coming down with COVID symptoms. They have insufficient data so far on whether some recipients of the vaccine may still actually contract the disease, be symptom free, and therefore spread it.

I'm going to stay in my house until the vaccine is 100%. Once that happens I will gladly go enjoy the risk free world. Cheers.

There is never going to be a 100% effective vaccine and the world will always have health risks. You’re going to be in your house for the rest of your life unless the post is a troll.
G

I think I detect some sarcasm with the "risk free world".

Perhaps a bit of sarcasm........

I'm getting a bit fatigued by the constant smothering of hope. Optimism. Life. We all assume calculated risks everyday. All day.

Everything has a risk. We tolerate many things in the name of freedom as we should. The “If we can just save one life mantra” rings very hollow when you look at alcohol and the carnage it brings across our country as one of many examples. Yesterday my brothers small police department handled yet another DUI where both parents were killed and all 3 young children seriously injured. The drunk who hit them is being charged with her second DUI in a year. The destroyed families, suicides ect caused by alcohol are never ending. We tolerate it because we are a free society and place a huge premium on the right of personal choice. That right of personal choice is what makes this country great and why it’s the only place I want to live. It comes with risk but is worth it to live free.

Spoken like a true patriot!!!

All righty then. this is totally off topic. Will end this one here.