TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands May 15th BVI Changes for Vaccine - Children

Pertaining to the new May 15th Requirements

Anyone know if a group that has children under 18 are still required to do the longer quarantine period even though the adults have been vaccinated? I know one of the four vaccines is for ages 16 and above. The question pertains to whether the BVI government is allowing children (<18 yrs of age) to do the shorter quarantine (similar to vaccinated adults) assuming they have tested negative for the pre-departure test and Day (0) test.

There are several requests into the government for clarification. The answer "soon come" but we know how that goes...

Under 5 years of age should be fine because they are already not tested in the current protocols. Ages 5-18 are the big question. Hopefully we get an answer soon! Lots of people asking.

We are in the same boat, we have a trip next month and have a 12 year old. We are fully vaccinated but obviously at 12 she is not. I assume they will release information about 5 days before the change.

We are trying to schedule our daughter for the shot on the first day it is allowed and with Pfizer you can technically have as little as 17 days between shots per scheduling guidance (21 is stnd) . So the potential window for first shot is about 4 and a half weeks before travel.

The BVI Tourist Board was told by the minister that they would get an official update today as to changes to the portal, fees and more details about protocols for 15 May.

That would be nice. Please post here if there are changes to the official website.

Thursday is a popular day for live updates from Hon. Malone. I'd expect to see something on FB Live this evening.

Also waiting for the portal fee for those who are vaccinated.

I tried to get ahead of things and filled out the applications over a month ago for our trip in June. I do not recommend doing this. I paid the 175 for 6 people. : / Maybe they will give me a pat on the back when i arrive. lol I do not expect a refund. The reason i do not recommend filling them out early is because the folks on the whatsapp and email will not help you make changes or edit the application until closer to time of your trip.

i talked with 1 of the ladies that guides people through the portal and she said do it all at once...they prioritize by trip

People staying at their own house MUST begin the portal no fewer than seven days before arrival or they will not be approved. This allows time for the home to be inspected, even if it has been previously inspected and approved.

Unless they were already gold seal approved.

Updated protocols about to be announced by government.

Interesting that they added a Day 4 test requirement for kids, but at least they are released - though he did say something about a bubble - after the Day 0 test results. The Day 7 test for the day trip people from the BVI was an unexpected twist!

Progress, at least!

Quick summary of protocols for vaccinated travelers
- still request travel approval thru the Gateway
- PCR test still required 5-3 days prior to arrival
- fee reduced to $105
- released from quarantine after receiving negative Day 0 test results
- children 5-17 may travel unvaccinated with their vaccinated parents. Will follow the same protocol but additional Day 4 test required

Groups that have a combination of vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers must all quarantine for 7 days

Some additional changes:
- Travel ban only for India and Brazil now
- Unvaccinated travelers quarantine increased to 7 days
- Partially vaccinated travelers quarantine for 4 days

thanks for great update, Jason

Thanks for the good note taking Jason! While there is no mention of it, sounds like trackers have gone away. I wonder if the insurance requirements are the same.

7 day test for BVI day trips is not something new, it was announced when they laid out the May 15th date weeks ago.

The 7 day quarantine now that is somethng new and is probably due to the recent surge in cases found at the 4 day test.

Its good that the UK is now off the naughty list

I would assume the insurance is the same but no clear mention.

I'm curious about the trackers too. It was not mentioned and they don't really seem to work anyway but the fee implies they will still be around. The fee breakdown currently is $70 for each of the 2 tests and $35 for the rental of the tracker. The fee was reduced by $70, the cost of 1 test so I'm not sure what's happening.

Hopefully, the written announcement will clarify.

No mention of arrival quotas, do we assume that it's still limited to 50 by ferry and 120 by air?

What about transportation to your location until you get the day zero test results back.....how would we get to our villa on VG?

Thank you for the update Jason! We are traveling with my 12 year old and have been eagerly awaiting this update. Question for whoever might know- can she get her day 4 test on Anegada? We were planning on being there on our Days 4 and 5.

I have been hard on the BVI but I think this is a reasonable compromise for unvaccinated children.

If you are chartering, I'd check with you charter company. So far, they have required charter guests to take the day 4 test on Tortola. They recently started allowing at least Moorings guest to go back to the base but most boats go to Nanny Cay.

Anegada land-stay people can do their Day 4 test on Anegada but only on ferry days or days there happens to be a flight. That means sometimes people are waiting until day 5 to take their test.

Agree...the only thing I wish they did MUCH better is communicate the details of the process and simplify the process. There are 2 ladies in the BVI that are carrying most of load getting people through the portal.

But this time they did signal a change in advance and follow up with some clarity before the deadline for implementation

Trackers will still be issued for the Day zero testing

Thanks Jason. I will check in with BVI Yacht Charters.

Thank you, Jason, for the timeliness of your regular updates. It is extremely helpful for those of us trying to navigate charters in the next few weeks.

Thanks, Jason. Has anyone seen the GS water taxi rate sheet to outer islands?

New rules were published this morning. Unvaccinated children no longer need to quarantine, but instead take a day four test.

What is the difference between “Staying in the family bubble” vs quarantine for the groups with unvaccinated children?

Here is the formal release in writing.

It's pretty vague but I think it's intended to mean the children need to stay with their parents/guardians. Don't send kids to camps, day cares, schools, etc until the Day 4 test results prove negative.

Trying to read this but it looks like a negative test is still required even if you are fully vaxxed..right?

The recent announcement indicates that a mix of vaccinated crew (that’s us) and non-vaccinated (our friends from Italy) must quarantine for 7 days! How is it possible to provision for a week with no freezer and limited storage for 28 gallons of drinking water on a 41 foot boat? And no refueling or taking on water? This is getting ridiculous. Is anyone within the charter industry raising objections? Like allowing vaccinated individuals to get off the boat?

You can have provisions delivered to Nanny Cay docks and they will also let you take on water. I'm guessing you can do the same at your charter base.

Thanks Jason. We use Horizon out of Nanny Cay, so that's good. So you are saying that in addition to the initial provisioning, we can return for replenishment?
Also, I think I have seen reference to day 4 testing (now day 7?) at Nanny Cay. Is that accurate?

Malcolm, two negative tests: one up to five days ahead of arrival and uploaded to portal; second one on arrival. Then another one before you re-enter the US.

I would check with your charter company about returning to pickup provisions to know for sure.

Yes, most people go to Nanny Cay for Day 4(7) testing.

When does the new 7 day quarantine go into effect? Dies it effect people on a boat now? Could be a bunch of canceled boat and Villa bookings.