NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (October 07, 2021)- – Premier Hon. Mark Brantley, Minister of Tourism in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), has welcomed the new 24-hour quarantine protocol for international travelers in the hopes that the eased restriction would be the impetus needed for tourists to return to Nevis.

The government of St. Kitts and Nevis published Statutory Rules and Orders (SR&O) No. 38 of 2021 on October 06, which states that effective October 07, 2021, all arriving travellers who are fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus shall remain in a government approved COVID-19 hotel or quarantine facility or private residence certified by the National COVID-19 Taskforce for a period of 24 hours, and a COVID-19 test sample would be taken within that period, and upon receiving a negative RT-PCR test shall be released from quarantine.

The previous SR&O stipulated a four-day quarantine period for fully vaccinated travelers.

Mr. Brantley said, “This is a welcomed development which allows Nevis to say to the world that it is truly now open for tourism business again. With this announcement we are hopeful that we can now have a good winter season and regain the economic momentum that we have lost to this pandemic. Our hoteliers are all happy at this announcement and we have taken a giant leap forward to restoring normalcy to our island.”

Mr. Brantley is keen to see the many tourism industry workers who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic return to work as soon as possible.

“I think this will be a shot in the arm for the tourism industry. A property like Four Seasons has indicated quite clearly that they are in a position to take on people if they can get the groups that they have scheduled to come.”

Visitors to Nevis can vacation in place at any of the island’s four travel-approved hotels- Four Seasons Resort, Golden Rock Inn, Montpelier Plantation & Beach, and Paradise Beach- and be free to explore the island 24 hours after arrival.