And Now the Bahamas Are Off-Limits to American Tourists

Coronavirus fears severely limit U.S. visitors to the islands, but there is one tiny loophole

Bahamas
American tourists are temporarily banned from the Bahamas
Peter Hansen / Unsplash

It’s starting to look like you’re stuck in your home state for the rest of the summer.

Europe’s out, several states are quarantining (or threatening to quarantine) visitors from other U.S. hotspots, and Hawaii recently announced it wasn’t letting in tourists for a bit. And now the nearby island country of the Bahamas has shut its doors to American tourists.

On July 1, the Caribbean nation had announced it would allow in tourists again, but as of this Wednesday that open policy will not include anyone from the U.S.

“Regrettably, the situation here at home has already deteriorated since we began the reopening of our domestic economy,” as Prime Minister Hubert Minnis noted. “It has deteriorated at an exponential rate since we reopened our international borders.”

The travel ban remains lifted for visitors from Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union, although tourists will have to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test.

One U.S. loophole: Private flights and charters from the United States, as well as pleasure craft and yachts, will be permitted.

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