New CDC warnings for several Caribbean destinations over COVID-19
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offered its first weekly travel advisory updates of the new year, and it includes a strong warning to "avoid travel" to Aruba due to a "very high risk" of COVID-19.
The CDC also updating its warning levels on several other popular Caribbean destinations including the Bahamas and St. Martin.
To stay up to date on travel news and advice from TPG, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Aruba was added to Level 4, the CDC's highest-risk category when determining COVID risk levels. Countries are moved to Level 4 when more than 500 positive cases per 100,000 residents are detected in the past 28 days.
"Because of the current situation in Aruba, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants," the CDC declared on its official website.
Aruba, one of the most popular winter getaways, is still open for travel and airlines are still flying there. It has its own entry requirements for travelers coming from nations deemed high-risk. The U.S. is currently labeled a high-risk country.
Related: Complete reopening guide to Aruba
"Anyone traveling to Aruba from a location classified as high-risk will need to complete the PCR testing requirement 2 days prior to departure to Aruba regardless of vaccination status and will not have the option to test upon arrival in Aruba," states a notice on VisitAruba.com. Travelers must also complete an online Embarkation/Disembarkation card and purchase Aruba Visitors Insurance, according to the Aruba Tourism Authority.
Aruba isn't the only Caribbean destination to have its COVID warning level increased. The CDC also placed The Bahamas and Sint Maarten at Level 3, indicating a "high level" of coronavirus transmission on those islands. It warns that unvaccinated travelers "should avoid nonessential travel" to both Sint Maarten and the Bahamas
Other Caribbean islands have revised their own travel entry requirements due to the continued spread of the omicron variant. This includes the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Barbados.
According to the USVI Department of Tourism, all domestic travelers, regardless of vaccination status, must show proof of a negative COVID-19 antigen or PCR test taken within three days of travel. This abbreviates the previous testing window, which had been five days.
Puerto Rico has also cracked down on entry protocols. All domestic travelers to have a negative COVID-19 rapid or PCR test taken within 48 hours of their arrival, regardless of their vaccination status, according to Discover Puerto Rico. Unvaccinated travelers must now quarantine for seven days upon arrival, whether their test is negative or not.
Previously, unvaccinated travelers had no mandatory quarantine. You can find full details about travel requirements to Puerto Rico on the Discover Puerto Rico website.
Related: TPG reader story: What it was like to test positive on our way home from vacation
The Bahamas and Barbados have both revised entry regulations with regards to COVID tests.
Barbados now allows travelers to either show proof of a negative COVID-19 rapid test taken within one day of arrival on the island, or proof of a negative PCR test taken within 3 days of arrival, per information on VisitBarbados.org. Unvaccinated visitors must quarantine at pre-approved accommodations for seven days, and take a PCR test on day five.
The Bahamas will now let vaccinated travelers show either a negative rapid antigen test or an RT-PCR test taken no more than 72 hours prior to arrival. Unvaccinated travelers 12 years and older must continue to present a negative RT-PCR test within three days of arrival. Anyone presenting test results older than 72 hours will be denied entry to the islands.
A rapid antigen test now is required for all travelers staying in the Bahamas longer than 48 hours (two nights), regardless of vaccination status.
Featured Image by Nisangha for Getty Images
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month