Source: My Caribbean Trip
The US Virgin Islands is set to become the first destination to officially reopen for tourism.
Joseph Boschulte, the Commissioner of Tourism announced on May 26, that the US Virgin Islands will reopen for tourism as of Monday, June 1, 2020.
The Commissioner said all plans were being finalized for public health and tourism protocol to welcome visitors to “America’s paradise” in just under a week.
According to the press release, the new protocols have been developed in partnership with the US Virgin Islands’ Governor’s Office along with relevant tourism stakeholders and health authorities. A state of emergency however, will remain in effect due to the COVID-19 pandemic through July 11, 2020.
“Over the past several weeks, we have been building COVID-19 mitigation and response capacity, and preparing protocols to protect the health and safety of residents and visitors alike,” said Commissioner Boschulte, who explained that the decision to reopen has not been made lightly. “We did not want to rush to reopen in reaction to what other destinations are doing. Instead, we have engaged in data-driven, risk-based analysis, in conjunction with the Virgin Islands Department of Health and federal guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other stakeholders.”
In preparing for the reopening, the US Virgin Islands’ Department of Tourism has prepared “Health and Safety Guidelines for the USVI Tourism Industry.” Officials refer to the document as a “comprehensive master document” for guidance to be used by all tourism stakeholders. The document offers guidance on everything from enhanced general operating procedures of properties, cleaning and housekeeping, taxi and tours subsector as well as on restaurants and bars.
Citing a strong interest in tourism return to the US Virgin Islands, the Commissioner went on to say that “Throughout the pandemic, we were greatly encouraged by the outpouring of support and expressions of desire from friends around the world to travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Even though COVID-19 caused us to temporarily close our doors, our hearts remained open. We now look forward to welcoming travelers back to their home away from home.”