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HomeNewsLocal newsU.S. Virgin Islands Shortens Covid-19 Testing Window for Travelers

U.S. Virgin Islands Shortens Covid-19 Testing Window for Travelers

The CDC’s Covid-19 testing kit (Photo courtesy the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Effective Monday, Jan. 3, all domestic air travelers to the U.S. Virgin Islands are required to present a negative result from a COVID-19 test taken within three days prior to travel to the territory.

The updated protocols recently announced by Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. reduce the testing window, from five days to three days, to ensure that visitors and residents are protected as much as possible, given the rapid spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, according to Government House.

Domestic air travelers to the USVI will be required to submit a negative antigen (rapid) or PCR COVID-19 test result within three days of travel regardless of vaccination status. Travelers who were vaccinated in the USVI and considered “fully vaccinated” are no longer exempt and are required to submit an acceptable COVID-19 test result for travel.

Tourism Commissioner Joseph Boschulte reported that the winter season has started strong for the territory, and this month the Travel Screening Portal had registered more than 100,000 portal submissions.

International travelers to the United States must show proof of a negative result from a COVID-19 test (either antigen or PCR) taken within one calendar day of departure to the U.S. if they are arriving in the USVI via air from a foreign location, such as the British Virgin Islands or Antigua.

Marine travel now follows a three-day testing window, and certain vaccination requirements apply to non-U.S. persons.

For more information about travel guidelines, visit usviupdate.com.

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