The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) is urging the region’s governments to reduce the isolation periods for travelers.
It asks that Caribbean nations align it with the UK and the United States.
In a letter to Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda, outgoing Chairman of CARICOM (Caribbean Community), CHTA President Nicola Madden-Greig noted that both the UK and the US are reducing the isolation period for Covid-positive persons.
The revised US protocol allows for five days and the UK for seven days.
Some Caribbean jurisdictions require as many as 14 days in isolation.
The CHTA says data no longer supports that length of time, which presents unnecessary financial and personal hardship to residents and visitors.
CHTA recommends a seven-day period, according to Madden-Greig.
"Government policies coupled with the efforts of health and tourism officials to enforce health safety protocols have resulted in the restoration of employment and airlift to near pre-pandemic levels, preventing massive business failures."
"Overreaction over the coming critical weeks can reverse the progress we’ve made towards recovery," Madden-Greig added.
CHTA recommended that cheaper antigen tests be accepted for entry.
The Bahamas, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Jamaica and the U.S. Virgin Islands accept antigen tests and have not reported higher infection rates among tourists.
