New Delhi (NVI): The exotic island of Seychelles will be reopening its borders for tourists from all over the world, with few COVID-19 measures in place, from March 25.
This announcement was made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism Sylvestre Radegond following the Tourism Task Force Committee meeting, the Seychelles News Agency reported.
Radegonde said that the decision to relax the entry procedures of tourists has been made possible in view of the success registered in the aggressive vaccination campaign embarked earlier in the year.
Moreover, the tourists from South Africa will still not be permitted to enter Seychelles for the time being until further review of the situation.
As the island reopen, visitors coming to the island nation will only need a negative PCR test done within 72 hours prior to their arrival. “No quarantine will be needed and visitors will be free to enjoy their holidays in certified hotels with COVID-19 measures.”
However, the visitors will need to abide by health measures in place, which means that wearing masks, hand sanitizing, and social distancing are mandatory.
These new measures will also give visitors access to all communal area within the hotel premises inclusive of bars, swimming pools, spas etc.
“We are hoping that this will give the economy the breathing space that the economy needs, the country needs. And we hope that this will follow by a series of economic activities around the tourism industry,” the agency quoted Radegonde as saying.
Earlier in late January, Seychelles had opened its doors only to tourists who have taken both the doses of COVID-19 vaccine, which was sealed off during the pandemic to curb the spread.
The island nation off the east coast of Africa whose economy is based primarily on tourism was the first African nation to launch a bold, comprehensive and effective COVID-19 immunisation campaign in January 2021, as per the reports.
So far, Seychelles has registered 2,928 coronavirus cases with 13 fatalities, the John Hopkins University data shows.
-RJV
