Turks & Caicos does it! On UK ‘travel corridors’ list for no quarantine

#TurksandCaicosIslands – November 12, 2020 — UPDATED — From November 14, 2020 at 4 a.m., travelers to the UK from the Turks and Caicos Islands will no longer be subjected to the mandatory 14-day quarantine. The UK Government has just issued its revised travel corridors list and the Turks and Caicos has made the cut; a sigh of relief and important triumph for Turks and Caicos public health.

Turks and Caicos had been cited for having one of the highest per capita rates of COVID-19 infection in the world. That fact thrust the Turks and Caicos onto an unfavorable list and attached travel from the territory in the northern Caribbean region to the infamous ‘mandatory quarantine’ of two weeks.

Efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus in the islands have included a revised (and relaxed) qualification for recovered patients, ramped up testing and the activation of national community testing for asymptomatic individuals.

On the UK Government’s website the coveted travel corridors clique is described this way: List of countries, territories and regions from where you can travel to England and may not have to self-isolate.

The TCI, along with Bahrain, Cambodia, Chile, Iceland , Laos, Qatar and United Arab Emirates (UAE) was today included on the ‘travel corridors’ list.

The notice says:  Turks and Caicos Islands (will be added 4am, 14 November – if you arrive in England from Turks and Caicos Islands before 4am 14 November you will need to self-isolate).

It may be the break Turks and Caicos needs in order to have a return of British Airways (BA) flights to the territory.  BA was originally due to resume flight service to the Providenciales International Airport, PLS in November.

The British Airways flights are currently scheduled to resume flights Sunday flights beginning December 13; there is also a Thursday flight on the roster so far: December 17.

It is hoped that with this inclusion of Turks and Caicos on the UK ‘safe list, the BA flights will return and this new Covid-19 profile – lower new cases, increased recoveries and boosted community testing – will augur well in TCI’s attempts to also find the safe spot with New York, which requires travellers to self isolate for 14-days upon return from these islands.