UPDATED as of April 4, 2022 COVID REQUIREMENTS FOR "SAFE IN NATURE" DOMINICA:
Notably as of April 4, 2022:
- Travelers will no longer be required to fill and submit the pre-travel online form.
- The requirement for pre-arrival testing, and testing on arrival for vaccinated travelers at all ports of entry, including seafarers and yachters, has been removed.
- Testing on arrival for symptomatic travelers will remain in effect for either vaxed or unvaxed travelers.
- Travelers who test positive will be isolated in keeping with local isolation protocols
- Unvaccinated travelers must present a negative test either 48 or 72 hrs prior to arrival in Dominica as follows:
- PCR Test result from a nasopharyngeal swab taken within 72 hours prior to arrival;
- Or, a Rapid Antigen Test result from a nasopharyngeal swab taken within 48 hours prior to the expected arrival time in Dominica.
- Quarantine for unvaccinated travelers has been removed; however, testing on arrival for symptomatic vaxed or unvaxed travelers will remain in effect.
- Again Travelers who test positive will be isolated in keeping with local isolation protocols
COVID REQUIREMENTS FOR "SAFE IN NATURE" DOMINICA:
Here is the official Oct 2021 Covid Requirements Travel Document.
Oct 15, 2021 Travel Protocols new guidance rv13r5-1.pdf 2.9MB 10 downloads
Here is a summary of the steps below...YOU MUST READ THE DOCUMENT YOURSELF TO ENSURE OUR INTERPRETATION IS CORRECT:
- Everyone must test negative via a PCR test AND get results back within 72 hrs of landing in Dominica.
- The only reference to 'type' of PCR is 'by swab'. I have asked if the PCR-RT is acceptable AND IT IS!!!
- Realistically you need to find a test that will return your results back in as close to 24-48 max that you can.
- Everyone will fill out a form online AT LEAST 24-48 hrs prior to CHECKING IN FOR TRAVEL OF YOUR FIRST FLIGHT.
- You MUST have your negative test results when you fill out the online form with the Dominican govt. AND you must give them at least 24 preferably more time to process your results and your online form so you have time to get back YOUR EMAIL CONFIRMATION THAT YOU MUST PRINT AND TAKE WITH YOU TO THE AIRPORT FOR YOUR FIRST FLIGHT...along with a copy of your negative test results and other documents.
- When you fill out the form you will also PAY FOR AN ANTIGEN RAPID TEST which is EC $100 or approx $50 US + $3 US processing fee. You can ALSO purchase the test at that time to return home or do it anytime ONLINE ONLY up to 24 hrs prior to going home. You must have the front desk print out a copy for you for the doctor to take with him and you must show your passport to him as well to test along with the paid receipt. Email for front desk is frontdesk@fortyounghotel.com
- To save you the time and EXPENSE of traveling to the doctor via special taxi's, and waiting at the local hospital, the doctor graciously agrees to come to the hotel and do our testing for us. Prior to this you WOULD miss a day of diving as testing times are typically 9am. When the hotel has a special dive group like ours...the doctor will come at 7:30 am so we will not miss our diving for that day ...even if we are doing an extra day of diving on Friday like most divers do. And the boat will wait if the doctor is running a few minutes late. You will need a $40 fee for the doctor coming to the hotel and if you want him to be punctual every time our group comes PLEASE CONSIDER A TIP for his efforts which are extreme. He resides on the other part of the island and has to fight traffic to get to the hotel which is even more arduous when we ask him to come in at 7:30 am vs 9am. So please be generous...it enables us to DO EVERYTHING WE WANT ON THE ISLAND and the doctor is so appreciative when you tell him you are tipping. Please give him the fee and then say 'this is your tip for coming early'!
- If you are vaxed you will need your vaccination cards. If you are unvaxed or can not produce your card then you need a letter from the "SAFE IN NATURE" approved facility to be added to your online application. (I am getting this letter for those who need it. Let me know so I can have your name included on it. It must state your name to be valid.)
- Once at the hotel the vaxed will have no add'l requirements until 1 day prior to traveling home where they will get tested again for returning to the US (Antigen) or Canada and/or surrounding islands (PRC). The PCR tests for Canadians or those going via neighboring islands are being set up well in advance by SingleDivers.com IF YOU TELL US YOU NEED THEM and the doctor will come to the hotel to do the testing for us. (I must give the hotel 2 weeks notice for a PCR test)
- The partially vaxed or unvaxed (including those who have had covid and have natural immunity or antibodies) will 'quarantine safely in nature' at the hotel until the 5th day where they test again to prove they do not have covid. Those results will take 24 hrs and take until 48 hrs later so if you are leaving after 1 week you will PCR test on day 5 to pass quarantine and THEN Antigen test again on day 6 to go home. If you are staying 2 weeks the test is your 'get out of quarantine' test and you'll be free to roam around town. During quarantine you'll be free to roam around the hotel properly which is quite expansive and go on the 'group tours' and go diving on the boat. We can cater lunches/food in on the boat and/or to the hotel.
- When you quarantine 'SAFELY IN NATURE" you have full roaming of the hotel property, diving, the group tours and basically everything except for leaving the property until the quarantine timeframe is over. To offset the fact that you will not be able to go into town for the first 7 days...SingleDivers.com will have 2 meals catered into the resort (they will be our group dinners as long as we are under covid restrictions) and we will have take out menu options as well as the in house Fort Young food options. (After covid we will make arrangement for our group dinners in other venues to give us a change of scenery from the hotel)
COVID INSURANCE AND TRIP INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR "SAFE IN NATURE" DOMINICA:
Covid insurance is part of trip insurance if you purchase trip insurance from DiveAssure.com. They are easy to file a claim and pay quickly if you need to use them. They are also VERY proactive if you use their DIVE INSURANCE as well. You can get a 'one time policy' an 'annual policy' a combo 'trip and dive insurance policy' or just 'dive or trip' insurance policy. Basically anything you want...they have it.
UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: During covid all SingleDivers.com trips will REQUIRE the following:
- Trip Insurance* (Dominica is not easy to get to...if it were it would look like the rest of the Caribbean + trip insurance covers all injury and sickness that happens OUT of the water.)
- Covid Insurance (Not all trip insurance covers covid so make sure you get a policy that does. DiveAssure.com does)
- Dive Insurance (this has ALWAYS been required on SingleDivers.com trips and covers everything that happens IN the water.)
* While we can not force you you to actually buy trip insurance, please understand that we have 'REQUIRED' it now for every trip while in the pandemic and to certain venues that are typically difficult to get too such as Dominica. Therefore, SingleDivers.com and all suppliers will not be in a position to refund any monies nor give any credits because of your 'self-insuring' during a pandemic and an ever changing world. Please be proactive and protect yourself and your investment. If you choose to 'gamble' the odds on your trip, please understand that no one can further help you unless you have very extreme extenuating circumstance that prevented you from getting trip insurance. Being a gambler is not an extenuating circumstance. To take the sting out of the price of trip insurance...consider an annual policy that covers a small rolling amount of say $1500 to $2000 to provide enough coverage to prevent a total loss.
Edited by WreckWench, 24 April 2022 - 07:07 PM.
