North American travelers hoping to visit Aruba this winter will face tightened travel restrictions in the face of Omicron.
As of Monday, travelers will require a COVID-19 PCR test taken within two days or 48 hours of boarding their flight to the Caribbean island.
Effective December 27, 2021, according to an emailed statement from Aruba, “residents from the U.S. and Canada traveling to Aruba will need to complete a PCR test two days prior to their departure date and will not have the option to test upon arrival. The 72-hour window for PCR testing will no longer be applicable for residents traveling from high-risk countries (including the U.S. and Canada). Take note that if a traveler is traveling via a high-risk country as a non-transit passenger, meaning staying in the respective country for more than 24 hours, the requirement of two-day testing prior to departure shall be applicable. Transit passengers, those staying less than 24 hours, from non-high-risk countries can continue to test 72-hours prior to the departure date.”
“Visitors 12 and older, who have tested positive using a molecular COVID-19 test by nasopharyngeal swab between 2 weeks and 12 weeks prior to travel date to Aruba, and do not show any symptoms, will be exempt from the requirement of providing a negative COVID-19 test result for entry to Aruba. As part of the mandatory Embarkation/Disembarkation Card process, these visitors will, however, be required to upload proof of their positive Molecular COVID-19 by nasopharyngeal swab test result taken between 2 and 12 weeks prior to the travel date to Aruba,” the statement adds.
Aruba’s Embarkation/Disembarkation Card process requires travelers to provide basic traveler information, submit a personal health assessment, upload a negative COVID-19 test result, purchase Aruba Visitors Insurance and declare their consent to Aruba’s government mandates.
As of November 22, the U.S. State Department has issued a Level 3 travel advisory for Aruba, advising Americans to reconsider travel due to COVID-related conditions. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also issued a Level 3 Travel Health Notice, indicating a high level of COVID-19 on the island.
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