Fully vaccinated persons will be able to gather more freely, in addition they will be permitted to dine indoors, said Prime Minister of The Bahamas Dr. Hubert Minnis

Minnis made the announcement during a meeting of the House of Assembly on Wednesday (April 21) where he shared several changes to the current COVID-19 prevention protocols.

 According to Minnis, travellers who are able to provide proof of full vaccination or have met the vaccination requirement will be exempted from COVID-19 testing .

“What I’m saying is that once individuals within our shores…once they have received the second dose of the vaccine or they have met the vaccination requirement, they do not need any further testing to move about through our Bahamaland,” said Minnis

“Therefore, I encourage individuals to receive the vaccine as quickly as possible,” he added.

 Minnis further stated that he was guided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in announcing the new measures,  noting that  the US public health agency states that fully vaccinated people within the United States are not required to test for travel.

The Bahamian PM also reduced the daily curfew for Mainland Abaco; moving the curfew hours from 8 p.m.-5. a.m. to 10 p.m.-5. a.m.

Earlier this week the CDC revised its Travel Health Notice for the Bahamas to a Level 4, advising Americans to avoid all travel to the country due to the threat of COVID-19.

The news follows an announcement by U.S. State Department that it will issue its highest travel advisory level–Level 4 “Do Not Travel”–for approximately 80 percent of countries around the world.