The Office of the Premier on Montserrat confirmed Friday that the recently announced policy by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda requiring all arriving passengers to be COVID-19 vaccinated (at least partially), also applies to persons in transit to and from Montserrat.
On September 15, the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda announced new measures as part of its policy on the management of COVID-19. One such measure is that as of October 1, 2021, “All arriving passengers, including returning nationals and residents, are required to have received at least the first dose of a vaccine approved by the appropriate authorities in Antigua and Barbuda.”
Montserrat’s Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joseph E. Farrell spoke with Antigua’s Prime Minister, Hon. Gaston Browne on Friday morning (September 17, 2021) who confirmed that the policy for all travelers to be vaccinated, also applies to persons in transit to and from Montserrat.
As it relates to medical emergencies/evacuations to Antigua from Montserrat, Minister of Health and Social Services (Acting), Veronica Dorsette-Hector spoke with Minister of Health, Sir. Molwyn Joseph about the implications for the acceptance of unvaccinated patients from Montserrat.
In that conversation, Antigua and Barbuda’s Health Minister said that the current arrangement for the acceptance of medical emergencies from Montserrat will remain unchanged.
Mrs. Dorsette-Hector confirmed that medical evacuations/emergencies from Montserrat can still be transferred to Antigua provided that the established strict COVID-19 protocols which are already in place, are followed.
The new travel policy for Antigua & Barbuda invalidates the current SRO for Montserrat which allows for the arrival of non-vaccinated nationals or technicians, as they would not be able to travel through the twin-island state which is the only gateway currently available for accessing Montserrat.
The COVID-19 vaccines currently in use in Antigua and Barbuda are:
Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine
Sputnik V
Pfizer
As of September 16, the number of new cases in Antigua and Barbuda was 159 and the number of Active Cases was 857.
