Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Rapid antigen test results normally delivered in 1 hour now taking up to 3 days
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bahamians intending to travel for the holidays should expect delays in obtaining COVID test results, flight cancelations and unexpected costs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cautioned yesterday.
A statement containing the warning noted: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to advise Bahamians planning on traveling during this period of rising COVID cases, brought on chiefly by the highly transmissible COVID variant, omicron, that on returning to The Bahamas, they should expect long delays in obtaining COVID test results and the cancelation of flights, which could result in costly outlays for hotel accommodations, food and transportation.
“The ministry is receiving information that due to a spike in local demand for testing in overseas jurisdictions, rapid antigen test results normally delivered within an hour are taking up to three days.
“PCR tests take even longer.”
This comes just days before the government implements new protocols requiring anyone traveling into The Bahamas to first present a negative RT-PCR test result as of January 7, 2022; and also as some overseas jurisdictions have reported members of the public having challenges in finding a legitimate center to take COVID tests.
Additionally, mass flight cancelations have been reported over in the United States, a popular destination for the Bahamian traveling public as well as the home of most of our tourists.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in its statement, continued: “The ministry advises the public to continue to follow the standard COVID protocols when they travel.
“These protocols are designed to minimize the spread of COVID — take the vaccines, take the booster, wear face masks properly, avoid large crowds, apply hand-washing protocols and, importantly, take additional funds to cover unexpected expenses.”
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