Seychelles to get rid of quarantine for all visitors with coronavirus vaccine

The policy will be split into two parts

The Seychelles is opening its borders to vaccinated visitors (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The Seychelles is planning to kickstart its tourism industry by getting rid of quarantine requirements altogether for incoming visitors who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

The new measures will be implemented in two parts, the country’s ministers for Health and Foreign Affairs and Tourism announced at a press conference, and will be coordinated in line with the island nation’s own vaccine efforts.

The country will be welcoming fully-vaccinated visitors from anywhere in the world with immediate effect, although they must still also present a negative Covid PCR test result taken with 72 hours of travel.

There will be no more need for quarantine for vaccinated travellers, reports the Seychelles News Agency - up until now, visitors had to self-isolate at their hotel for 10 days on arrival.

To be considered as vaccinated, visitors must have received both doses of any of the four main vaccines - Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Janssen - and waited two weeks after the second dose for the inoculation to take effect.

As proof, visitors will need to submit an “authentic certificate from their national health authority”.

For unvaccinated visitors, only those travelling from Category 1 and 2 countries, as well as private jet passengers, are allowed to enter the Seychelles. They too will need a negative Covid-19 PCR test result.

The UK was recently suspended from Category 2 due to the new variant of coronavirus, so these rules will not apply.

From March however, the Seychelles will further relax its rules as it expects to have just under three quarters of its adult population vaccinated by then.

Once that happens, the Seychelles will grant entry to everyone, regardless of their vaccination status, as long as they can show proof of a negative Covid-19 PCR test result taken within 72 hours of travel.

It comes as many countries around the world are closing their borders due to new variants of coronavirus.

The UK has this week introduced its most severe travel restrictions, requiring all incoming visitors to have a negative Covid test and to quarantine for 10 days, regardless of where they’re travelling from, although visitors to England can finish quarantine after five days if they pay for a second test and receive a negative result.