“No Testing Required” For Vaccinated Travelers is Only Valid For Locals Residents

The Prime Minister of Aruba recently announced that fully vaccinated travelers will not be required to test for Corona when departing or arriving in Aruba. 

This statement brought a little confusion to the local and international travelers. 

But she later clarified the announcement that it’s only valid for locals currently residing in Aruba. And, only for residents who have received a complete vaccination. The second dose (Pfizer in Aruba) must have been administered at least 14 days before arrival or departure in Aruba. 

The new travel measure for locals will go in effect as of June 1, 2021. 

What About Vaccinated Visitors?

If you’re fully vaccinated, you’re probably wondering you can also skip testing for Aruba and save money on testing fee’s.

This will have to wait a little more, because according to the Prime Minister, the Government intends to remove the requirement to test for visitors also. But this is still being evaluated, and there’s is no date yet as to when a decision will be made.

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Rules Are Rules

Aruba has no control over the measures taken by airlines and other countries.

Every stakeholder in the travel industry has different requirements for travelling during this pandemic.

For example, if you’re traveling to the US from Aruba (or any other foreign) country, the CDC requires you to show proof of a negative covid-19 test, regardless of your vaccinations status. 

This also counts for airlines that require a negative corona test result before boarding.

It’s a New Trend Around The World 

Other countries around the world are also opening their doors to vaccinated travelers with less strict entry requirements. 

Aruba is also taking a step in this direction, but only for locals residing on the island at the moment.

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The Debate: Allow it or not

There is an ongoing debate whether vaccinations should be a passport to enter Aruba, and other countries.

It’s true that vaccination removes the need to pay for expensive testing when traveling. But although the vaccinated are largely protected by the vaccine, it’s not yet clear how much they could still spread corona to others, if they are unknowingly infected. 

The Government Will Clarify Announcement

All the remaining details of this new travel measure will be clarified by the Prime Minister and public health department officials during their weekly press conference.

Take note that the easing of entry requirements for vaccinated travelers will have alternative protocols that should be followed, implemented by the Aruban Government.

Whether you’re vaccinated or not, you can still travel to Aruba with negative test results – until announced otherwise by the officials in Aruba.

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Aruban Continues to Ease Corona Measures

The Government in Aruba eased the coronavirus measures as of May 10, 2021.

The coronavirus measures were eased, because….

•  The total amount of infections on the island is below 100
• The daily new infections are relatively low
• The amount of hospitalizations are low
• The amount of people getting vaccinated is growing daily

Here’s a vaccination status as of May 12, 2021…

• 56.582 locals are vaccinated
• 28.981 locals have first dose 
• 27.601 locals have second dose
• 84.183 total vaccinations applied 

Here’s the new measures against coronavirus, as of May 10, 2021:

• Curfew 

Has been changed from 12:00 pm – 4:30 am. Before it was 11.00 pm – 5:00 am.

• Store Closing Hours

All stores, including restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets, bars must be closed by 11:00 pm. Closing time was 10:00 pm previously.

• Social Distance 

It’s still required to keep 1.5 meter distance and wear a mask indoors and at crowded spaces.

Restaurants are allowed to host more guests, and musicians are able to deliver local entertainment with live music again.

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Tourism Slowly, But Surely Increasing Every Month in Aruba

CEO (Tisa Lasorte) of Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association AHATA recently released the latest hotel room occupancy report for April 2021.

The pandemic had a big impact on the room occupancy for hotels in Aruba. But the island is on the road to recovery, because according to AHATA’S monthly report, the average occupation rate for hotels in Aruba was around 52.7% in April 2021.

This is growth compared to last month (March) 2021, and a reduction of 36.2% compared to tourism in April 2019.

Here’s the projection for room occupancy in Aruba for the remainder of 2021.

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It’s expected that by the end of 2021, room occupancy for all hotels registered with AHATA will be at 55%.

Stay Over Visitors in April 2021

Aruba is still a favorite and popular travel destination.

According to the island’s tourism board, a total of 58.774 stay over visitors stepped foot on Aruba in April 2021. 

Here’s a breakdown of the countries for visitors.

• 53.556 travelers were from North America
• 2530 travelers were from Europe
• 1655 travelers were from Latin America
• 1033 were travelers were from other regions

Are you visiting Aruba soon?

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Boardwalk Project Completed 

The Tourism Minister announced that the Boardwalk Project in Malmok is finally completed.

The boardwalk is a new walkway strip alongside the beach at Malmok, that gives locals and visitors a safe and beautiful environment for leisure walks, exercise or relaxation.

Here’s a view of the boardwalk..

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Construction for the boardwalk started in 2019, and the final product is beautiful. The whole strip offers spectacular views of the beach, and sunsets.

The walkway is made out of concrete pavers that starts from the intersection at Malmok, until the kite surfing spot at Fisherman’s Hut. 

Alongside the whole length boardwalk you will find reflective bollards that provide safety and protections from nearby traffic. 

There’s also plenty of parking spaces now, so you can easily visit one of the beaches in Malmok or Fisherman’s Hut.

It’s a must visit spot in Aruba to spend a day at the beach, view a beautiful sunset or enjoy a nice leisurely walk alongside a gorgeous beach.

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Friendly Reminder: It’s Not Allowed To Bring Home Beach Sand or Seashells

Airport custom agents are still intercepting many visitors who are returning home with seashells, beach sand, and corals. 

The amount of corals, seashells, and beach sand confiscated lately by the custom agents is alarming. 

It might seem fun and innocent to bring beach sand or sea shells back home as a souvenir, but this is illegal, and you can get fined.

According to the international treaty CITES and Aruba’s local laws, it’s prohibited to remove or export seashells, corals and beach sand from the island. 

If you decide to take home any item that belongs to Aruba’s environment, you may be confronted with a fine and get the items confiscated when checking in for departure. 

This is not a pleasant experience when departing Aruba. 

Let’s remember to respect Aruba’s nature and protect the environment.

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Play Ball! – Aruba’s “Big Baseball League” Finally Starts

The grand opening and official start of Aruba’s “big league” baseball season took place on April 24, 2021.

Now you can see Aruban athletes play baseball on live streams, or watch the games in the stands if you happen to be in Aruba during the season games.

The baseball games will take place until June 20, 2021. 

There’s also an All Star game on May 29, 2021. 

The Big League category is for players between the ages of 16 – 19 years old. 

Different districts around the island registered their teams for this new season, including but not limited to North League (North Indians and Hammersharks), Center League (Quality Chiropractic Grasshoppers and Gillette Stars) and the South League (White Sharks). 

If you’re in Aruba during the big league season, you can watch a game of baseball and see what talent Aruba has to offer. Maybe you’ll see one of these aspiring players in the MLB soon.

Here’s a schedule preview of the big league games. 

• April – 25
• May – 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23
• May – 29 (All Star Game)
• June – 5,6,12 (Playoffs)
• June – 13, 19, 20 (Finals)

Click here’s to see the latest schedule for the big league games in 2021.

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Stormy Hurricane Season Expected in 2021

Forecasters are expecting another wild hurricane season in 2021, after record setting 2020.

Last year’s hurricane season was the most active on record with 13 hurricanes and 30 storms. Six major hurricanes were ranked category 3 or higher. 

Weather experts are predicting numerous tropical storms during the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, in terms of activity. 

If predictions are correct, this year will have 17 storms (average is 12 per season), 8 hurricanes (average is 4 per season), and 4 major hurricanes (average is 2 per season).

They also predict that 1 of those major hurricanes can possibly affect the Caribbean region.

Aruba is usually safe from storms and hurricanes, because the island is located safely outside of the hurricane belt.

If you’re looking for a safe place during the story times, visit Aruba.

Hurricane season starts June 1, 2021 until November 30, 2021. 

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