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Bahamas bans travel from US, Latin America as virus cases rise
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The Bahamas, a global tourist destination with 400,000 inhabitants, is still recovering from Hurricane Dorian last year. (Shutterstock/Daniel Sockwell)
T
he Bahamas is barring visitors from the United States and Latin America in response to a rise in coronavirus cases in the archipelago three weeks after reopening its borders.
Beginning Wednesday, only flights from Britain, Canada and the European Union will be allowed to land in the Bahamas, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said on Sunday.
Travelers from those places must complete an electronic health visa before departure, and on arrival show a recent negative coronavirus test result. Otherwise they will be quarantined for two weeks at their own expense.
"In neighboring countries, hospitals are overwhelmed and deaths are increasing," Minnis noted.
He didn't directly name the United States, which has had nearly four million COVID-19 confirmed cases and almost 141,000 deaths.
The health crisis is worsening in many southern and western US states, particularly in Florida, a new disease epicenter just 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Bahamian shores.
"For some places, it is unclear when or how they will get this virus under control," Minnis said.
The travel ban extends to commercial vessels carrying passengers, but not to small craft and private planes.
Read also: Italy bans entry from 13 countries due to coronavirus fears
The Bahamas, a global tourist destination with 400,000 inhabitants, is still recovering from Hurricane Dorian last year.
It shut its borders April 6, battening down as the pandemic gathered force around the world.
Since reopening July 1, the Bahamas has had 49 new coronavirus cases. It has seen only 153 confirmed cases and 11 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
