Seychelles to Fully Open Borders March 25, Regardless of Vaccination Status

The Seychelles has announced that it will be welcoming visitors from across the globe, irrespective of their vaccination status, from March 25, 2021. Visitors from South Africa will still not be permitted to enter Seychelles for the time being until further review. The announcement was made by the minister for foreign affairs and tourism Sylvestre Radegonde in a press briefing Thursday morning with the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), following the Tourism Task Force Committee meeting.

Visitors will now only be required to present a negative PCR test taken 72 hours prior to departure. There will be no quarantine requirement nor restriction on movement upon entry into Seychelles. Additionally, the minimum stay in establishments upon arrival will no longer be applicable.

With that said, visitors will still be required to adhere to other public health measures put in place; these will include wearing of face masks, social distancing and regular sanitization or washing of hands. The new measures also give visitors access to all communal area within the hotel premises inclusive of bars, swimming pools, spas and Kid’s clubs. 

Minister Radegonde stated that the decision to review and relax the entry procedures in the country has been made possible in view of the success registered in the aggressive vaccination campaign that the country embarked on earlier in the year.

The small island nation off the east coast of Africa whose economy is based primarily on tourism was the first African country to launch a “bold, comprehensive and effective Covid-19 immunization campaign”—done so in January 2021. According to the STB, the Indian Ocean country is on track to become the first to achieve COVID-19 herd immunity, which it will accomplish by mid-March.

The destination will continuously review the new entry measures to ensure that at all times the health and safety of the visitors and the local population are not compromised. More details will be available shortly through the updated travel advisory on www.tourism.gov.sc.

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