Effective from 3 September, cruise ships will not be allowed to enter ports in the Bahamas if there are unvaccinated passengers onboard aged 12 and older, the government announced through an emergency executive order issued on Thursday.
Posted to the Bahamas Customs & Excise Department website, the Order was signed by Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis and is valid through Nov. 1. Under the order, if a ship is to dock, a cruise ship’s captain is required to transmit a “crew and passenger manifest” disclosing every person’s vaccination status to the Port Medical Officer prior to arrival.
The order has three exceptions:
- The crew, contractors and any non-revenue passenger of that cruise ship and whatever protocols that were previously agreed to between the Government of The Bahamas and each cruise line in relation to its crew, contractors and non-revenue passenger shall remain in effect;
- A cruise ship attempting to call at a port in an emergency, or in other exigent circumstances approved by the Government of The Bahamas;
- An unvaccinated passenger who is ineligible for the COVID-19 vaccination due to medical contraindications.
The new rule is applicable also to private islands, including Royal Caribbean’s private island Perfect Day at CocoCay. While Royal Caribbean requires all passengers to be fully vaccinated over 12 on sailings from Seattle, Bayonne, and Galveston, sailings from Florida allow unvaccinated passengers due to Florida’s law that prohibits companies from denying service to someone based on their vaccination status.
