Regional: Tourism Minister welcomes first yacht arrivals in Grenada under new protocols

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(GIS) – The Ministry of Tourism is pleased to announce that on Wednesday, 20 May Grenada welcomed its first yacht arrivals, since the closing of seaports to recreational vessels in late March.

After much preparation, government had announced last week that it would facilitate yacht arrivals, with strict adherence to health and safety protocols to continue to safeguard the State of Grenada against the contraction and spread of Covid-19.

Ministry of Health officials were present on Wednesday to perform screenings, including temperature testing for yachts passengers arriving at a designated dock at Camper & Nicholson’s Port Louis Marina.

As required, the entering yachts were all pre-registered into the GRENADA LIMA database before being given pre-clearance. They were immediately placed on the requisite 14-day quarantine at 2 approved locations. At the end of the quarantine period, crew will be given formal clearance by Immigration and Customs, only after receiving a negative Covid-19 test result and health clearance from the Ministry of Health.

The designated entities, the Marine & Yachting Association of Grenada (MAYAG) in Grenada, and the Carriacou Marine Tyrell Bay Marina in Carriacou, as well as the Immigration Department and the Royal Grenada Police Force, are responsible for collecting and sharing all yacht arrival pre-registration information. Following the receipt of the information, yachts are then provided with authorised entry dates from the Grenada Immigration Department.

Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Hon. Dr Clarice Modeste-Curwen, led a delegation, which included the Chairman of the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA), Brenda Hood, to welcome 2 of the yachts into Grenada on Wednesday, and expressed her gratitude to the government agencies and private sector partners for their successful collaboration in preparing and operationalising the integrated yacht arrivals sequencing protocol.

According to the minister, “The Cabinet and National Covid-19 Response Team are satisfied that the implemented health and safety protocols will allow yachts a safe-haven in Grenada for the hurricane season, while ensuring the safety of all citizens, and contributing to the rebound of our economy.”

Provisioning protocols have been prepared for implementation at the Port Louis Marina, Grenada, and at Carriacou Marine for yachts needing water, essential supplies and fuel during quarantine.

Just over 700 yachts are registered and scheduled, and will be facilitated through this plan over the coming months.

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