Traveling to Puerto Rico used to be an item on every vacationer’s bucket list. However, with the arrival of the pandemic, it has been crossed off and replaced with something safer: social distancing.
If you’ve been itching to visit the exotic island and get a glimpse of beautiful Puerto Rican women, this new development might be an inconvenient snag in your plans. However, most airlines have adapted swiftly to the pandemic and have implemented several measures to ensure that vacationers can still travel to Puerto Rico safely.
Here are some of the ways how airlines have made it safer for vacationers to travel to Puerto Rico:
The no-mask-no-flight policy
The mask-up policy has attracted a lot of controversial debates and arguments. However, many airlines have stuck strictly to this rule to ensure the safety of their passengers. Most airlines prevent unmasked passengers from checking in or boarding a flight to Puerto Rico for good reasons.
According to scientific research, masks are able to block respiratory droplets from entering vital airways such as the nose and mouth. This way, mask wearers are not open to contracting the virus or spreading it to other people around them.
Getting tested
The PCR protocol is yet another strategy that airlines have employed to ensure the safety of Puerto Rico-bound travelers. If you aren’t fully vaccinated yet, you will be required to get tested with a viral test strip to ensure that you don’t have the virus.
Without a negative test strip, no passenger will be allowed to board the plane. Similarly, passengers who test positive for the virus will have to self-isolate and get better before they can travel. Although this may seem like an unnecessarily negative regulation (pun intended), this strategy is one of the few ways through which airlines can renew confidence in air travel.
Enforcing COVID-19 guidelines
Apart from the no-mask rule, airlines still have to follow and enforce other COVID-19 protocols to protect travelers headed for Puerto Rico and other cities. For instance, passengers have to wash their hands and undergo a temperature check before boarding. Planes are also thoroughly disinfected and cleaned before and after every trip to prevent the spread of the virus.
Although it can be difficult to maintain social distance on a plane, travelers are encouraged to stay at least 6 feet apart from each other during the check-in process.
Things You Should Know Before Travelling to Puerto Rico
Just before you hop onto the next flight to Puerto Rico, here are some essential things to bear in mind:
Puerto Rico is on a Level 4 Health Notice
Although the thought of building sandcastles and sipping Piña colada on Flamenco Beach can be exciting, it is advisable to be careful when visiting Puerto Rico. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a Level 4 health notice for Puerto Rico due to its alarmingly high number of COVID-19 cases.
However, if you decide to visit this exotic island, ensure that you are fully vaccinated and adhere to strict COVID-19 protocols for the entire duration of your trip.
COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination
If you’re a fully vaccinated traveler arriving on a domestic flight, you may not need to undergo a COVID-19 test before visiting Puerto Rico. However, passengers who do not fall under this category have to provide a negative test result taken no more than 72 hours before their trip.
It is also important to bear in mind that the island does not currently accept rapid tests due to their unreliability.
Don’t expect too much
The pandemic ruined a lot of fun activities for vacationers and travelers. Even the exciting island of Puerto Rico and its thrilling adventures were not spared. Although things are gradually returning to normal, most attractions still operate at a limited capacity. For instance, the museums, public beaches, and nature reserves are open but don’t function at their full capacity.
Similarly, restaurants, theaters, and other social spaces are currently functioning at only 30% capacity. As such, visitors shouldn’t expect to get the full Puerto Rican experience. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to endure a boring trip. Puerto Rico still remains a fun destination even with restrictions in place.
Final Thoughts
Have you been asking yourself, “is Puerto Rico safe”? Thanks to the pandemic, traveling to hotspots such as Puerto Rico has been met with a lot of skepticism from travelers. Fortunately, many airlines are working around the clock to ensure that travelers have a safe and fun trip. In this article, we’ve outlined some of the key measures that modern airlines have put in place to achieve this. However, if you’re looking to travel to Puerto Rico, you have to equally play your own part in ensuring your safety. Whether you’re vaccinated or not, adhere to COVID-19 guidelines and help to limit the spread of the virus.