U.S. Virgin Islands Reopens for travelers

The U.S. Virgin Islands Gets Ready to Welcome Leisure Travelers

Located in the Eastern Caribbean, just 1,100 miles southeast of Miami, the U.S. Virgin Islands are getting to re-welcome leisure travelers from September 19, 2020.

The U.S. Virgin Islands are surrounded by the clear blue waters of the Caribbean with an average temperature ranging from 77F in the winter to 83F in the summer.

Each of our three major islands–St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John–possesses a unique character of its own.

Effective September 8, 2020, the U.S. Virgin Islands is in its Safer-at-Home Phase of the Territory’s COVID-19 pandemic response.

As of September 12, 2020, hotels and accommodations providers, including charter vessels, may begin accepting new leisure travel restrictions.

As of Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, hotels and accommodations providers, including charter vessels, may accept new guests.

Leisure travel to the Territory will resume on September 19, 2020.

The Territory’s airports are open. Travelers should contact their airline regarding schedule changes or updates.

All arriving passengers MUST wear a mask or facial covering upon disembarkation and comply with social distancing requirements

COVID-19 Requirements

If you are arriving on or before September 18, 2020, you will be required to upload a COVID-19 test result if you are 15 years of age or older and your state or country of residence has a COVID-19 positivity rate of greater than 10 percent or you have to spent more than 7 days in and are traveling from highly impacted state or country. Positivity rates are according to data and analysis from Johns Hopkins University.

  • You should only complete the Travel Screening Portal within five days of travel.
  • If you are traveling within 24 hours, please complete the form manually
  • (usviupdate.com/travel-form). Upon arrival, you must produce the completed form, as well as your test result
  • Effective September 19, 2020, every traveler aged five and older who enters the U.S. Virgin Islands is required to produce a COVID-19 test result obtained within five days of commencement of travel to the Territory
  • Travelers unable to produce the required test result will be subject to mandatory self-quarantine for 14 days, from the time of entry into the Territory or the duration of the person’s stay in the Territory, whichever is shorter, or until they are able to receive the required test result while in the Territory
  • Every person ordered to self-quarantine shall proceed directly from the airport to the designated quarantine location per the Virgin Islands Department of Health and shall be responsible for all associated costs, including transportation, lodging, food, and medical care

Incoming passengers are subject to enhanced health screenings and temperature checks to identify potential health risks and may be required to take a COVID-19 test.

For the latest COVID-19 updates, visit usviupdate.com

Restaurants and Food Trucks

  • Restaurants will be allowed to resume dine-in operations under the following conditions:
    • Limited to one-half of their previously allowable capacity, or 50 customers, whichever is less
    • Shall be closed from midnight to 6 a.m. daily
    • No congregation or standing at the bar area
    • No serving of alcohol at bar counters
    • No more than six persons per table
    • Tables must be six feet apart
    • Employees must wear facial coverings at all times
    • Patrons should wear facial coverings whenever they are not seated at a table
    • Patrons waiting for take-out must wait outside
    • No service of alcohol alone to persons outside the restaurant
  • Food trucks shall operate on a drive thru, take-out or delivery basis only

Other Businesses

  • Bars, nightclubs and cabarets are to remain closed
  • Bowling alleys and movie theaters may reopen beginning September 8, 2020
  • Casinos and gaming establishments may reopen beginning September 19, 2020
    • Sale of food and beverages and hosting of parties is prohibited
    • Shall operate at no more than 25 percent of the capacity
  • Wellness centers, fitness centers, gyms, tennis courts and golf courses may reopen
    • Contact sports are prohibited
  • Personal grooming services may reopen
    • All customers awaiting services must wait outside

Churches

  • Churches and houses of worship may reopen with a maximum of 50 people
    • Facial coverings are to be worn at all times
    • Religious leaders may be 10 feet ways from all persons while unmasked
    • Communion may be served in approved containers
    • Funerals and memorials are limited to immediate family and no more than 10 family members

Beaches

  • Public beaches are open
  • All beaches shall be closed from 4 p.m. until 6 a.m. the following day on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays
  • No picnics, parties, disc jockey (DJ), DJ equipment or the likes, camping, bonfire, cooking, barbecuing or grilling are permitted on any beach

Passport Requirement

As a U.S. territory, traveling to the US Virgin Islands is easy with no passport needed for U.S. Citizens. But it still serves as the best identification when traveling.

If you are not a U.S. citizen, then a passport issued by your country of origin is required.

St. Croix Buck Island

St. Croix

St. Croix is the largest of the United States Virgin Islands. The island lies entirely in the Caribbean Sea, with all the beauty and warmth of a tropical destination. However, it is this island’s distinct history and cultural heritage that set it apart from other Caribbean islands. St. Croix is rich in diverse history that remains alive in the architecture, national parks, historic landmarks, botanical attractions, food, music and traditions that are an integral part of island life.

See hotels at St. Croix

St. Thomas Sea Plane Landing

St. Thomas

St. Thomas combines the natural beauty of the islands with an energetic, cosmopolitan atmosphere. Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the United States Virgin Islands, is the most visited port in the Caribbean and boasts one of the most beautiful harbors in the world. The city’s reputation as the shopping mecca of the Caribbean attracts visitors from around the world who are drawn to its elegant dining, exciting nightlife and international, duty-free shopping.

A mountainous island, St. Thomas offers stunning vistas in all directions, with views of the Caribbean from 1,500 feet above sea level. Breathtaking natural wonders like magnificent Magens Bay and Drake’s Seat are also world- renowned. For the sports-minded, St. Thomas is well known for its world-class yachting and sport fishing, and welcomes golf enthusiasts to the George and Tom Fazio-designed Mahogany Run Course.

St. Thomas has more than 40 pristine white sand beaches with turquoise waters.

See hotels and offers at St. Thomas

St John Cruz Bay

St. John

St. John, the smallest of the three U.S. Virgin Islands, retains a tranquil, unspoiled beauty uncommon in the Caribbean or anywhere else in the world. Settled in the early 1700’s by Danish immigrants attracted to the island’s potential as a sugar cane producing colony, St. John soon blossomed into a thriving economy. The island’s unspoiled forests and stunning beaches attracted the attention of wealthy families who sought privacy and tranquility on the island. In 1956, Laurence Rockefeller was so moved by the island that he bought and donated broad expanses of land to the National Park Service to keep St. John “a thing of joy forever.”

St. John was recently voted “Best Island in the Caribbean/Atlantic” by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler in the publication’s prestigious annual Readers’ Choice Awards poll.

See hotels at St. John

 

Would you like to receive our travel content by email?

 

 

 
Scroll to Top